KEY POINTS:
It may seem perverse that at a time when the media is full of talk of a recession, this week's column is devoted to champagne, one of those luxury products we'll be forced to forgo if foreboding reports prove correct.
Equally perverse perhaps is that as a
global economic downturn builds, the champenois have made the radical decision to redraw the boundaries of their region to increase production and some champagne houses are putting their prices up.
It's a strange state of affairs that's arisen from demand and supply. There's been a growing thirst for champagne for over a decade now, while production has been struggling to keep up, given the area from which champagne can be made is limited to a relatively small classified zone.
Anything from outside this just isn't champagne, something the region's trade association, the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), is active in promoting.
For decades there have been calls for champagne's designated area to be increased. Yet it's only now, with nearly all of the land permitted for its production planted and demand at record levels, that plans for expansion are starting to be realised. It can't help but make the champenois look a little greedy.
This expansion must not come at the cost of the quality upon which champagne's reputation hinges. The CIVC is quick to point out that the revision has taken into account soils, microclimates, topography and historical records before the recommendation was made to include 40 new champagne-growing areas into the region, and strike just two off.
There may be more land to plant, given the time this will all take to be signed off and implemented, as well as new vineyards established - it's likely to be over a decade before there's more champers in the system.
What will hit before bigger volumes of champagne are higher prices off the back of rising grape costs at this time of record-breaking sales.
While the champenois may seem overly optimistic at a time of downturn, many appear confident they can weather the coming storm better than the recession of 1991, which burst champagne's bubble big time.
"Global demand for champagne continues to be strong," notes Moet-Hennessy's David Ridley, "especially in emerging markets, and I see this continuing well into the future."
However, the economic weather is not the only climate that could be a cause of concern.
Champagne's cool conditions on the edge of viable vine-growing are considered an important factor behind its wines' finesse.
But it seems champagne might be getting warmer as harvests edge earlier, with murmurings that the finest fizz of the future may be found in cooler climes further north. Some champagne houses have even hedged their bets by buying vineyards in Britain.
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FABULOUS FIZZ
Vintage charmer: Champagne Dumangin Brut Premier Cru 1999 $93
Vintage champagne is produced only in the better years and this 1999 made by the small house of Dumangin is an elegant example. Made in dry, delicate style there's an underlying richness to a palate layered with biscotti, apple and chalky mineral notes over a fresh citrus base.
From Village Winery, Bacchus, Primo Vino Hamilton.
A fresh choice: Champagne Drappier Brut Carte Blanche NV $55.00
Your funds don't need to take too much of a hit to secure a decent champagne, as this well-priced example proves. Fine, fresh and fruity, it delivers green apple and zingy lemon fruit, nuances of sweet pastry and yeasty toasty complexity.
From Glengarry.
Everyday alternative: Nautilus Twin Islands Brut $22
This is one of the best value bottles of fizz at this price. While made in Marlborough, it does have some champagne-like characters with its crisp citrus core swathed in apples, pears and gentle savoury yeasty notes.
From Glengarry, Duffy & Finns, Point Wines, Village Winery, Brano's Wines & Spirits.
