Ultimate Vintage Champagne Tasting

An artist is somebody who produces things that people don't need to have.
Andy Warhol

And you don’t need to have Champagne, but scientists have just proven that Champagne is good for your cognitive functions, IE your brain.  Check out the scientists’ evidence at the end of this e-mail and get your Champagne here!!

I said I was going to work really hard will I was 50 and I made it…I will be spending the rest of my days drinking the world’s greatest wines and traveling to new wine drinking destinations as soon as things get back to normal.  Until then, check out the calendar of events to keep up as we’re going to speed up this “Drinking the good Stuff First” thing.

All sparkling wines are not created equal and Champagne along with some of the finer examples of sparkling wines made with this same method established over the last few hundred years in France's northernmost wine region are NOT the only examples of bubbly that you will find on the table tonight.

Champagne is the name of a region and therefore anything inside the boundaries of Champagne can use this name on their label, everything else is just sparkling wine.  The important thing to look for on the label when it comes to sparkling wines outside of the Champagne region is the method of production and if the words, methode champenoise are there were in business, this means that the sparkling wine in the bottle is made with the same standards that are used in the great wines from the Champagne region of France. 

Tonight, we will be focusing on vintage Champagne from some of the best vintages from the first decade of the new millennium.  This tasting and is limited to 14 tasters and the fee for this event is $795 + tax and this includes dinner!   For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Vintage Champagne Tasting at Wine Watch
Saturday, February 6th  
7:30 PM

1975 Bollinger RD Brut Champagne
1985 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne
1988 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne
1988 Salon Blancs De Blancs Brut Champagne
1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
1996 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Cuvee St Hilaire
1999 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Cuvee St Hilaire
2000 Krug "Clos du Mesnil" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
NV Jacques Selosse Substance Non Dosage Champagne
2011 David Leclapart Champagne L'Apotre Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Mini Potatoes filled with American Sturgeion Caviar and all the fixins
Scallop Carpaccio with Candied Orange and edible Harpke Farms Flowers and Micro Greens
Pork Belley Sticky Buns with Kimshee, Pickled Radish and Siracha
Rare Waygu Filet Mignon Sashimi with Ponzu dipping sauce and sticky rice
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $795 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Scientific proof that Champagne is good for your brain

New research shows that drinking one to three glasses of champagne a week may counteract the memory loss associated with ageing, and could help delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia.

Scientists at the University of Reading have shown that the phenolic compounds found in champagne can improve spatial memory, which is responsible for recording information about one's environment, and storing the information for future navigation.

The compounds work by modulating signals in the hippocampus and cortex, which control memory and learning. The compounds were found to favourably alter a number of proteins linked to the effective storage of memories in the brain.  Many of these are known to be depleted with age, making memory storage less efficient, and leading to poorer memory in old age and conditions such as dementia.  Champagne slows these loses and therefore may help prevent the cognitive losses that occur during typical and atypical brain ageing.

Champagne has relatively high levels of phenolics compared to white wine, deriving predominantly from the two red grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which are used in its production along with the white grape Chardonnay.  It is these phenolic compounds which are believed to be responsible for the beneficial effects of champagne on the brain.

Professor Jeremy Spencer, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, said: "These exciting results illustrate for the first time that the moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning, such as memory.  Such observations have previously been reported with red wine, through the actions of flavonoids contained within it.

"However, our research shows that champagne, which lacks flavonoids, is also capable of influencing brain function through the actions of smaller phenolic compounds, previously thought to lack biological activity. We encourage a responsible approach to alcohol consumption, and our results suggest that a very low intake of one to two glasses a week can be effective."

Dr. David Vauzour, the researcher on the study, added: "in the near future we will be looking to translate these findings into humans.  This has been achieved successfully with other polyphenol-rich foods, such as blueberry and cocoa, and we predict similar outcomes for moderate Champagne intake on cognition in humans."  

Previous research from the University of Reading revealed that two glasses of champagne a day may be good for your heart and circulation and could reduce the risks of suffering from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The paper is published in Antioxidants and Redox Signalling.
ENDS

For all media enquiries please contact Alex Brannen 07834 006 243 or James Barr 07788 714376
Notes for editors:
The University of Reading is ranked among the top 1% of universities in the world (THE World University Rankings 2012) and is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities
The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences is the largest University department of its kind in the UK, combining state of the art teaching facilities, clinical nutrition unit, labs and the largest pilot processing plant in the UK. The Department is internationally recognised for the quality of its research and enjoys a high public profile both domestically and internationally.

The department continues to work with the food industry over a wide range of industrially funded research projects and contracts under our Food Chain and Health research theme. This includes one-to-one funding from multi-national companies through to small and medium sized enterprises.

