Why We Like It

Champagne Lamiable saved our honeymoon... well, one day of it at least. Whilst we had a few visits in the diary, we left a couple of afternoons free to pop-in to some producers on-the-fly. Little did we know that the Champenoise don’t really do on-the-fly. Cue a few hours hopelessly driving around the Montagne-de-Reims trying to find someone who would pour us a glass of the good stuff.

This is where Lamiable came in. We pulled up to the traditionally charming farmhouse in Tours-sure-Marne, ‘Degustation s'il vous plaît’ we said in our finest GCSE French. To cut a long story short, in the space of half an hour we had tasted wonderful wine, met winemakers Ophelie and Arnaud and even wished Pierre, Ophelie’s father who planted the vines back in the 50s, a bon anniversarie! This is real Grower Champagne.

What To Expect

Having a party? This is the joyous pour of pink that you need. Elegant red fruits backed up with that clean minerality on the palate. As with the Souffle d’Etoiles, we have a Pinot Noir dominant (60%) blend, 10% of which is red wine, to give us the delicate pink colour. 40% of the wine comes from the perpetual reserve and it’s completed with a low dosage of 4.3g/ltr. Another case-and-point example of growers providing an excellent wine for far less than the big boys.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir / 12.5% / Tours-sur-Marne, Champagne, France / 75cl

Why We Like It

Les Marnes Blanches are a quintessential modern Jura producer. Founded by couple Géraud and Pauilne Fremont when they were just 25, almost straight out of wine school, they have built up ten hectares of vines in the Jura and are making clean, textural wines from each of these carefully chosen plots.

The wines are made in the Burgundian ouillé (topped up) style, a hallmark of the newer approach to winemaking in the Jura, although they do make some more traditional bottlings, vin-jaune, macvin, crémant... the list goes on. They even started a brewery to see them through sparse vintages!

What To Expect

The Chardonnay from Les Molates is assembled from a west facing plot in Gevingy of 35 year old vines and is a balanced, citrus lead wine that will give you the first hint of what Les Marnes Blanche is all about.

Chardonnay / 13% / Jura, France / 75cl

Why We Like It

We’re going to be straight with you, this water is expensive. But believe us, this is not your normal bottle of eau petillant. It graces the tables of Michelin starred restaurants across the world, not to mention the Instagram stories of some of the most influential foodies you’re likely to follow.

Think of it not as something to quench thirst, but another part of the meal. For those not imbibing, this is a far more engaging option than a bottle of no-secco. This is a gastronomic product, so if you fancy your skills in the kitchen, you owe it to yourself to provide the finest accompaniments.

What To Expect

Vichy Catalan has been collecting this naturally sparkling water with its exceptionally high mineral content for over 140 years. That’s right, collecting. It appears naturally sparkling at 60c, now that’s what I call terroir.

The flavour and texture really is unique. It has a richness, and dare I say it, a mineral saltiness that provides interest when drunk on its own, but when drunk with food elevates the whole experience to another level.

Give it a go, it’s probably the cheapest slice of pure luxury you’ll ever come across.

3052 mg/ltr Total Dissolved Solids / Caldes de Malavella, Spain / 1 Litre

Why We Like It

Have you ever played that game when you ask someone to name a vegetable and the punchline is that everyone says carrot? Well, try the same with a red wine - Chateauneuf du Pape is the carrot. But there’s more to life than carrots and more to Domaine de Ferrand than just CdP.

Phillipe Bravay is a vigneron who, in 1997, took the bold decision to start making his own wines from the family domaine, rather than sell to the local négotiants. Farming organically (uncertified) on the galets roulés of CdP and sandy soils of the environs, Phillipe coaxes the best out of some of the oldest vines in the area with a hands-off approach, letting the vineyards do the talking.

What To Expect

Baby Chateauneuf is the bet way to describe this Côtes du Rhône; concentrated ripe strawberry, herbal touches, savoury back olive and spicy black pepper. That it comes from some excellent old vines just across the road from the more famous appellation, makes it a fantastic bargain for your dinner table.

Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Clairette / 14.5% / Southern Rhone, France / 75cl