Courvoisier Announces Global Champagne Cocktail Competition

The Ideal Wine Company has learned that Cognac house Courvoisier has decided to launch its first global bartender competition. Entrants will be asked to whip up a new Champagne Cocktail recipe.

Vital ingredient

Champagne is so much more than the most prestigious sparkling wine in the world. The protected French product is incredibly versatile, which means you can use it to make a number of delicious alcoholic concoctions. For example, mix it with a sugar cube and some Cognac and you can create a gorgeous Champagne Cocktail. Add a little juice and you can turn it into a spooky Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail - perfect for Halloween!

Courvoisier competition

Historic Cognac company Courvoisier recently decided to see just how creative some of the most talented bartenders in the world can get with the classic Champagne Cocktail. Online wine and spirit publication Harpers reported that the house has launched a competition which will task entrants to come up with a new twist on the drink using the Courvoisier VOP product.

There’s one catch; they must use the Golden Age of Paris to inspire their creation. Generally defined as the period between 1870 and 1910, the Golden Age of Paris refers to the years where the arts flourished in the French capital, just before the horrors of World War One. The competition will serve as an extension of the brands current ‘The Toast of Paris Since 1889’ marketing campaign.

“Looking forward.”

The event will be split into stages. First, bartenders from the same country will go head-to-head. Entries from the UK must be submitted by 25^th March 2016. Courvoisier will choose the six best entrants, who will compete against each other in a semi-final in London the next month. The UK winner will go on to compete in the global final in May 2016. They’ll also get the chance to visit the famous Courvoisier Chateau in Jarnac, France, where the brand was first founded.

And for the global winner? They’ll receive a special blend of Courvoisier Cognac from 1889, which will be presented to them in an engraved crystal decanter. Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Chris Anderson, Maxxium UK’s (which owns Courvoisier) marketing controller for the luxury brands said: “We are looking forward to seeing how leading bartenders across the country recreate the Champagne Cocktail and represent the Paris Golden Age with Courvoisier at the centre.”

Give it a go

Here at the Ideal Wine Company, we can’t wait to see what they come up with. If this has inspired you to try creating your own version of the Champagne Cocktail, why don’t you buy the Krug 1988 from the Ideal Wine Company? This smooth, delicious sparkling wine will help you craft a killer concoction! 

How to Make a ‘Pomme Rose’ Cocktail

Are you looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day drink? If so you might want to try whipping up a Pomme Rose, a new take on the classic French 75 cocktail. Below, the Ideal Wine Company explains how to make this fabulously romantic drink.

Mood for love

Christmas has gone and now we’re slowly inching our way through January. But thankfully, this means we’re not that far away from Valentine’s Day – the one day of the year society sets aside to celebrate the romantic love between two partners.

Are you planning to cook a nice meal for your partner this Valentine’s Day? No romantic dish is complete without a fabulous drink to complement the subtle complexities of your cuisine. But what drink should you choose; how about you really get into the spirit of the season, break out the sparkling rose and serve your partner a Pomme Rose this Valentines?

French 75

To learn how to make a Pomme Rose, first you have to understand how to create a French 75. This famous drink was invented by barman Harry MacElhone at the New York Bar in Paris (now Harry’s New York Bar) in 1915. Legend has it that MacElhone christened his new cocktail the ‘French 75’ because it packed such a punch, that drinking one felt like being shelled by the powerful French 75 millimetre field gun.

According to Esquire, a men’s fashion and culture magazine, the French 75 is a gin-based drink. Therefore to make one you’ll need two ounces of gin.  You’ll also need one teaspoon of superfine sugar, half an ounce of lemon juice and five ounces of Brut Champagne. The Dom Perignon Brut 1993, which you can buy from the Ideal Wine Company, would work fantastically here.

Add sparkling rose

The French 75 is really easy to make. Pour all the ingredients except the Champagne into a cocktail shaker filled with cracked ice and shake vigorously. Then strain into a ‘Collins glass’ which is half-full with cracked ice and then top off the mixture with Champagne. You’ll only need to do one thing to turn a French 75 into a Pomme Rose.

Just substitute the gin and Champagne for around seven ounces of sparkling rose wine. You might want to purchase the Dom Perignon Rose 1996, a mind-blowing vintage, from the Ideal Wine Company for the occasion! Follow the same method you would use to create a French 75 (but obviously don’t top it off with Champagne) and you’ll end up with a rich, woodsy, slightly sweet cocktail that your partner will love when you serve it to them this Valentine’s Day! 

Burgundy Launches Wines Club for Sommeliers

The Ideal Wine Company team has learned that the French region of Burgundy has launched a Wines Club for sommeliers based in the UK.

