For those of you that may not be entirely convinced when it comes to Ruinart and other iconic Champagnes, the question becomes: Is the Ruinart Champagne price fair? Does Ruinart Champagne offer value for money, despite its relatively high price?

Let’s take a look.

How does the Ruinart Champagne price compare with other labels?

Ruinart Champagne is a luxury brand, and its positioning within the Champagne category is pretty high-end. The Ruinart identity is different to that of, for example, Moët & Chandon, despite the fact that both houses are owned by the same parent company. Where Moët & Chandon and its special cuvée Dom Pérignon are unashamed symbols of luxury, Ruinart is more discreet and subtle.

It’s a unique brand. Ruinart has a small, loyal following of discerning wine lovers. It’s not a flashy Champagne, less at home in nightclubs and more in restaurants. As a result, it’s hard to compare Ruinart Champagne prices with most other Champagne brands on a like-for-like basis.

Many non-vintage Brut Champagnes are more or less interchangeable. When it comes to Champagne as a gift or for a toast, most bottles will do the trick – Mumm Cordon Rouge, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label or Möet & Chandon Imperial. Of course, each wine is different, but they can all serve a similar purpose. Quality Champagnes, reliable and consistent styles and instantly recognisable brand names. Unsurprisingly, most of these houses’ non-vintage wines are quite similar in price.

Ruinart’s non-vintage Champagne is a little more expensive. Why?

Why Ruinart Champagne’s prices are higher

For a start, there’s less of it made. Total production at Ruinart is around 2.5 million bottles per year, across all its cuvées. That’s dwarfed by other labels like Mumm (5 million bottles), Veuve Clicquot (10 million bottles) and Moët & Chandon (26 million bottles).

Smaller production can mean higher production costs, thanks to fewer economies of scale, and scarcity, which pushes up demand. Both push up prices, sooner or later. As part of the LVMH group, economies of scale and production costs are hardly a paramount concern. With Ruinart, the bigger issue is surely scarcity.

Supply of Ruinart Champagne is lower than many other brands from the get-go, and distribution is strictly controlled. You may notice that you don’t often see bottles of Ruinart in nightclubs or at the supermarket. You certainly won’t see the sort of big marketing campaigns typical of some “louder” Champagnes.

This is more of a specialist’s sparkling wine, for connoisseurs and future connoisseurs – that the average Ruinart Champagne price may be a little higher than some competitors is not a big problem, so much as what’s in the bottle itself. In that regard, its price is more than fair: Ruinart Champagne is not cheap, but its quality ensures that it’s always good value.

If you’re curious to know what’s in the bottle, read on. Let’s finish up with a quick tasting of Ruinart’s non-vintage Brut.

Tasting Ruinart R de Ruinart Brut

For most Champagne houses, the non-vintage Brut is their flagship wine. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ruinart does things a little differently. Ruinart is best known for its 100% Chardonnay, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. In the interest of comparison and contrast, however, we’re looking at Ruinart R de Ruinart, the non-vintage Brut.

• Sight:

  Its colour is a deep gold, and its mousse is intense and long-lasting.

• Smell:

  There’s an explosion of aromas here. First, it’s fruit. Citrus fruits like lemon and lime are joined by white apple and pear. Stick with it and you’ll pick up some pastry and yeast aromas, finishing with a floral note. This is seriously complex for what is effectively the house’s entry-level wine.

• Taste:

  There is surprising body here, particularly when compared to some of the more famous non-vintage Champagnes out there. This is kept in balance with tingling acidity, however, making for a very harmonious palate indeed. The finish is long and memorable.

Alcohol content: 12%

Serve between 4ºC and 8ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2018

Best served in Champagne Glass

Pairing: Appetizers, Bluefish, Fowl, Seafood, Soft Cheese, Whitefish.

Buy Ruinart R de Ruinart here.

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Question: Why don’t people drink more fine and rare wines?

Short answer: It’s because they’re fine and rare wines.

Whether it’s from a small Burgundy domaine, a grand Bordeaux château, a legendary Champagne house or a top Spanish bodega, demand almost always outstrips supply when it comes to fine and rare wines. Spending hundreds – or thousands – of euro on a bottle of wine is not an everyday occurrence for most of us. Put it together, and you end up with a huge percentage of the world’s finest wines being enjoyed by a very small minority of super-rich wine lovers.

That doesn’t mean we can’t dream, though. The world of fine wine is vast and there’s good (and even great) wine everywhere, but truly outstanding wine is a little harder to come by. They’re out there, but you just need to know where to look.

