There is no better way to celebrate than with a glass of bubbles - don’t you think? One of our favourites is pink and named PIPER-HEIDSIECK Rose Sauvage, our wine expert Joelle Thomson shares why she rates this fragrant, floral Champagne.
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“Sauvage means wild, which is fitting as this is a wildly different style of pink champagne from its deep colour, yet pretty pink appearance, through to its fresh savoury flavours.”
PIPER HEIDSIECK Rose Sauvage
What could be more delicious than pink champagne? Not only does it look beautiful, but it also tastes it too, thanks to being a blend of still Pinot Noir (a quarter of the wine) with meticulously made champagne, which is deeply coloured pink champagne (more of a light red). The deep pink comes from its high proportion of lightly pressed red grapes with a modest smidgeon of Chardonnay. The proportions are 55 per cent Pinot Noir, 30 per cent Pinot Meunier and 15 per cent Chardonnay and - there is a twist to the usual pink bubbly formula – a whopping 25 per cent of still red Pinot Noir added to the blend.
Sauvage means wild, which is fitting as this is a wildly different style of pink champagne from its deep colour, yet pretty pink appearance, through to its fresh savoury flavours. It’s 9.5 grams of dosage per litre (that’s the technical lingo for how dry the wine is) – and like most modern champagnes, this one fits neatly into the off-dry category with rich berry flavours adding depth to the wine and balance to its style.
Interesting fact: PIPER HEIDSIECK Champagne began in 1785 when German-born founder Florens-Louis Heidsieck made wine to seduce his lover - as legend has it.
Graze with: Fresh salmon on water crackers, or duck and mushroom pate with crusty french bread.
Serve with: This wine begs for earthy flavours – duck slivers on ciabatta, mushroom dumplings or chicken thighs. a la Rick Stein’s Spanish recipe would be ideal.
Joelle’s rating 17.5/20 silver.