Celebratory Champagnes

The last two weeks have seen my birthday and my 6th Wedding Anniversary, so needless to say, there have been a couple of bottles of Champagne consumed!

If you haven't worked it out yet, I LOVE Champagne and Sparkling wine. I always have and I'm thinking that I probably always will!

Despite all the rules and regulations about what constitutes Champagne, it's amazing how different wines from different producers can taste. These two Champagnes were very different, as you can see just by looking at them, but were both absolutely delicious.

Piper-Heidsieck Rosè Sauvage Brut

This is a blended Rosè, added to the regular cuvee brut made by Piper-Heidsieck. It is a beautiful bright pink colour with fine beads. The colour comes from the grape skins from the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier used to make this wine. Given that pink is one of my favourite colours, this Champagne immediately appealed to me when it was poured from the bottle. The perfect wine for my birthday!

The beautiful colour isn't let down by the amazing aromas when you smell this champagne. As you'd expect from something this colour, it is full of red berry fruit, strawberry and a hint of citrus. There are also a few bright pink floral notes too.

To taste, it is almost like there is a party going on in your mouth! Lots of beautiful ripe red fruits, with some lovely yeastiness and some subtle acidity. There is a little bit of sweetness, but it certainly isn't a sweet Champagne.

This is one delicious wine, that looks absolutely stunning in the glass too. It is wonderful to enjoy on it's own, but matches perfectly with food. We enjoyed it with some maple mustard salmon that was cooked on cedar planks on the BBQ. I thought that the strong flavours in the fish might overpower the Champagne, but it had enough depth of flavour and body to complement it well.

This gorgeous Piper-Heidsieck Rosè Sauvage retails for about $54 a bottle, so it's not too expensive when you want something special for a celebration. Just look for the bright pink label.

Moet & Chandon Reserve Imperiale

This Moet & Chandon Reserve Imperiale was given to Mr eat quaff laugh by his parents after they returned from overseas. It is a duty free only Champagne. Even Mr Google doesn't seem to know anything about it and it's not on the Moet website. It must be very exclusive! All I do know is that this non-vintage is made from a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

We drank this wine to celebrate our 6th Wedding Anniversary. In order to include the kidlets in our celebrations, after all, they are partly the reason for our marriage, we decided to have fish and chips and Champagne. The perfect combination!

In the glass the Reserve Imperiale was a beautiful golden colour with hundreds of tiny bubbles rising to the surface of our glasses. It did look rather impressive.

On the nose, there was a combination of green apples and citrus with a delicious yeastiness, like freshly baked brioche or sweet yeast buns.

To taste, the citrus acidity is carefully balanced with luscious stone fruits and apple, with a touch of fruit sweetness.

It is a beautifully balanced Champagne with a smooth complexity. So refined and delicate.

Although we matched our bottle with salty, greasy fish and chips, it was a match made in heaven. The acidity cut through that fat beautifully. Equally, fresh prawns, scallops and oysters would be amazing to pair with this wine too.

If you happen to be travelling overseas, or have friends or family who are passing through duty free, make sure you get them to look out for this Champagne. It is certainly well worth trying,

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With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, make sure you look out for some Champagne and Sparkling wine bargains to surprise your loved one. Stick to your favourites, or look for something new and different. Although I have my favourite Champagnes that I return to again and again, it is nice to try something from a different producer or grower. You never know, it may become your new favourite tipple!