I was feeling grandiose after my recent visits to the Scottish Parliament, which I felt were cause for regal celebration. It would only be right to celebrate my imminent rise to power, after all. And while reality kicked in when I got a knockback from security when I tried to use the VIP toilets, that wasn’t going to stop me from celebrating my newfound status.
In normal circumstances the tipple of choice would be champagne, but seeing as I couldn’t even get to the executive washrooms I decided to set my sights a little lower, in price not quality.
Last week I tried for the first time cremant, a champagne-style wine made outside the region of Champagne. Alsace and Loire cremants tend to be more crisp and mineral than creamier wines made in Burgundy or Limoux. Ordinarily, they’re dry but some are semi-brut.
I phoned my go-to wine guys at WoodWinters and they recommended the Domaine Fournillon Cremant de Bourgogne 2013. It’s a small production, family-owned estate with only 10% of their production bottled. There must be a really drunk, but very happy French family drinking 90% straight from their barrels. And rightly so – the wine is simply delicious, made with all the care and skill of champagne but at half the price. It’s dry, yeasty, refreshing and a great alternative if you’re bored of prosecco. Even cava’s back with a bang and you can find gran reservas, which are similar to champagne, at astonishingly low prices. If you're a fan of bubbles then I'd also recommend prosecco's Italian cousins pignoletto and lambrusco.
After all the excitement I forgot to pick up the langoustines I'd ordered to pair with my wine. Just as my sense of power was promptly kicked into reality at the parliament, my grandiose celebrations to pair seafood and wine took a turn towards reality as I tucked into a dinner of prawn cocktail crisps.
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