LONDON IN THE PINK OVER FIZZ

Pink champagne has been the fizz of choice at many of the London Season parties this year, as champagne houses introduce some excellent versions of what used to be seen as a pretty naff drink.

Novel gift line from that doyen of the champagne world, Krug, is this leather holster designed to carry their latest half-bottle of Krug rosé. This must be the most  outrageously extravagant fashion accessory of the season.  They teamed up with luxury accessory name, Connolly, to create it, and it  may be bought at the Connolly shop in Conduit Street, complete with the half bottle, a snip at £445  This rosé half bottle is only available in a very limited edition and costs £100 on its own from Berry Bros & Rudd. www.connollylondon.com and www.bbr.com

From Bollinger comes a non-vintage rosé champagne. This house, which has just celebrated its 150th anniversary, has traditionally been wary of producing rosé and only does so when the harvest is just right for such. This was the case in 1999, resulting in La Grande Annee Rosé, and now this year they have presented this new non-vintage Bollinger rosé, to retail at around £55.

Another champagne rosé launch, this one from Gosset – the oldest wine house in Champagne.  The Celebris Rosé 2003 Extra Brut joins Gosset’s impressive selection of champagnes and will retail at around £120 per bottle.  Go to the site of their UK distributors, www.mckinleyvintners.co.uk to find retail stockists. Gosset, incidentally, were one of a number of houses who decided to opt out of the Wine Fair at Excel(see below) and instead held their own event in central London. Could this be the start of yet another exodus from Excel?

WINE DRINKING HELPS THE ENVIRONMENT

The excellence of some of the wines to be sampled at the International Wine Fair earlier this summer was a welcome recompense for the weary treck out to the Excel exhibition centre in Docklands.

This pleasure dome offered some 20,000 wines for tasting and in the interests of our readers we did our best – but it is true that you can have too much of a good thing.

Buzzwords at the fair were Organic and Biodynamic, highlighted in the Top 100 Tasting, and further complicated by “climate neutral” or  “carbon neutral” terms.
Despite the drinks trade lagging behind food in its attention to environmental issues, this show indicated that it is now beginning to catch up, both in organic and free trade products and in further developments that aim to show ethical credentials.

Top name in the organic and biodynamic market is Vintage Roots, leaders in the field for 21 years now. They offer wines from all over the world that are true to their commitment, including this Côtes de Provence Cru Classé rosé, from the rosé heartland of Provence. £95.88 a case. See their extensive range on www.vintageroots.co.uk. They are also moving into the carbon offsetting sector, buying carbon offset credits.

Vignobles Lacombe lays claim to be the first wine producer in Europe to market “climate neutral” wines, wines that they say help combat global warming – by offsetting the vineyard’s greenhouse gas emissions. This laudable effort may be viewed with some scepticism by  those who query the benefits of ‘offsetting’, but drinkers of Vignobles Lacombe Bordeaux may be happier in the knowledge that in doing so they are helping the environment.

• Leaving such niceties aside, the good news is that there is absolutely no shortage of grapes for champagne, as some rumours suggested.

• To add to the vogue for rosé champagnes, there is now a rosé port, Croft Pink, a light ruby port that may be served chilled as an aperitif.

• Produced to complement the popularity of sushi, Oroya is a new white wine created by a Japanese oenologist (scientist of wine), produced in Spain.

• Rises in the cost of European wines, due to the strengthening of the euro, are offset by some fine new wines from Argentina, bought in dollars, especially the premium 2007 Clos de Los Siete launched at the Fair.

• Sweet dessert wines are staging something of a revival, Francois Lurton one of those offering a range, including Pasitea.

• Winston Churchill is reported to have had a soft spot for Melnik, a Bulgarian wine featured at the fair from Krasimira Kostova-Mira  – but then he had many soft spots.

• The Gorilla range of wines by Italy’s Quanto Basta, from which donations are made to gorilla charities, has been extended.

ALTERNATIVE BUBBLY GAINS FANS

AMONG drinkers who wish to continue quaffing fizz but who want to curb their budgets, Italian Prosecca is enjoying a boom. A good quality Prosecca can be  better than some poor quality Champagnes and may be bought in retail outlets for around £6 per bottle, organic versions around £8. Served with a squeeze of lime juice, it makes a wonderfully refreshing summer’s drink.