For those of you that have a special occasion coming up, are planning on winning the lottery sometime soon, or are perhaps looking into robbing a small bank, we’ve compiled a list of five of the greatest fine and rare wines ever made.

The 5 fine and rare wines you have to try

The world’s finest wines don’t come cheap, and many of us won’t ever get near them. If you’re the kind of person that likes to spend a little (or a lot) more on the finer things in life, however, you’re going to want to memorise this list!

1. Krug Clos de Mesnil 1996

Champagne has long been a byword for luxury, and it’s no surprise that some of the world’s most fine and rare wines are sparklers from the Champagne region in northern France. Krug Clos de Mesnil 1996 isn’t just any old Champagne, either: This is a single vintage, 100% Chardonnay, single vineyard bottling from one of the region’s greatest houses. The vineyard in question is the eponymous Clos de Mesnil, a tiny 1.85-hectare site in the Mesnil-sur-Oger village on the Côte de Blancs. Champagne simply doesn’t get better than this. Oh yeah, and it’s got a perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate!

Alcohol content: 12%

Serve between 4ºC and 8ºC

Optimal consumption period: 1996-2021

Best served in Prestige Cuvée Glass

Pairing: Appetizers, Bluefish, Fowl, Seafood, Soft Cheese, Whitefish.

Buy Krug Clos de Mesnil 1996 here.

2. Teso La Monja 2009

Spain’s Toro region produces some of the world’s most fine and rare wines. Top producers, like the Eguren family of Teso la Monja, can make fine wines on a par with anything from Ribera del Duero or Rioja, let alone Bordeaux and Burgundy. Teso La Monja 2009 is 100% Tinta de Toro (the local name for Tempranillo) and comes from a tiny single vineyard plot whose vines predate the phylloxera epidemic. The wine is made in accordance with the principles of biodynamics, and in tiny quantities: Not much more than 800 bottles are made each year. This is the highest end of Spanish wine.

Alcohol content: 13%

Serve between 14ºC and 18ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2009-2034

We recommend to decant the wine 1 hour before serving

Best served in Tempranillo Glass

Pairing: Beef, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Roasts, Stews.

3. Château Palmer 2000

Officially ranked a third growth in Bordeaux’s 1855 Classification, Château Palmer has long outperformed even that prestigious distinction and has a loyal, cult following to rival any fine wine in the world. It was the château’s legendary 1961 vintage that eventually gave rise to the term “Super Second”, and it often makes superior wines to its first growth neighbour, Château Margaux. Its unusually high Merlot content gives Château Palmer a seductive and almost haunting perfume to complement its power and complexity. This 2000 vintage is one of the finest in recent memory. This is mature and you can certainly drink it now, though it will continue to evolve and hold for years to come. Château Palmer 2000 is a modern classic and a benchmark for the estate, for Margaux and for Bordeaux as a whole.

Serve between 12ºC and 16ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2000-2025

We recommend to decant the wine 2 hours before serving

Best served in Bordeaux Glass

Pairing: Aged Cheese, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Legume, Roasts, Stews.

4. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2001

The pinnacle of fine and rare wines is surely Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy. No other wine producer in the world comes close to the prestige that surrounds this estate and its wines. The most famous of all is the tongue-twisting Domaine de La Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti, but there is an entire portfolio of fine wines besides. La Tâche 2001 comes from a tiny hillside vineyard in Romanée-St-Vivant. The wine is one of the finest expressions of Pinot Noir, showing a velvety warmth, spice and earthy notes. One of the great bucket list wines, plain and simple.

Alcohol content: 13%

Serve between 14ºC and 18ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2001-2026

We recommend to decant the wine 2 hours before serving

Best served in Burgundy Glass

5. Château d’Yquem 2001

Last but certainly not least is Château d’Yquem 2001. A perfect 100-pointer from the world’s greatest sweet wine producer. Great Sauternes can outlive any red wine, and there’s simply no greater Sauternes than Yquem. Producing Sauternes is a painstaking process and attention to detail is crucial. Château d’Yquem simply does not compromise on quality, and will not hesitate to not release a given vintage if the wine does not meet its exacting standards. From an excellent vintage, the 2001 Château d’Yquem is characterised by harmonious balance, undeniable opulence and first-class refinement. There’s literally nothing like Yquem.

Alcohol content: 14%

Serve between 6ºC and 12ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2032

Best served in Sauternes Glass

Pairing: Blue Cheese, Chocolate, Desserts, Ice Cream, Pastry.

