Articles from Ideal Wine Company published during the w/c 19th December 2016.

1. Ideal Wine Company Articles WC 19th
December 2016
How To Create A Wine List
If you are throwinga wine party for New Year’s,rememberthatguestscan oftenfeel overwhelmed,
whengiventoomuchchoice. IdealWineCompanyexplainshowtocreate awine list,soyou cansubtly
provide guests with the information they require to choose the vintage they will most enjoy!
Vital information
There is some basicinformation thatyoushouldinclude inyourwinelist,togive gueststhe chance to
recognise some aspect of the vintage they’re familiar with. This includes the wine’s name, product,
varietal andproductionlocation.But not everyguest will be a wine buff,so youmay want to explain
more complex terms, like terroir, in your wine list notes, so they can make informed decisions.
Consider format
Yourwine listneedstobeeasyforyourgueststoread,soyoushouldconsideritsformatverycarefully,
looking at everything from font to text colour. Pay attention to how you categorise your wines, as
obscure groupingse.g.by taste profiles,canprove confusingtothe uninitiated.Ensure yourcategories
are representativeof theircontentse.g.groupbyvarietals,soattendeesknowwhatthey’re drinking.
Short is best
On the subjectof formats,youmay wantto keepyourwine listshortand sweet,toavoidgivingyour
gueststoomuch choice.We wouldadvise youto stickwithfive whitewinesandfive redwines,if you
wanta basiclist,or throwina rose or two,or evenafew sparklingwines.A goodtipistoonlyprovide
a couple of bottle options for each category, you ensure your wine list is easy to navigate.
Include staples
Australian lifestyle site The Shout advises you to include staple wines on your list, to ensure there’s
something for everyone. This includes Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Rieslings for whites and
Shiraz’, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons for reds, as these styles are all well-known. Order each
category by weight,goingfromlightandseasonal toheavyandboldwines,topromote convenience.
Varied locations
Wine lists shouldn’t be boring, so you may want to choose vintages from a variety of locations. It’s
advisable tooptforwinesproducedinamix of oldworlde.g.Bordeauxandnew world,e.g.California,
regions,tocapture your guests’imaginations.Youcanfindwinesfromtopregionsall overthe world,
including Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Australia on Ideal Wine Company’s website.
Opinions Are Divided On Quality Of 2016 Champagne
Representativesfromtwoof the world’s topChampagnehousesrecentlyexpresseddifferingopinions,
concerning the quality of the 2016 vintage. Ideal Wine Company reports…
Background info
The grapesusedinChampagne productionare growninthe eponymousFrenchregion.Consequently,
these productsare influencedbythe Champagne area’sterroir,whichencompasseseverythingfrom
soil to weather.Sodepending on weather conditions, some years’ vintages are better than others.

2. Regions across France experienced adverse – sometimes even bizarre, weather conditions thisyear,
impacting its grape harvest. For examples, heavy frosts hit Burgundy in the spring, with projections
showing that they damaged 46% of the region’s vineyardsby over 30%. The Champagne region did
not escape these adverse weather patterns, so have they damaged grape production and quality?
Unexpected quality
Assessing opinion, The Drinks Business found it to be divided. Commenting, AR Lenoble’s co-owner,
Anne Malassagne, said: “It’s too early to decide if 2016 will be a vintage year but the quality of the
grapes we picked was unexpected. We were very worried in the middle of August but we enjoyed
three weeksof sunnydaysandcool nightsthathelpedtokeepthe aciditylevelshighenough. We had
perfect conditions in September apart from a few days of rain, which didn’t cause any damage.
Going on, she said: “We started picking our Pinot Noir and Meunier on 15th
September then had to
stopfor a fewdaysto waitfor the Chardonnayto getripe enough. Some of the Chardonnaywasa bit
too sweetsowe blockedmalolacticfermentationthisyear.The Southof Champagne washit hard by
April frostsandsome estateslostalmostall of theircroptohail invillageslikeUrville.Ourcropisdown
by about 20% on 2015 but we’re very happy with the quality of the grapes we picked.”
Nightmare harvest
However Regis Camus, the Chef De Cave of Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck, expressed a
contrasting opinion. Explaining his position further, the Chef De Cave said: “The 2016 vintage was a
nightmare.We had snowin April and verylow temperaturesinthe vineyards.Nearlyall of the vines
in the Côte des Bar were killed by frost – production in Champagne is down by 15%. We had lots of
rain in May, June and July, which led to an explosion of mildew like I’ve never seen before.”
“Thankfullythe Augustheatstoppedthe marchof the mildew.The grapeswere tinythoughandwere
drying out on the spot. Our harvest was down by 33%. Pinot Noir and Meunier ripened faster than
Chardonnay,whichisunusual.Infact,ourChardonnayripenedatthe righttime butourPinotripened
early.It will be an interestingchallenge tryingtoput the piecesof the puzzle togetherandmake our
Cuvée Brutfrom the 2016 vintage. We will have torelymore heavilyonreserve winesandwill use at
least 20% in the blend,” potentially damaging this products renowned quality.
Try Champagne
The onlywaywe’re goingtobe able to assessthe qualityof the 2016 vintage,therefore,isbyactually
sampling these Champagnes. If you want something to measure them against, you could buy top
Champagnes from Ideal Wine Company. Visit the Champagnes list on our official website and you’ll
findbottlesfrom prestigiousbrandslikeDomPerignon,SalonandKrug,providingyouwithtrue luxury!