However, the traditional “everyone reads the same book” approach can quickly become mundane and stale.

Why not try out some of these quirky ideas to spice up your book club and have a little more fun during the meetings?

1) Create a “Books & Wine” Group
This is one of the most popular ways to spice up those book club meetings. Trying this tip would allow your readers to explore both the books and the wine together!  Reading and talking about books while enjoying a glass of fizz makes for a relaxing time.

Each book club has a different variety of wines that you feel would suit the book’s theme and the club meeting! Subscriptions such as Firstleaf Wine Club Review can send out bottles to each member, and you can even choose books based on the wine.

If any of the readers are sommeliers, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about wine and then branch off into discussions about how the pick of the month’s flavors match the themes of the book. This will allow those other members who aren’t as wine savvy to learn more about wine. This can also spark different discussions among the members, allowing readers to voice out their choices and opinions in a diverse environment where they feel comfortable.

We think this activity works best with wine. However, you can do this with other beverages such as beers, tea, coffee — whatever your group would enjoy the most.

2) Add a Snack 
This is a delectable way to spice up your meetings. And if you’re adding wine, you definitely want to pair your glasses with a snack. Take this tip a step further and bring a snack or have inspired by the book you’re reading. Some examples are Mrs. Dalloway’s almonds, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland’s cakes and tea, and so on.

3) Pick Books Based on Prompts
Keeping the book club focused on a genre (historical fiction, chick lit) or a topic (politics, religion, environment) is a good way to bring together people with similar interests and offer them interesting reading material. Why not make the focus more interesting by adding a new element to the usual book picking?

Select a wine for the month and ask the members to pick a book that they think would match the mood of the wine. This will be an interesting way to find out why a particular book was selected. Did they pick the book based on the storyline or the character’s personality? This will allow each member to learn more about each other based on their creative choices and encourage connections. Doing this is a good way to ensure your members feel included.

4) Follow Along With a Celebrity Book Club
Maybe you and your members are too busy to decide on books to read for the month, or you can’t agree on the upcoming month’s pick. That’s no problem! You and your club can follow along with the books the celebrities are reading.

There are so many famous ones that tackle today’s bestsellers, like:

• Reese Witherspoon
• Oprah
• Emma Watson

Conclusion
We don’t have to keep hosting book clubs in the same manner just because they’ve been there for a long time. Don’t be scared to experiment with new concepts to see what works best for your group.
We guarantee that bringing wine and snacks will make your meetings much more relaxing and serve as a great conversation starter if your group has trouble beginning the discussion. Now go ahead and start planning!

Formula 1® fans are now able to bid on a once-in-a-lifetime piece of racing history, as Ferrari Trento makes five of its signature F1® Podium Jeroboams, from five 2021 Grands Prix, available to the public. This will be through a global auction on F1® Authentics, launching on the 6th of December and closing on the 18th of December.

Signed by the three winning drivers of key races throughout the 2021 season, each of the five bottles is the very same as used in the iconic podium celebration after every race, offering a completely unique and exclusive item.

Each auction will raise money for Keep Fighting, the charity set up to celebrate racing champion Michael Schumacher’s indomitable spirit and encourage everyone to ‘Never Give Up’. Run by those close to Michael, Ferrari Trento is proud to be supporting such a hugely positive and worthwhile cause that is also close to the hearts of Formula 1® and its drivers.

The five bottles available to bid for are from the following 2021 races:

• The Pirelli British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a home victory for Lewis Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc in second and Valtteri Bottas coming in third
• The Grand Prix de Monaco, won by Max Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris rounding out the podium
• The Heineken Grande Prémio de Portugal, which was also won by Hamilton, with Verstappen and Bottas in second and third
• The Emirates Grand Prix de France, where Verstappen again took first, Hamilton came in second and Sergio Pérez came third
• The BWT Großer Preis von Österreich in Austria, another victory for Verstappen, with Bottas in second and Norris in third

The bottles are available to bid for on the F1® Authentics website, the home of legitimate F1® memorabilia. Anyone can bid, granting F1® fans worldwide the chance to possess the truly one-of-a-kind momentos ahead of the final race of the season, the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021 on the 12th of December. The winner will be announced on the 19th of December, with Ferrari Trento planning to continue the new initiative into the 2022 season.

The striking bottle is a collector’s piece in itself, bearing ‘Ferrari’ in large on one side. The wine is a 2015 traditional method Blanc de Blancs, made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes cultivated on the slopes of the mountains of Trentino, in northern Italy following the strict rules of the Trentodoc appellation. Maturation on its lees for over five years has rendered it particularly harmonious, with a lasting finish.

Says Matteo Lunelli, President and CEO of Ferrari Trento: “We are thrilled to take our partnership with Formula 1® to the next level, through an avenue that gives F1 fans closer access to the sport and their favourite drivers, whilst simultaneously supporting a charity whose message of resilience and passion is so in line with our beliefs at Ferrari Trento. We look forward to starting our collaboration with the Keep Fighting Foundation.”

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1®, said: “This season has been one of the most incredible seasons for a long time and we couldn’t think of a more fitting way to end it than inviting our fans to own a part of F1 history with this incredible auction. It’s fantastic to see Ferrari Trento collaborating with the Keep Fighting Foundation and supporting such an important cause.”