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This beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know to appreciate Piper-Heidsieck wines. History? Yep. Winemaking? Why not! Wine tasting? You bet. We’ve even got some Piper-Heidsieck Champagne food pairings for you to try.

A brief history of Piper-Heidsieck

Few wine regions on the earth can boast as dramatic and storied a history as Champagne. For centuries, Champagne has been the drink of choice for kings and queens, tsars, presidents and more. There are family affairs to rival Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey. Lest we forget, the Champagne vineyard was also ravaged by war not so long ago. Each of the major Champagne houses has its own storied history, and Piper-Heidsieck is, of course, no exception.

• 1785:

  One Florens-Louis Heidsieck, a German who had discovered Champagne some years earlier, founded the company that would become Piper-Heidsieck Champagne. Originally known as Heidsieck & Cie, the company had the ambition to create a cuvée to impress Marie Antoinette. Whether you consider her a brand ambassador or a very early case of influencer marketing, Marie was enraptured by the wine and Piper-Heidsieck was set for big things.

• 1828:

  Florens-Louis passed away, and his nephew Christian stepped in to continue the family legacy. Christian’s trusted associate and colleague Henri-Guillaume Piper joined him and the two managed to elevate the company’s already sterling reputation, going on to secure numerous lucrative royal warrants.

• 1838:

  Following Christian’s sudden death in 1835, his widow remarried – with Henri-Guillaume Piper, of all people. Their marriage secured the bond between the Heidsieck and Piper families, and hence the name Piper-Heidsieck was born.

• 1885:

  The first Piper-Heidsieck prestige cuvée was created. Its luxurious bottle was handcrafted by the master jeweller to Russian Tsar Alexander III. Since then, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne has shared a bond with fine jewellery.

• 1933:

  A bottle of Piper-Heidsieck became the first Champagne to appear on the big screen, in the Laurel & Hardy movie Sons of the Desert. Hollywood’s love affair with Piper-Heidsieck has never abated, and it has appeared in numerous memorable films since. Marilyn Monroe was a particularly influential fan of the brand. In 1993, Piper-Heidsieck became the official Champagne supplier of the Cannes Film Festival.

• 1942:

  As war raged on throughout Europe, the house and cellars of Piper-Heidsieck were used to conceal weapons for the French resistance, before ultimately becoming occupied by the Germans. The house and its reputation managed to survive the war and thrive from then on.

• 2011:

  Following a period of ownership by luxury goods group Rémy Cointreau, Piper-Heidsieck was bought by the Descours family of the EPI group.

How Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is made

The house of Piper-Heidsieck does not own any vineyards. Its business is to buy grapes from the many Champagne growers in the region and to use these raw materials to vinify, blend, bottle, age and eventually sell world-class sparkling wine.

As with all Champagne, Piper-Heidsieck is produced using the traditional method. Also called the “Champagne method”, this is a lengthy and expensive process involving a second alcoholic fermentation that takes place in the bottle. It is this secondary fermentation that gives Champagne its sparkle. Piper-Heidsieck’s different cuvées will each have slightly different production methods and blends.

Let’s open a bottle and see what the end result tastes like, shall we?

Tasting Piper-Heidsieck Champagne

The Piper-Heidsieck wine range has something for every type of Champagne lover. Perhaps best known is Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut, its non-vintage Brut Champagne. If you really want to get a measure of a Champagne house, try their non-vintage wine. This is the flagship for most producers, and if it’s good (or isn’t), that’ll usually give you an idea about the rest of the range.

• Sight:

  It’s got a light colour with what looks like a million fine, racy bubbles.

• Smell:

  On the nose, it’s got floral aromas, fresh apricot and peach fruits and some bready and yeasty notes.

• Taste:

  In the mouth, this is crisp and refined. The vibrant acidity is refreshing and decidedly more-ish. The finish is long and elegant.

Alcohol content: 12%

Serve between 4ºC and 8ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2018

Best served in Champagne Glass

Food pairing with Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut

The beauty of Champagne is that it’s good anytime, anywhere. Food or no food, Champagne is a versatile drink to match just about any occasion. For this Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, we recommend:

• French-style fruits de la mer:

  If you’ve ever been to a traditional French market, you’ll know this dish. It’s a big platter of the freshest seafood you’ve ever seen. You’ve got oysters, prawns, sea snails, crab and more. All totally fresh and straight out of the sea. The crisp acidity and delicate flavour of the Piper-Heidsieck will go down a treat.

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So, what goes well with wine? Food! Forget about nightclubs and music videos, and let’s put a bottle of Dom Pérignon on the dinner table and really put it to the test!

