Alfred Gratien Cuvee Paradis Brut NV 1.5Ltr

Winery: Alfred Gratien

Varietal: Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Region: Champagne

There are very few wine regions in the world quite as famous as Champagne, and the sparkling white wines which are produced there are drank and enjoyed all over the globe as a result of their excellent quality, distinctive features and their association with grandeur and celebration. Wineries have been operating in the cool, damp north-easterly region of Champagne for hundreds of years, and over time have mastered the art of making the most of the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Petit Meunier grape varietals which grow there across the rolling hillsides and kept in the region's unique 'Champagne caves'. Most commonly, these three varietals are blended together to produce the sparkling white wine, but the popularity of single variety Champagne wines are on the increase.

Country: France

French winemakers are subjected to several laws and regulations regarding the wines they produce, and how they can be labeled and sold. Such procedures are designed to increase the overall quality of the country's produce, and also to ensure that wines made in each particular region or appellation are of a character and type which is representative of the area. Thankfully for consumers of wine world-wide, the French have a particularly high reputation to uphold, and seem to do so flawlessly. Every year, wineries from all over France produce millions upon millions of bottles of fine wine, making the most of their native grape varieties and the excellent terrain which covers most of the country. From the expensive and exquisite red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, to the white wines and cremants of central France, the French are dedicated to providing the world with wines of the highest quality and most distinctive character.