Thursday 28 July 2016

Explore Bordeaux’s Chateau Beausejour

Bordeaux’s Chateau Beausejour winery is known for producing fantastic red wines. The Ideal Wine Company introduces you to the Chateau Beausejour wine-making estate.

Welcome to Bordeaux


Based in South-West France, Bordeaux is one of the most prestigious wine-producing areas on earth. Wine Searcher notes that Bordeaux is known for its “dry, medium bodied” “legendary reds,” made from grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It is also a popular holiday destination for wine enthusiasts, with a unique new wine museum recently opening in the region.

Bordeaux’s legendary reds are produced in a number of towns across the region, including Saint Emilion. Based near the Dordogne River, Saint Emilion is known for producing Merlot and Cabernet Franc-based wines, although other grapes such as Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon are also grown here. The nearby area houses some of Bordeaux’s most iconic wineries, such as Chateau Beausejour.

Read in full on the Ideal Wine Company WordPress site.

Five Faux Pas YOU could be making with Champagne

Champagne is synonymous with luxury, making it the perfect celebratory drink. But you need to follow certain rules when consuming Champagne, to make the most of this decadent product. Ideal Wine Company reveals five faux pas’ to avoid when serving and drinking Champagne at your next celebration.

Storing in freezers


Chill your bottle before drinking Champagne, as this wine tastes best when served at around 6-8 degrees. If you’re pressed for time, you may be tempted to store your botte in the freezer to get it really cold, really quickly. This works for dry whites but if you leave Champagne in the freezer too long, the bottle could explode due to its high bubble-content.  Instead, chill in the fridge and serve with ice.


Opening quickly


It is vital that you learn how to open a bottle of Champagne properly. Many people feel tempted to open bottles quickly, so they can see the cork ‘pop’ out like it often does in movies. Unfortunately if you take this approach, the cork could zoom across the room and injure someone, with the drink shooting out of the bottle. Always open gently!

Read in full on the Ideal Wine Company site.

Thursday 21 July 2016

What Are The World’s Biggest Champagne Markets?

New figures have shed light on global Champagne figures throughout 2015. Exploring these statistics, Ideal Wine Company uncovers the world’s biggest Champagne markets.

UK market


Champagne is a signature sparkling wine produced in the French region of Champagne. This ultimate luxury tipple has traditionally proven popular with British consumers, with the UK often ranking as one of the world’s biggest Champagne markets. Yet when the UK’s economy crashed in 2007 – 2008, many British consumers swapped Champagne for Italian Prosecco, which is more cost effective.

Read in full on the Ideal Wine Company WordPress Site.

Remy Martin Launches Limited Edition Cognac

Ideal Wine Company has learned that luxury brandy company Remy Martin recently released its latest limited edition Fine Champagne Cognac.

Luxury brand Remy Martin


Founded by a French wine-maker of the same name in 1724, Remy Martin is an incredibly reputable, high class Cognac brand. We stock the Remy Martin XO Champagne Cognac here at the Ideal Wine Company and really enjoy its incredibly rich, smooth and complex qualities.

Remy Martin continues to impress brandy enthusiasts all over the world. The company won the Supreme Brand Champion 2016 Award from industry publication The Spirits Business. They heralded Remy Martin for finding ways to promote its Fine Champagne Cognacs to consumers. Carrying this work forward, Remy Martin recently released its new expression, Carte Blanche à Baptiste Loiseau, the first in its new limited edition Fine Champagne Cognac line, to the world.

Read the article in full on the Ideal Wine Company blog site.

Thursday 14 July 2016

Wimbledon Sparks Major Champagne Sales Boost



New reports suggest that the recently-held Wimbledon tennis tournament sparked a major boost in supermarket wine sales. Ideal Wine Company investigates.