Dom Pérignon 2006 in a nutshell

What are we dealing with, then? Image aside, Dom Pérignon is a prestige cuvée vintage Champagne produced by the esteemed house Moët & Chandon. Unsurprisingly, it’s got some very strong critics’ scores, with 96 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 95 points from Wine Spectator.

Not every year in Champagne yields grapes that are high enough quality to produce a vintage wine, but Dom Pérignon 2006 comes from an especially good year, where hot and dry weather conditions led to particularly ripe grapes.

Tasting Dom Pérignon 2006

• Visually, it’s got a delicate gold colour and a fine mousse of brilliant bubbles.
• On the nose, there is expressive fruit and floral character at first, though Champagne yeast flavours and toasted bread come through underneath.
• In the mouth, Dom Pérignon 2006 is simply beautiful: A silky initial mouthfeel with rounded fruit flavour gives way to explosive acidity and long, lingering finish.

3 food matches for Dom Pérignon 2006

Champagne is often thought of merely as an aperitif wine, but quality bubbles are excellent with a wide range of different foods. Dom Pérignon 2006 is about as quality as bubbly gets, so it’s a great food wine. You could pair this wine with any amount of foods, but such a special (and, let’s face it, expensive) wine deserves something a little special!

1. Dom Pérignon 2006 and foie gras

It doesn’t get much more decadent than foie gras, the occasionally controversial French delicacy. Incredibly rich and fatty foie gras is traditionally paired with sweet Sauternes. For something a little different, though highly memorable, swap out the sweet wine for the bone-dry acidity of Dom Pérignon 2006. The biting freshness of the Champagne will cut through the dish and provide a beautiful balance and harmony in the mouth.

2. Dom Pérignon 2006 and caviar

Another delicacy worthy of a truly special Champagne, caviar is deliciously rich, salty and fishy. The salty character in particular provides an interesting counterpoint to the wine. Salt in food emphasises body in wine, bringing a new lease of life to the already round and generous mouthfeel of the Dom Pérignon. A real treat!

3. Dom Pérignon 2006 and truffles

Truffles or any quality mushroom-based dish is a match made in heaven for Dom Pérignon 2006. The umami flavour found in mushrooms emphasises acidity in wine, making for a seriously tangy and refreshing food and wine pairing!

Getting thirsty? Buy a bottle of Dom Pérignon 2006 here and try these food and wine pairings for yourself!

Want to know more about Champagne and other sparkling wines? Download our free ebook, The Sparkling Wines Guide: A Crash Course on Cava and the Sparkling Wines of the World!

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Bollinger Special Cuvée: The basics

First things first: Bollinger Special Cuvée is the non-vintage wine of Champagne Bollinger, one of the top Champagne houses in the Aÿ region. Non-vintage Champagne, you may remember, is produced by blending base wines from a number of different vintages. Producers do this in order to achieve a consistent house style from one year to the next. The climate in Champagne is lousy and vintage variation is huge, so this is generally impossible to do with the wine from one single year.

Bollinger Special Cuvée is one of the most iconic non-vintage Champagne labels, alongside other top wines like Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial and Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label. It’s in good company! The benefit of these wines is that you get a taste of the very best Champagne houses, at a relatively affordable price.

A simple Bollinger Special Cuvée technical sheet

Keeping it simple, here’s what you need to know when it comes to the technical and production aspects of Bollinger Special Cuvée. It’s not crucial to your enjoyment, but being familiar with this stuff will help you understand and appreciate Champagne all the more!

• The blend involves the three classic Champagne grape varieties: You’ve got 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier. More than 85% of the grapes used come from Grand Cru Champagne vineyards.
• The wine is aged in Bollinger’s cellars for at least three years, considerably longer than the minimum requirement by the official Champagne appellation.
• Bollinger Special Cuvée is a Brut Champagne, with a dosage of just 8-9 grams of residual sugar per litre. In plain English: it’s a dry Champagne with only minimal sugar!

Tasting Bollinger Special Cuvée

Though it’s not cheap, Bollinger Special Cuvée is relatively affordable, and represents great value for Champagne. If you’re not sure whether or not to trade up to Bollinger from a Prosecco or Cava, this might help. Here’s what you can expect when you pop the cork:

• Visually, there’s a brilliant gold colour, with lots of fine bubbles. It’s a very pretty Champagne.
• On the nose, it’s complex. You’ve got fruit and you’ve got spice. It develops in the glass and you’ll find sensations of apple and peach. Very enticing!
• Take a sip, and you’ll find the palate incredibly smooth and well-balanced. There’s racy bubbles and acidity, and beautiful fruit flavours giving way to toasted brioche. Incredibly refreshing.