All the Champagne in the store from these producers

Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne Brut NV
Price: $74.25      Your Price: $65.34      Quantity in Stock: 13

NV Bollinger Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $99.00      Your Price: $87.12      Quantity in Stock: 3

2012 Bollinger Grande Annee Brut Champagne
Price: $177.75    Your Price: $156.42

2011 Bollinger 007 James Bond Spectre Limited Edition
Price: $250.00    Your Price: $220.00    Quantity in Stock: 5

MV Krug Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne 169th Edition (375ml)
Price: $95.00      Sale Price: $79.00       Quantity in Stock: 37

MV Krug Grande Cuvee 168th Edition Champagne
Price: $231.75    Your Price: $203.94    Quantity in Stock: 18

MV Krug Grand Cuvee 166th Edition Champagne Magnum
Price: $537.00    Your Price: $472.56    Quantity in Stock: 1

MV Krug Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne Edition 161 3 Liter
Price: $1593.00  Your Price: $1401.84

MV Krug Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne 160th Edition 3 Liter
Price: $1593.00  Your Price: $1401.84

MV Krug Rose Brut Champagne 19th Edition Magnum
Price: $993.75    Your Price: $874.50

1998 Krug Vintage Champagne
Price: $595.00    Sale Price: $495.00     Quantity in Stock: 1

1998 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $3500.00  Sale Price: $3080.00   Quantity in Stock: 1

2003 Krug Brut Champagne MAGNUM
Price: $1057.50  Your Price: $930.60    Quantity in Stock: 1

1988 Krug Collection Brut Champagne
Price: $1230.00  Your Price: $1082.40 Quantity in Stock: 3

2000 Krug "Clos du Mesnil" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Price: $1700.00  Sale Price: $1350.00   Quantity in Stock: 3

2004 Krug Clos de Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $3547.50  Your Price: $3121.80

2004 Krug Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil
Price: $1444.50  Your Price: $1271.16

2006 Krug Clos Du Mesnil Brut Blanc De Blanc
Price: $1444.50  Your Price: $1271.16

2002 Krug Clos D'Ambonnay Brut Champagne
Price: $2962.50  Your Price: $2607.00

2000 Krug Clos d'Ambonnay Brut Champagne
Price: $2929.50  Your Price: $2577.96 Quantity in Stock: 1

2008 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $6500.00  Your Price: $5720.00 Quantity in Stock: 1

2007 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $715.00    Your Price: $629.20    Quantity in Stock: 2

2006 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $715.00    Your Price: $629.20    Quantity in Stock: 2

2004 Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $715.00    Your Price: $629.20    Quantity in Stock: 2

1988 Salon Blancs De Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $1800.00  Sale Price: $1400.00   Quantity in Stock: 4

2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Special Edition Jeroboam
Price: $25500.00         Sale Price: $19950.00 Quantity in Stock: 1

1999 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne 3 liter
Price: $3100.00  Your Price: $2728.00 Quantity in Stock: 1

2012 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
Price: $300.00    Your Price: $264.00    Quantity in Stock: 15

Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne NV
Price: $45.00      Your Price: $39.60      Quantity in Stock: 18

2012 Louis Roederer Vintage Brut Champagne
Price: $93.50      Your Price: $82.28      Quantity in Stock: 8

2013 Louis Roederer Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $75.00      Your Price: $66.00      Quantity in Stock: 1

2011 Louis Roederer Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne
Price: $78.00      Your Price: $68.64      Quantity in Stock: 20

1996 Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne Cuvee St Hilaire
Price: $475.00    Your Price: $418.00    Quantity in Stock: 1

2006 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Vintage Brut Champagne
Price: $125.00    Your Price: $110.00    Quantity in Stock: 2

NV Billecart Salmon Extra Brut
Price: $72.00      Your Price: $63.36      Quantity in Stock: 1

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $94.50      Your Price: $83.16      Quantity in Stock: 8

NV Billecart Salmon Reserve Brut Champagne
Price: $60.00      Your Price: $52.80      Quantity in Stock: 12

NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne
Price: $95.00      Your Price: $83.60      Quantity in Stock: 2

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne MAGNUM
Price: $210.00    Your Price: $184.80    Quantity in Stock: 1

NV Billecart Salmon Rose Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $450.00    Your Price: $396.00    Quantity in Stock: 1

2008 Champagne Billecart Salmon Extra Brut
Price: $96.75      Your Price: $85.14      Quantity in Stock: 9

2011 David Leclapart Champagne L'Artiste Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Price: $175.00    Your Price: $154.00    Quantity in Stock: 4

David Leclapart Champagne L'Astre Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs
Price: $215.00    Your Price: $189.20    Quantity in Stock: 4

2014 David Leclapart Champagne L’Amateur Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Price: $95.75      Your Price: $84.26      Quantity in Stock: 3

2011 David Leclapart Champagne L'Apotre Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Price: $399.75    Your Price: $351.78    Quantity in Stock: 1

2012 David Leclapart Champagne L'Aphrodisiaque Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Price: $275.00    Your Price: $242.00    Quantity in Stock: 4