Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator rates over 15,000 wines per year, in every price range, to fit every occasion. Read about the world's great wineries and winemakers and visit restaurants with outstanding wine lists. Plus, each issue features delicious recipes and pairs them with the perfect wines.

WineSpectator.com • Visit WineSpectator.com/121522 to find links to all of the following resources.

Champagne Experiences

Wine Spectator

FEEDBACK

Restaurants Bring Hurricane Relief

Château Latour Owner Buys Majority Stake in Henriot

Fred Franzia

Cabernet Tonight Wins 16th Annual Video Contest

Not Finished Yet! • Finishes & Blends Add Unique Complexities

The Fine Art of Shopping Carte • Vintage French maps from Louis Larmat are a beautiful way to learn wine regions

GIVING WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH • OUR EDITORS SHARE GIFT IDEAS FOR THE DESERVING PEOPLE ON YOUR LIST

FOR THE PARTY HOST

FOR THE CHEESE OBSESSED

FOR THE OUTDOORS ADVENTURER

MAIL ORDER FOR THE EPICURE

FOR THE ASPIRING HOME BARTENDER

Why Americans Love Sancerre • Vintners’ focus on site-specific bottlings is boosting complexity in these Loire Valley whites

SAVVY SHOPPER

SPECTATOR SELECTIONS

Outside the Lines: Domaine de la Côte

The Big Money, Small Business Balance

EXPERIENCING CHAMPAGNE • Places and ways to enjoy Champagne can be found around every corner

CHAMPAGNE ACROSS AMERICA • Can you have too much of a good thing? Head to one of these locations throughout the U.S. where the pop of bottles is like the steady beat of a drum on the restaurant’s soundtrack. By specializing in Champagne, these destinations will delight aficionados, with experiences such as large by-the-glass selections, tasting flights and large-format bottles.

CHAMPAGNE CAVIAR COMPLEMENT • Long associated with Russian tsars and European royalty, caviar is a natural pairing for Champagne based on their shared prestige alone—if one luxury is good, then two must be better, right? But the partnership goes well beyond perception, with the shape of the roe mimicking the beads of Champagne and the salinity of the caviar echoed in the minerality of most bubbly. It’s an intriguing match that any true Champagne lover should experience.

CHAMPAGNE PAIRED PLATES

CHAMPAGNE TASTING MENUS • Giving chefs and sommeliers free rein to wow via a tasting menu with paired wines is one of the best ways to explore the intersection of food and wine. While Champagne often yields to still wines as the meal progresses, bubble lovers know that Champagne is up to almost any task. Its range of styles as well as the broad variety across individual producer expressions provides fine pairings from the amuse-bouche to the mignardise.

CHAMPAGNE CULTURAL EVENTS • Whether it’s a glass of bubbles at intermission or an exhibit opening, Champagne is a longtime companion of art and culture, be it fashion, fine art, music or film. Many of the region’s most famous houses are patrons, providing support for artists to bring their visions to life and share with the world. Champagne is a wine to both celebrate creativity and inspire it.

CHAMPAGNE APPRECIATION • At some point, most serious Champagne drinkers move beyond a simple thirst for the wine in the glass to a thirst for knowledge about what goes into the making of the wines they love. Comparative tastings backed by shared insight from an informative pourer is both a pleasurable and educational path toward a greater understanding of Champagne.

CHAMPAGNE IN CHAMPAGNE ÉPERNAY

CHAMPAGNE IN CHAMPAGNE REIMS • The fastest train from Paris to Reims is just 39 minutes, making the Champagne region more accessible than ever before. In the decade since the TGV connected these...