Sunday morning tipple

My brother Jon and his family came to visit us this weekend. they hadn’t seen the house for six years, so they noticed a lot of changes. It was just great having them here and spending some quality time together.

I’d arranged for us all to visit a cave on Sunday morning in Meurville, about a twenty minute drive. Jérôme Cothias was a great host, explaining very slowly for us, so that we could translate for them the whole process of making Champagne. He gave us a very insightful tour around his cellar. One of the elements in his process that stands out is that he lays his champagne down for 3-4 years, before de-gorging it. It is then kept for a further six months before being made available for sale.

Jérôme was telling us of the fabulous year it had been for wine growers and Champagne producers. A lot of them will be producing a milliseme (vintage) this year, so something to definitely look out for.

Following the tour, we got to try his Champagnes, along with some ratafia, which I’ve kind of got quite a liking for. It’s a sweeter wine, around 20% alcohol, so ideal for dessert or, we are thinking, as a little tipple during the cold winter months.