What to eat with Bollinger Special Cuvée

Champagne is the perfect aperitif and rarely needs any food. However, it is a surprisingly versatile food wine, and Bollinger Special Cuvée is no exception. Serve it to your guests with nibbles and party food, or, if you’re feeling a little more ambitious, consider pairing it with chicken parmesan, or a herb crusted fish pie.

Sound good? Buy a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée here.

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So Why is Moet Chandon Rosé Pink?

Here’s how you can earn a few quiz points. Most rose wine is made from leaving the juice in contact with the red grape skins for less than 24 hours, before the juice is then macerated out of contact with the skins. However champagne makers actually blend red and white wine together in order to create that characteristic colour. Indeed pink champagne is the only quality rosé in the EU that is allowed to be made in this way.

What Grapes Give Moet & Chandon Rose its Flavour?

The wine uses the traditional champagne grapes:

• Chardonnay. This adds acidity, floral and citrus flavours. It is also lighter bodied, with fine bubbles.
• Pinot Meunier. This variety gives an easy to drink fruitiness.
• Pinot Noir adds length and body to sparkling wine. As a pure red wine, it has aromas of raspberries, strawberries and cherries, which are usually found on the palette as well.

Two of these, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, are black grapes, which often surprises people as champagne is usually white. All of these grapes working in symphony to give the champagne its distinctive flavour, and because fully macerated red wine made from black grapes has been added, the champagne has more ‘red flavours’.

The Flavour Profile of a Moet & Chandon Rosé

Moet & Chandon Rosé

If you are buying wine to match bridesmaids dresses, it fills a glass with copper tones. If you’re buying the wine to actually drink it, that’s an excellent idea. There is a strong nose of wild cherries, and to taste, it is full bodied, with strong zesty fruit flavours.

A Good Option if You’re Giving it as a Gift

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé Gift Box 2004

The company has put the champagne in a very smart presentation box. Just imagine a happy couple enjoying breakfast the day after their wedding with a glass of pink champagne. Better yet, imagine enjoying Valentines Day with a glass of it that you “gifted to your partner”. Joking aside, 2004 was a very good year for champagne. If you can get your hands on a bottle, do, and explain to the recipient how lucky they are.

What Food Does Moet Rosé Pair With?

This is brilliant with charcuterie. Have a few slices of prosciutto with the glass of Moet rose and enjoy the pleasing combination of red fruit flavours with the red meat. The light meat texture matches the slightly fuller bodied sparkling wine. Also remember that the addition of red wine means that there’s more tannin in this sparkling wine, which will help to break down the meat proteins. The 2004 version has also been aged in oak. That will mean that it pairs better with smokier meats as well, and will have some honeyish, toasty notes. It would go very well with honey cured ham.

More Sparkling Ideas for Your Big Occasion:

If you’re still wondering what wine to get for a big day, we’ve got tonnes more advice. This article on gold champagne discusses a very decadent style of the sparkling wine, or if you’re looking for a more artisanal approach, our article on grower champagne looks at the exciting things being done by small producers.

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Why is the Veuve Clicquot gift edition so popular?

Champagne has long been associated with celebration, and for many is the perfect wine gift. In designing its gift box packaging, Veuve Clicquot has smartly tapped into a lucrative market. What could be better than a Champagne gift? Well, simple: One that already comes in its own beautiful gift box. With the Veuve Clicquot gift box, there is no need for wrapping paper, fancy gift bags or anything else. It’s all there in the packaging, and the recipient instantly recognises it as a truly luxury product!

Why buy the Veuve Clicquot gift box

While many Champagne houses release gift box packaging as part of temporary or seasonal promotions, you can pick up a Veuve Clicquot gift pack any time of the year. What’s more, it’s available in the Yellow Label Brut style as well as the Rosé style.

• Buy the Brut Yellow Label Veuve Clicquot gift box here

• Buy the rosé Veuve Clicquot gift box here

As to why you should opt for a gift box instead of a bottle by itself? Remember that presentation is everything! Particularly if you are trying to impress a love interest, or show a friend that you really care, the gift box makes an immediate and bold statement.

Tasting Veuve Clicquot Champagne

Gift box or not, non-vintage Veuve Clicquot Champagne is made in a consistent house style year in and year out. The wine in your Veuve Clicquot gift pack will taste no different than a bottle by itself – and ultimately you can’t drink packaging. Those that are more concerned with the contents of the bottle than matters of appearance, read on. We’ve popped the cork of a bottle of Brut Yellow Label, and here’s what we think!

