The Ultimate Gift - Ace of Spades Champagne

Probably the most luxurious bottle of champagne anyone can give or receive this season or for whatever occasion…

The first time I saw the photo of this bottle, I was amazed. How can a bottle of wine be so beautiful? And when I saw the actual bottle for the first time, I was mesmerised, captivated, enamoured. Is this for real? 

One look at the box gives you an immediate feeling of class and elegance. Have you ever seen any ordinary wine or champagne bottle packaged in such style? Ace of Spades Champagne, or Champagne Armand de Brignac, comes elegantly packaged in a black lacquered box. Take note - lacquered. The cover is adorned with the brand’s logo in pewter, the stylized letter A inside a spade.  This is definitely the most beautiful letter I’ve seen. 

The inside of this box is lined with solid rich black velvet. Under the top cover is a gold plate embossed and imprinted with “Armand de Brignac, Reims, France - Edition Limitee”. The bottle lies perfectly inside, with grooves specially made and designed to fit its size. 

And here’s another magnificent thing; the box comes with a sexy booklet, also in black and stamped with the logo and name in gold. 

The bottle itself is in opaque gold and all labels are made of genuine pewter —- all handmade. Unique, elegant, classy. Who wouldn’t be delighted to receive this as a gift? 

The Taste of Ace of Spades

Marvelously complex and full-bodied, its bouquet is both fresh and lively, with light floral notes. On the palate, Brut Gold has a sumptuous, racy fruit character perfectly integrated with the wine’s subtle brioche accents. The Champagne’s texture is deliciously creamy, with great depth paired with a long, silky finish. Armand de Brignac Brut Gold is pressed from a perfectly balanced blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier wine. - Armand de Brignac

How to enjoy it:

Recommended serving temperature - 6 - 8 degrees Celsius

(place the bottle in the refrigerator the night before or chill in an ice bucket for 30 minutes)

Use a flute or champagne glass, not a broad-rimmed glass

For many different occasions, I think that the Ace of Spades is an ultimate gift.  Whether it’s for a loved one, a close friend, a business partner or a client, giving this bottle as a gift will make a solid statement of value and appreciation. Expressing it with a gold - pewter bottle of Champagne perfectly packed in a black lacquer box is just pure class. 

It was no surprise when I heard the news in November 2014 that Jay-Z bought this label. The Ace of Spades champagne was featured in his video, Show Me What You Got. Well, he’s also seen serving this US$300-worth-a-pop champagne in a lot of events and has long been associated with the brand.  

I haven’t tasted this Champagne yet, not that I can afford one. Well, one can dream. And I think that it’s one of the best wines to feature this season, seeing how such bottle can be the perfect gift for Christmas or New Year. 

Armand de Brignac - Ace of Spades Champagne

Where to buy in Malaysia: www.winetalk.com.my

Normal price: RM1,480 / Limited promotion price: RM1,280

Origin: Champagne, France

Type: Non-Vintage Champagne/ Sparkling Wine

About Armand de Brignac via www.wine-searcher.com 

Armand de Brignac is the brainchild of the Cattier house, located in the Champagne village of Chigny-les-Roses, and the New York drinks distribution company Sovereign Brands.

The Cattier family have been growing grapes in the Montagne de Reims area since 1763, and have made Champagne since 1918. The house is still family owned and run by Jean-Jacques Cattier and his son Alexandre, both respected winemakers. Champagne specialist and writer Michael Edwards speaks highly of the Cattier Champagnes and is particularly fond of the family's single-vineyard cuvée Clos du Moulin.

According to Jean-Jacques Cattier, Armand de Brignac aims “to present something authentically luxurious and which does justice to the once-in-a-lifetime events at which Champagne is so often present.” He believes that Champagne produces "bubbles in the eyes."

De Brignac was the name of a hero in a book that Jean-Jacques Cattier's mother once read. She liked it so much it became stuck in her memory, though no-one nowadays can remember which book the character was in. Later, Jean-Jacques' sister added "Armand" to round out the name. The family registered it as a brand in the 1950’s with Champagne's wine authority, the Comite Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC). It then lay dormant until 2006, when they dusted it off for their prestige cuvée and the forgotten hero once again enjoyed the limelight.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my fellow wine lovers!

Robert Parker's Matter of Taste is coming to Malaysia!

The Wine Advocate is coming to Kuala Lumpur! If you are a true wine lover, this is an event you shouldn't miss. It's exciting to know that KL is one of the 'stops' for this world-renowned wine experience.  

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE BRINGS MATTER OF TASTE TO KUALA LUMPUR 

Global Series of Exclusive Wine Experiences to Feature the World’s Top Rated Wines

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, the world’s most trusted authority on wine, has chosen Kuala Lumpur to feature its next acclaimed Matter of Taste event, a global series of no-holds-barred fine wine tastings exclusively for eRobertParker.com subscribers and their guests. Featuring 100 wines rated RP 90 points and above by The Wine Advocate and handpicked by its world-renowned team of experts, Matter of Taste offers the opportunity to experience the most iconic wines of the world in a casual walkabout tasting atmosphere.

“Matter of Taste is our way of saying a heartfelt thank you to our Subscribers who we know are the most knowledgeable wine lovers on the planet,” said Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW. “It’s a tasting for Subscribers to experience world-class wines in an entirely new way while meeting the winemakers and estate owners who craft them. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to welcome new members into the world of Robert Parker. We are particularly excited to bring this worldwide series of events to Kuala Lumpur – a city with a rapidly growing base of new wine fans as well as sophisticated collectors.”

