Ulrika’s champagne and sparkling wine tasting

Below are the champagnes and sparkling wines that we tasted on Ulrika’s hen night – in the order that she tasted them. The prices are approximate and most wines should be widely available (with the exception of Waitrose Vintage Champagne). For those of you in Sweden, Systembolaget stocks Louis Roederer Brut NV Champagne and if you liked the taste of sparkling red wine try the Deakin Estate (96 sek). Prices are approximate.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV Champagne, France £32.99
Roederer Estate Quartet Brut NV Anderson Valley, California, USA £17.99
These two wines are made by the same producer and as noticed during the tasting, it’s quite difficult to differentiate between the champagne and the sparkling wine from California. If you liked these two and feel like really splurging on a bottle, then try Louis Roederer’s vintage champagne – I had the 99 vintage recently and its delicious!

Waitrose Brut 1999 Vintage Champagne, France £23.99
Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury 2004 W Sussex, England £18.99
It was good to get such a great response on the English sparkling and if you liked the Ridgeview, I highly recommend trying Nytimber’s vintage sparkling wine, it’s widely available but stocks are low and demand high. It’s about £23.99 for a bottle and well worth a try!

Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz, SE Australia £8.99
Sparkling red wine is quite a different tasting experience, especially since they can be slightly sweet. Try this one with spicy barbecued meats and serve well-chilled.