• Its appearance is a beautiful golden yellow colour, and it has a mousse of very fine bubbles.

• On the nose, the Champagne is complex with aromas ranging from white fruits to vanilla and notes of toast and brioche.

• On the palate, there is a lot of fresh fruit character, balanced with delicate spice and toasty notes. There is mouth-watering acidity and a lingering finish.

Have you ever received a Veuve Clicquot gift box or other Champagne gift pack? Have you ever bought one for a friend? Tell us about other Champagne gift ideas in the comments below!

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Champagne Ruinart: Where did it all begin?

The house of Ruinart today sits in the exclusive Champagne portfolio of LVMH, alongside Moët & Chandon, Krug, and Veuve Clicquot. Its beginnings were somewhat more humble, dating all the way back to 1729. Champagne Ruinart was established by entrepreneur Nicolas Ruinart, whose initial goal was to produce sparkling wine to present as a gift to clients of another family business, selling cloth. Before too long, the quality of Ruinart Champagne became rightly celebrated, and Champagne became the primary focus. In the intervening centuries, the house of Ruinart has remained in the best of hands, and neither its quality nor its reputation has slipped.

What makes Champagne Ruinart so special?

There are a lot of famous Champagne labels, so why is Ruinart so special? Well, where do we start?

• Ruinart is the oldest Champagne house operating today, having consistently made sparkling wine since 1729. The French like to talk about savoir-faire, the know-how winemakers acquire over time – Ruinart has it in spades!
• Ruinart specialises in Chardonnay. Champagne producers can blend Chardonnay, as well as the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Ruinart uses the red grapes, though has developed a reputation as a Chardonnay specialist. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, from 100% Chardonnay, is a classic of the style.
• They really put the “art” in “Ruinart”. The house of Ruinart has a long-standing relationship with the art world, going back as early as 1895 when a Czech artist was commissioned to illustrate a Ruinart poster. This relationship continues to this day, and Ruinart routinely participates in and contributes to art events throughout the world.

3 Ruinart Champagnes to try

The nice thing about buying Ruinart Champagne is the price. Granted, it’s not cheap, but as far as Champagne goes, it’s affordable. This is particularly impressive when you consider the stellar reputation that Ruinart enjoys. We’ve picked out three of our favourite Ruinart Champagne wines to try, and we are certain that you’ll find an excellent quality/price ratio here!

• Ruinart R de Ruinart is one of the best non-vintage Champagnes that money can buy. It displays all the class and elegance of the house, and is very keenly priced. Visually you’ve got a lot of fine bubbles and a golden yellow hue. The nose is deep and lively, with fresh citrus fruit and yeast aromas, and the palate has refreshing acidity and a generous mouthfeel. This makes a fantastic aperitif, though will also match very well with a plate of oysters.
• Ruinart Rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and has a very attractive golden pink colour. Its nose is subtle, but comes around with fresh red fruit aromas of raspberry and strawberry. Round and smooth on the palate, this is a very fine rosé indeed. This is a refreshing alternative to Port when paired with a mature cheese plate.
• Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is one of the best known Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, and is something of a signature for Ruinart. Its unique clear bottle shows off its brilliant colour, and the aromas are of citrus and yeast. Clean and refreshing on the palate, this is beautiful by itself and a fine accompaniment for a sharing platter of fruits de la mer.

Which is your favourite Ruinart Champagne? Tell us in the comments below!

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Make no mistake, though: You don’t always have to reach for the Canti Prosecco each time you want a bargain bottle of bubbly. Believe it or not, not all Champagne is overly expensive. If you know what to look for, you can find some very good value Champagne instead!

Champagne instead of Canti Prosecco, seriously?

OK, you may be a little sceptical. That’s fine. Prosecco is not generally considered to be in the same league as Champagne, so why compare the two? They’re produced in different ways – Champagne in the traditional method and Prosecco in the tank method. Even the cheapest Champagne will cost considerably more than a Prosecco, sure. But there are lots of reasonably-priced Champagnes out there. If you’re buying bubbly for a huge informal party or something, perhaps stick with the Canti Prosecco. If you’re buying in smaller quantities, or for a very special occasion, Champagne is the way to go.

Can Canti Prosecco stack up against Champagne?

To give credit where its due: Canti Prosecco is a fun sparkling wine. Wine should be fun, of course, and sometimes a light and fresh bottle of bubbly is all you need to have a good time. Here, Canti fits the bill.