Celebrating victory


Wimbledon is an iconic annual British tennis tournament, held in Wimbledon, London. Wimbledon 2016 took place between 27th June and 10th July, seeing Scotsman Andy Murray beat Canadian Milos Raonic to take his second Wimbledon Men’s Title. This tennis tournament is a major national event, with Murray’s win, which made him the only man to win multiple singles titles since the 1930s, making it even more special for the British public this time around.

How do you mark a momentous occasion like Wimbledon? With Champagne of course! This signature French sparkling wine is practically synonymous with luxury, so it makes a great celebrations drink. On Ideal Wine Company website’s ‘Occasions Page’ you’ll find a range of great Champagnes, such as the Dom Perignon 2000, which are perfect for marking the special moments in your life.

Read this article in full at the Ideal Wine Company blog site.

Brexit Could Impact French Wine Trade

When the Brexit result was announced, the world paused. The value of the British Pound dropped to its lowest level in over 30 years, UK Prime Minister David Cameron resigned and according to the Guardian, the panic caused by Brexit wiped $2 trillion from the value of global markets. But it may have a positive effect on French wine trade, writes Ideal Wine Company.

Brexit and wine  


Last week we discussed how Australian wine makers could benefit from Brexit. This week Ideal Wine Company look at the impact Brexit may have on the French wine trade.

It is not yet clear how Brexit will affect the worldwide wine sector. Decanter writes that the UK is the 6th largest wine consuming country on earth, so it is likely that Brexit will re-shape the international wine market in some way, shape or form.

Read in full at the Ideal Wine Company Blog site.


Friday 8 July 2016

What is Oenology?

Oenology is the scientific study of wine production. It covers the complete wine-making process from growing grapes to promoting wine to consumers. In order to shed more light on this subject, Ideal Wine Company explains the role of an oenologist.

Working with grapes

The goal of an oenologist is to develop outstanding wines. This starts at the beginning of the wine-making process, as they are often tasked with selecting the best land for grape vineyards. Oenologists receive training on issues such as climate, soil chemistry and the fermentation process, allowing them to select the best land for grape-growing.

Information portal Wise Geek notes that oenologists are also responsible for ensuring that grape harvesting goes off without a hitch. Professionals in this field can differentiate grapes by colour and taste. This allows oenologists to ensure that grapes are picked from the vine only when they reach peak condition, so they possess the beautiful flavour needed to make great wine.

Read in full at the Ideal Wine Company WordPress site.

Australian Wine Makers Could Benefit From Brexit







Brexit has caused shock waves and uncertainty across various industries around the world. But it could potentially be beneficial to Australia’s wine makers, the Ideal Wine Company has found.

Strong trade relationship


According to the Australian government, “Australia has a significant relationship with the UK underpinned by our shared heritage, common values, closely aligned strategic outlook and interests.”  Data quoted by Business Insider in 2014 shows that the UK is Australia’s seventh largest two way trading partner, ranking ahead of the EU’s largest economy Germany.

Throughout recent years, British consumers have developed a taste for Australian wine. Official data suggests that the UK is the biggest export destination for wine produced in the land down under, by volume. Ideal Wine Company provides a selection of Australian wines, so we have seen first-hand how the country’s finest vintages are becoming increasingly popular with British wine enthusiasts.

Read in full: at the Ideal Wine Company blog site.


Friday 1 July 2016

Pairing Wine With Cheeses – Useful Infographics

Pairing wine with cheese. It’s a classic combination which we all know and love…when it’s done right! Ideal Wine Company have recently found some really helpful infographics on Buzzfeed which tells you the best pairings.
The visual breaks down which cheeses work well with various types of white, red, sparkling and dessert wines. If you have a beautiful dry champagne for instance like the Dom Perignon 2000, you might want to pair it with a refreshing Greek salad, as dry Champagnes are well suited to feta cheese. Whereas if you prefer a port style or late harvest dessert wine instead, this would work best with a blue or aged cheese.

Pairing wine with cheese

If you’re planning to throw a dinner party and thinking about serving cheese and wine take a look at which combinations you should be serving.
Read in full on ideal-wine-company.co.uk