Champagne takes the lead in spring revival
LATE spring and early summer are the busiest time in the wine calendar. At this year's London Wine Trade Fair there was a real mood of optimism.
The Champagne restaurant trade in the UK at last shows signs of resurrection, and it seemed entirely right to toast life after death with the newly released and very classy 1985 vintage from Krug, which is leaner and racier than the opulent 1982. Both vintages will be offered concurrently for the next few months by Remy & Associates (0491 410777).
Although business is much better here, France is still gripped by recession and the Champagne industry is in flux, most groups facing huge losses suffered as a result of desperately poor sales in 1992/93. Gosset, the oldest independent house in Champagne, has been sold to Frapin Cognac; Vranken-Lafitte now wholly owns Barancourt, and Louis Roederer has a 63% share in Deutz.
The Champagneco-operatives, always a powerful presence in the French domestic trade, are starting to make their presence felt here.
Meunier's great advantage is to provide soft early-drinking Champagne with no hint of austerity: the downside is that it is a difficult grape to vinify well. Pannier happily makes delicious Meunier-based Champagnes, starting at £116 a case excluding VAT.
The new, upmarket Cuvée EugÁ¤ne, made from a higher proportion of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and with six years' bottle age, is also worth seeking out. Enquiries to Heyman Brothers (071-730 0324).
The Italian specialist distributor Winecellars (081-871 3979) made a strong showing at the fair with decent varietal wines in the £30-£45 a case band which may be sold on the table for £7.50-£10 a bottle.
Typical is a clean, steely Pinot Grigio del Veneto, Via Nova for £32 and a white that stood up well toThai-spiced chicken skins at Soho's Bahn Thai restaurant recently.
An even better food wine, also from Winecellars, is the lovely, luscious and grapy 1993 Moscato d'Asti, Araldica (£31).
As for Burgundy, tastings at the fair confirm that 1992 is the current vintage to buy for whites and 1991 for reds. Heyman Brothers put on an exhaustive tasting from Burgundy principals, led impressively by William Fevre's array of Chablis. The Chablis "Champs Royaux" is an exceptionally attractive and fairly priced wine for £72 a case. It has a nutty, forward mellowness that would make it ideal for restaurant listing immediately.
Of the less oaked premiers crus, Montmains is fresh and racy, Vaillons rich and quite fleshy. Moving on to the full barrel-fermented premiers crus, the little-known Les Lys is a winner (£97) with an elegant, quite tight definition of flavour, while Vaulorent has almost the opulence and balance of a grand cru.
Of the real grands crus Vaudesir (£149) outclassed the others, but the well structured Bougros (£138) and the subtle, understated Les Preuses (£143) were very fine too.
From the Côte d'Or, Anne & Francois Gros' 1991 Clos Vougeot "Le Grand Maupertuis" (£283) is a superb red burgundy - "a real little Jesus in velvet pants," as they say in those parts.o