• Tasting Canti Prosecco:

  A Prosecco like Canti offers a relatively simple tasting experience when pit against a Champagne. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it may leave more curious tasters feeling a little short-changed. Nonetheless, it’s a fair representation of the popular Prosecco style and the famous Glera grape.

• Sight:

  The colour is a light yellow, almost strawlike. It has a mousse of fine bubbles that are brilliant upon serving though are not particularly long-lived.

• Smell:

  On the nose, Canti Prosecco offers a very approachable aroma of pears and peaches. Nothing too complex, but very pleasing all the same!

• Taste:

  This is a refreshing, dry wine with tongue-tingling acidity and very pleasant fruit flavours.

The tank method style of production means that Prosecco is a relatively simple-tasting wine when compared with Champagne. Time spent in contact with dead yeast cells is kept to a minimum, and with Canti and other Prosecco wines it’s most often a case of what you see is what you get. You don’t need to do much thinking to appreciate a glass of Canti Prosecco, and sometimes that’s just perfect!

However…

Buying Champagne instead of Prosecco

There’s a price gap between Champagne and Prosecco, sure. Moving to the French stuff you’ll see a sharp jump in price, but also in complexity, craftsmanship and quality. You pay a little more, but you’ll certainly taste the difference. The good news is that you don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands for a quality bottle. Next time you’re thinking of picking up a case of Canti Prosecco, then, why not consider one of our alternatives!

3 Champagnes to buy instead of Canti Prosecco

When you’re looking to buy cheap Champagne, there are some things to consider. For the most part, you should be looking for non-vintage Champagne, as this will cost considerably less than more high-end vintage Champagne. Non-vintage Champagne is produced to adhere to a particular house style, and for many Champagne houses, this is the flagship wine.

From the top producers, you’re virtually guaranteed quality – though be prepared to pay a little more for some of the more famous Champagne labels like Moët & Chandon and Louis Roederer. For an ever better price/quality ratio, look out for slightly lesser-known names. We’ve picked out three Champagnes that kick Canti Prosecco’s ass, and that are well worth paying slightly more for!

1. Baron Fuente Grande Reserve

This is probably the best value Champagne on the market today. It’s a rather classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, from grapes grown in the Charly-sur-Marne area. For its price, this is a simply stunning Champagne that absolutely blows Canti Prosecco away.

Tasting Baron Fuente Grande Reserve

• Sight:

  Like Canti, this has a pale yellow colour, though it’s a little stronger. There are fine bubbles and they are longer-lasting that in the Prosecco.

• Smell:

  This has a very attractive nose, combining fresh fruit aromas like apple, peach and pear, with a subtle background of yeast and toasted bread. Here, you see the impact of the different production methods, and how Champagne is inherently a more nuanced and complex wine.

• Taste:

  On the palate, this is very fresh with moutwatering acidity and lively bubbles. There are beautiful fruit flavours matching the aromas, and hints of baker’s yeast and brioche.

Grab a bottle of Baron Fuente Grande Reserve here.

2. Champagne Delamotte Brut

This one’s slightly pricier, but no less of a bargain. This is a non-vintage bottling with very respectable critics’ scores, including 90 points from Wine Spectator and 88 points from Robert Parker. Even the highest-end Prosecco would struggle to match this level of quality and complexity.

Tasting Champagne Delamotte Brut

• Sight:

  Its colour is pale, but veers closer to gold than to the straw colour of Canti Prosecco. As you’d expect, a fine mousse of small and lively bubbles.

• Smell:

  Aromatically, this trumps both Canti and Baron Fuente in terms of complexity. There’s a lot going on here, with citrus fruits ranging from lime to lemon, floral components and a creamy vanilla note.

• Taste:

  On the palate, this is crisp and direct. Very refreshing with great acidity, it also boasts a long, lingering finish showing biscuit and yeast flavours. This is why you pay more for Champagne!

Pick up a bottle of Champagne Delamotte Brut here.

3. Mumm Cordon Rouge

Though it comes from a big and well-known Champagne house, this is still very keenly priced. The GH Mumm brand is owned by drinks giant Pernod Ricard, ensuring the highest quality and economies of scale that lead to such a nice price. This isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every penny!

Tasting Mumm Cordon Rouge

• Sight:

  This boasts a bright, light golden colour. Visually, it’s more impressive than any of the above wines, and really looks the part for any special occasions.

• Smell:

  Once again, there’s a lot going on here aromatically. From delicate white flowers to exotic, tropical fruit and creamy vanilla, this is undoubtedly a Champagne nose!

• Taste:

  The taste is pure and clean. There is stark, refreshing acidity and beautiful fruit character, culminating in a finish resembling vanilla and caramel.