Burgundy wine

Located in the East of France, Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is one of the most celebrated wine making regions in the world. Vineyards in the region are known for producing stunning dry reds from Pinot Noir grapes and delicious Chardonnay-based whites. You can buy the Clos Saint Denis, a fantastic Burgundy vintage, from the Ideal Wine Company today from £528.

Statistics from the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB), the region’s wine industry trade body, showed that Burgundy vintages were popular in a number of territories in 2015. Specifically, US Burgundy wine imports grew 5.5% in the first seven months when compared to same period in the year before. However Burgundy wines proved less popular in territories such as Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Wine club

It looks as though BIVB may be looking to increase the popularity of Burgundy wines in the UK. According to Imbibe, who bill themselves as “UK on-trade drinks professionals,” the Board has decided to invite British sommeliers to its new Bourgogne Wines Club. This will feature four free classes on Burgundy’s wines hosted by celebrated Master Sommelier Xavier Rousset.

The project is designed to provide UK sommeliers with the information they need to improve their knowledge of the Burgundy wine-making industry. Rousset’s sessions will explore a number of varietals including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Chablis Premier Cru. The Master Sommelier will also explain the ‘ladder’ of Burgundy wines and allow his pupils to blind taste roughly 20 of the regions finest vintages in each class.

“Fun and interactive”

Commenting on the launch of these sessions, Rousset said that “the club will be a fun and interactive way to bring like-minded sommeliers together to share their thoughts and opinions about the wines.” He went on to add that “I am looking forward to some of the blind tasting flights – watch out, there may be some surprises!”

François Labet, president of the Marketing & Communication Commission for the BIVB also commented on the launch of the Club. He said: “Sommeliers are important influencers in the wine world and we want to get to know them better and in a personal manner. Bourgogne will focus on two key messages: the two flagship wine grape varieties and (the region’s) 100 appellations.”

Genius move

A sommelier is a trained wine professional, whose job is to suggest vintages to ordinary people. Therefore BIVB’s decision to invite British sommeliers to its new Bourgogne Wines Club could prove a genius move. Rousset will impart his students with the information they need to suggest first-rate Burgundy vintages to wine enthusiasts across the UK. 

Environment Secretary Announces First English Wine Summit

The Ideal Wine Company has learned that UK environment secretary Liz Truss recently announced that the first official English wine summit will be held in 2016.

Emerging wine maker

When someone mentions ‘first class fine wine,’ your mind might turn to celebrated wine making nations such as France. Certain regions in the western European country, particularly Bordeaux, have been making wine for centuries. If you want to see why Bordeaux is known for producing fabulous vintages, why don’t you buy the Chateau Latour 1983, a hearty red with subtle hints of cocoa, plums and chocolate, from the Ideal Wine Company today?

But France’s neighbour to the north, England, is rapidly developing a lucrative wine industry of its own. Traditionally England’s famously miserable weather hasn’t been conducive to wine making, but climate change has provided southern regions in the country, such as Kent and Sussex, with the environment needed to cultivate robust wine producing operations.

Wine summit

At present, there are 470 vineyards and 135 wineries in England. Statistics suggest that English vineyards have been growing 10%, on average, over the past decade, and that ‘land under the wine’ in England and Wales is set to double, if current trends persist, in the next seven years.

The industry’s growth potential has caught the eye of the UK’s government. Environment secretary Liz Truss, along with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WTSA), the industry’s trade body, has said that a ‘wine summit’ will be held in the new year to promote English wine making.

Truss said that she wanted to “encourage the industry to grow,” and that she would hold a round-table with representatives of the English wine sector at the event to discover how to achieve this aim. The WTSA will also host a discussion at the event, in order to identify land suitable for viticulture in England, as well as encourage data collection and data sharing in the sector to promote growth.

Huge potential

Commenting on the announcement of the summit, WSTA chief executive Miles Beale, was quoted by The Drinks Business saying that “we are delighted to be part of this round-table discussion to drive support for the English Wine industry.”

Continuing, Beale added, “it is an industry which has huge potential and is proving to be one of the new faces of modern British agriculture.” He went on to note: “If properly backed by Government it will encourage the growth of highly skilled jobs, increase tourism in the UK, stimulate local economies and we hope to see a boost to the export market of another great British product.”

 Growing industry

The English wine making sector may be growing rapidly, but it’s still in its infancy. Unlike nations such as France that have been making world-class wine for centuries, English vintners don’t yet have the experience necessary to produce truly legendary vintages. This summit could provide English wine producers with the support they need to compete on the global wine making stage.