The Kuala Lumpur Matter of Taste walkabout tasting will be held on 30 November 2014, at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Very limited seating is available at accompanying Master Classes and wine pairing dinners. Matter of Taste will be held at Hilton Sentral Hotel at Kuala Lumpur from 3pm to 8pm.

 

Further details and booking information are available at http://www.a-matter-of-taste.com.

And for customers and fans of Wine Talk at www.winetalk.com.my, get a FREE set of wine glasses when you key-in the promo code WINETALK upon registration:

Registration link – sign up under non member

https://www.a-matter-of-taste.com/Account/SubscribeAgree

After Kuala Lumpur, the Matter of Taste series moves on to London on 28 February 2015, then to Hong Kong and select cities in the United States.

“I ALWAYS SAID YOUR BEST PALATE IS YOUR OWN, NOT MINE. I’M A GUIDEPOST”

- Robert M. Parker Jr.

About Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

For more than 35 years, The Wine Advocate, and later RobertParker.com, has been the global leader and independent consumer’s guide to fine wine. The brand was established by world-famous Robert M. Parker, Jr., the only critic in any field to receive the highest Presidential honor from three countries – France, Italy and Spain. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate provides a wealth of information to its subscribers, including a searchable database of more than 250,000 professional wine ratings and reviews plus articles, videos, daily news content, online retail availability and pricing, an active, professionally moderated bulletin board, a mobile app for easy access to the comprehensive online database of reviews, and much more. For more information, visit http://www.eRobertParker.com. 

The Magic of Moet and Chandon Champagne

Love Champagne? Isn’t it simply a beautiful celebration drink or perfect gift for birthdays, weddings or for any day? Yeah, I’m fine with making any excuse just to pop one.

Oh yes, let's keep the ball rolling for Christmas gifts and themes! This time, I'm talking about a type and brand of wine that almost everybody knows about…Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne! There's just something about those beautiful, sparkling bubbles of Champagne paired with the name Moet & Chandon that catch people's attention. 

But before I get crazy about the label, let me share some wine bits about Champagne. Since I started working for a wine brand, I learned about wine facts and myths that I think some people might not be clear about. For example, did you know that not all sparkling wines are called champagne? 

Some people tend to call all ‘bubblies’ or sparkling wines as Champagne, even though it is technically not Champagne. But if you want to be correct and more knowledgeable about wine, remember this: A sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it came from the region of Champagne in France. Furthermore, only those that strictly followed a controlled process for Champagne can label their sparkling wine as “Champagne”.

Well, we are already in the year-end festive season and I’m sure that a lot of homes will soon be popping corks for celebrations and will be pouring Champagne in their crystal flute glasses. And I won’t be surprised if Moet and Chandon comes as the top choice for the season.

It is undoubtedly one of the most recognized Champagne or wine labels in the world.  The bottle label design is undeniably classic and stylish. I guess this is why it also serves as a beautiful gift for every occasion. You don’t even have to wrap or decorate it with anything. Just a simple gift card on it will do because the bottle itself is already beautiful. The gold top foil gives the premium feel and elegance to this bottle.

Branding and marketing of this brand is amazing, too. If you’re into wine, you’ll find that it’s almost impossible not to be captured by delicious images everywhere.

I believe you’ve also seen sexy female actress, Scarlett Johansson, as ambassador of Moet and Chandon before…

And tennis superstar and hunk, Roger Federer…

Watch Roger Federer’s ad campaign in the making here:

I have to give Moet and Chandon a big toast for their amazing campaign. Can’t help but fall in love with it even more. And so I just bought a bottle recently via www.winetalk.com.my for an upcoming celebration. Excited to pop it soon!

What this Champagne bottle says:

Vibrant, generous and alluring, Moet Imperial harmoniously combines the three Champagne grape varietals: the body of Pinot Noir, the suppleness of Pinot Meunier and the finesse of Chardonnay. Created from more than 100 different wines, the Moet Imperial style is distinguished by a bright fruitiness with notes of green apple and white flowers. The wine’s enticing palate, redolent of white-fleshed fruits and citrus, is enhanced by fine bubbles and its elegant maturity is revealed in notes of brioche and wheat.  

SERVE Chilled.

Contains 12% alcohol

Know more about Champagne via www.wine.com

Champagne is both a region and a method. The wines come from the northernmost vineyards in France and the name conjures an image like no other can. An 18th Century Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon is said to be the first to blend both varietals and vintages, making good wines not only great, but also special and unique to their winemaker. Today, nearly 75% of Champagne produced is non-vintage and made up by a blend of several years' harvests.

All Champagnes must be made by a strictly controlled process called "Méthode Champenoise." The grapes are pressed and fermented for the first time. The blending phase follows and the wine is bottled and temporarily capped. Then comes the second fermentation, a blend of sugar and yeast is added and, this time, the carbon dioxide is kept inside the bottle. This process leaves a great deal of sediment that is extracted through a process of "racking" or "riddling." The bottles are progressively turned upside down until all the sediment is collected in the neck. The necks are then frozen and the sediment is "disgorged." After this phase, the winemaker may decide to add sugar to sweeten the wine. Finally the wine is corked. Some wines move through this process in a couple of months, while others are aged after the riddling phase to build greater complexity and depth.

Champagnes range from dry, "Brut," to slightly sweet, "Demi-Sec." Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes are used in Champagne blends, but "Blancs de Noirs" is made entirely of Pinot Noir and "Blancs de Blanc" is made from only Chardonnay grapes. The high acidity achieved by the northern location is crucial to the balance and structure of these wines.

Other sparkling wines that I love:

VillaConchi Cava from Spain, Voga Italia Moscato from Italy, and if I can afford to buy an Ace of Spades...