Snap up a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge here. 

While you’re at it, why not sign up for our special offers and avail of a €5 discount off your first purchase?

Whichever Champagne you choose, keep one thing in mind: It’s always good to drink less and drink better! Even though an entry-level Champagne might cost two or three times the price of Canti Prosecco, you’re dealing with a whole different league of quality!

Want to know even more about sparkling wines? Download our free ebook, The Sparkling Wines Guide!

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The Story of Piper Heidsieck Brut

• 1777 – Heidsieck, a German from Westphalia, visits Champagne, and gains an appreciation for the wine.
• 1785 – ‘Heidsieck & Cie’, the company that would become ‘Piper Heidsieck’ is founded in Reims. In this year, Marie Antoinette also samples Heidsieck’s Champagne, and takes a liking to it. Royal patronage helps to secure the brand.
• 1793 – Marie Antionette is guillotined in the French Revolution. The same fate does not befall her Champagne suppliers, but Moet & Chandon find greater favour with the Corsican General who comes to lead France, Napoleon.
• 1800 – Two of Heidsieck’s nephews, Christian and Charles-Henri, start working in his business. Interestingly, different parts of the extended Heidsieck family found the Heidsieck and Monopole Champagne house, as well as the Christian Heidsieck house, although the latter is produced by the son of the Christian Heidsieck noted here.
• 1811 – In a move of breathtaking cheek, or entrepreneurialism, Charles-Henri Heidsieck rides into Moscow. He is just ahead of Napoleon’s advancing army, and arrives with cases of Champagne as well as an order book. He intends to sell wine to whoever wins the battle.
• 1815 – Henri-Guillarme Piper, who is Christian’s cousin, also gets involved in the family business. If you’re confused about who’s related to who at this point, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
• 1828 – Heidsieck passes away. His nephews, Christian and Henri-Guillarme Piper, now run the show. Notably, Piper does the marketing. As a result, people start conflating the name ‘Heidsieck’ and ‘Piper’ together, as they order ‘Piper’s Heidsieck’. Poor Christian.
• 1835 – Christian Heidsieck dies as well. Even poorer Christian.
• 1838 – Now comes the odd bit in the family tree where one of the branches melds into another branch. Henri-Guillarme Piper marries Christian Heidsieck’s widow. That means the cousin of the nephew of the company’s founder has just married the widow of the company founder’s nephew. Phew! If Christian’s body didn’t spin in his grave, his head might have.
• 1839 – ‘Piper’ is officially added to the ‘Heidsieck’ brand name.
• 1885 – The famous jeweller Carl Fabergé produces a bottle encrusted with lapis lazuli, diamonds, and white gold. It carries a special champagne to commemorate the company’s first century.
• 1933 – A bottle of Piper Heidsieck appears in a Laurel and Hardy film, Sons of the Desert. The product placement is a PR coup that enshrines the brand’s presence in Hollywood, and associates it with 20th Century luxury.
• 1944 – The husband of the Piper-Heidsieck heir hides weapons for the Resistance in their champagne cellars. Just before being arrested, he escapes to North Africa, but is ultimately killed in battle.
• 1953 – Marilyn Monroe claimed to drink a glass of Piper Heidsieck each morning. When she did it, it was glamorous. When I did it, my family held an intervention.
• 1965 – The company produced the biggest bottle of Champagne ever, a Melchisedech. It carried the equivalent of 64 bottles, and was 1.82 metres tall. Its contents were from the 1959 vintage, and it celebrated the celebrate Rex Harrison’s Oscar for Best Actor in ‘My Fair Lady’. I hope he had some alka seltzer.
• 1976 – Incredibly good conditions see Piper-Heidsieck produce its first ‘Rare’ vintage. In fact, you can read about the house’s most recent rare vintage in this article on Gold Champagne.
• 1982 – The company starts sponsoring film festivals such as Cannes, and Venice.
• 1985 – Piper-Heidsieck is now 200 years old. The jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels reproduce Fabergé’s bottle from 1885, and it is valued at $1 million. Armed guards take it around the globe.
• 1988 – The Rémy Cointreau company acquires Piper Heidsieck.
• 2011 – The brand is sold again to EPI, a group of French luxury brands, and the story continues…

Buy Piper Heidsieck Brut

The Champagne Itself:

Being of high quality, this is a more balanced style of champagne. Due to its lower acidity, it is actually less well suited to seafood, and of course, it is a dry style of champagne. Enjoy it with wild mushrooms and pasta.

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