Our Top 5 Festive Sparkling Wines

It’s not often that you get to pit five top champagnes against each other in the name of gustatory research. Earlier in the year we sat down with Oeno Co-Founder Daniel Carnio and French native Olivier Gasselin who heads up our trade sales for an exceptional tasting in the decadent surroundings of Park Chinois in Mayfair.

On the menu were some of the biggest names in the industry: Dom Perignon, Krug, Cristal, and Armand de Brignac or “Ace of Spades” as it’s better known in the UK. We also snuck in a surprise entrant – the Nyetimber Tillington 2013 – which was the only non-Champagne to make the list.

Tillington is the first single vineyard sparkling wine ever to be produced in England and is widely considered one of the best English sparkling wines on the market today.  Sitting near the top of Nyetimber’s portfolio, this would be a great alternative to champagne for a Christmas Day aperitif.

Other top bottlings on the table included Krug Grande Cuvée Edition 166 which marks the 166th release of the Grande Cuvée since the foundation of Maison Krug in 1843 and Armand de Brignac Brut Gold, the Champagne brand owned by Jay-Z.  The Brut Gold is always a multi-vintage cuvée blended across three different vintages with fruit sourced from the Cattier family’s 30 hectares and selected partner growers.

Next up was the light and fresh Cristal 2008 from a particularly cool and dry summer, and Dom Perignon David Lynch 2003, a special release designed by top Hollywood filmmaker and Twin Peaks director David Lynch.

So, which should you add to your festive shopping basket? Head to Square Mile to read the full report.

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