Sabine Kehm, Managing Director of Keep Fighting Foundation, said: “Keep Fighting Foundation is immensely grateful to be part of this great activity, enabling fans to own an authentic piece of F1 history and add to a charitable cause at the same time. Keep Fighting Foundation is striving to continue Michael‘s charitable work together with his unbelievable fans, so this collaboration with Ferrari Trento and our friends from Formula 1 is not only an honour for us but also feels like a natural fit. We are looking forward to a great time with Ferrari Trento with who we share the passion for accepting challenges, and we would like to thank everybody involved.”

How to shop for sparkling wine
First, you should know that all sparkling wines have a rounded flavour. This means that you should be in a position to taste beyond the bubbliness in every bottle. The quality and richness in flavour depending on the price of the bottle you buy. Therefore, you should be cautious whenever you want to buy a bottle of sparkling wine, not to compromise flavour for the price. You can get a bottle that goes for less than $10 with great taste. All you need to know is how to pick the best. Here are some tips.

Know the difference
Can you differentiate between Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, and other sparkling wine? By knowing the difference, you can choose what you want based on quality and price. Here is an overview.

Champagne
Champagne is made in France using traditional Champagne grapes. Additionally, a bottle of Champagne is made following the traditional winemaking technique that involves fermenting the liquid in the bottle and not in a tank. Champagne is always pricey because of the higher price of grapes used in making it. Champagne is the least sweet compared to Cava and Prosecco, but it has the finest bubbles.

Cava
Cava is a sparkling bottle of wine made in Spain. The wine is fermented within the bottle like Champagne. However, Cava is made using less expensive grapes, making it more affordable than Champagne. Cava is sweeter than Champagne and also has finer bubbles than Prosecco.

Prosecco
Prosecco is made in Italy using the Charmat technique. This technique means that the wine is fermented in a tank first before being bottled. Prosecco is the sweetest of the three and also has the coarsest bubbles.

Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a comprehensive term used to describe all types of fizzy vinos that are not made using the traditional techniques of making wine. Additionally, sparkling wine can come from any country.

How much should you spend?
Sparkling wine comes in a wide range of prices. There are expensive bottles like Champagne while others are less expensive. Therefore, you need to determine the price point that suits your budget. Any bottle between 11 and 15 pounds should be a good starting point if you are a first-timer. However, you can always save money when buying wine if you keep an eye on discounts and festive offers. Sites like NetVoucherCodes.co.uk offer insightful resources you can use to find the best deals and other information on how to pick the best sparkling wine without breaking the bank.

Consider the size
The size of the bottle is a decision you make depending on your plans. However, you should always consider the size of the bubbles before you buy a bottle of sparkling wine. Bubble size is a measure of quality. In this case, the finer, the better. Look out for tiny, wispy bubbles with light and frothy textures. Therefore, the next time you buy a bottle of Champagne and notice large bubbles, know it might not be really Champagne.

Choose green bottles
Excessive light can compromise the quality of the wine. That is why you will notice most sparkling wine packaged in dark bottles. You do not want to buy “cooked” wine. Therefore, always go green with your bottle. The darker, the better.

Consider the dryness level
A bottle of sparkling wine is often labelled with words like ‘dry’ or ‘brut’ that indicate the level of dryness. These terminologies indicate the wine’s dryness level, which is determined by the amount of residual sugar. Since residual sugar in wine is measured in grams per litre, the terminologies used can be a bit confusing for first-timers. Here is an overview of the four dryness levels you are more likely to encounter when buying a bottle of sparkling wine.

Extra Brut
This is the driest form of sparkling wine you can get in the market. The amount of residual sugar in brut extra should be less than six grams in every litre. This aspect means that yeast used during the fermentation process has eaten most of the residual sugar. Cava is an excellent example of sparkling wine that comes in the form of brut extra.

Brut
Brut is the most popular form of sparkling wine you will get in the market. Brut is dry with a hint of sweetness that comes with less than 12 grams of residual sugar per litre. Champagne is the most popular sparkling wine in the brut range.

Extra Dry
The extra dry range is dry, but not like the first two categories. It comes with a slight hint of sweetness due to leftover residual sugar from fermentation. Prosecco is an excellent example of wine in this category.

Demi-Sec
Demi-Sec is the sweetest wine category and is often used with a dessert. The taste of this wine range comes with an obvious amount of sweetness. Demi-Sec can have as much as 50 grams of residual sugar per litre. Champagne is rarely made in this range, though you can find some bottles made in the category.

The bottom line
Whether you are going for a family gathering or holidaying with the love of your life, sparkling wine is good for your health. Additionally, this is a drink for all occasions. Sparkling wine is made from all over the world and comes with noticeable bubbles.

Just in time for your holidays, this guide has rounded up some tips to help you choose the best bottle of sparkling wine. Just a reminder, any Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine can be Champagne.

When thoughts turn to Mendoza, they are inevitably captivated by the Malbec grape and the deep, rich, powerful red wines it produces. This is the archetypal image of Mendoza wines, and indeed Argentinian wine more generally. What could be more Argentinian than a large glass of heavy, tannin wine accompanied by a perfectly-cooked steak? This is one of the defining images of Mendoza, and one of the reasons why it is such a fantastic vacation destination and one of the best places to visit on a cruise.

But Mendoza is not just fantastic red wine and to focus exclusively on these vintages would be to miss out on some of the more exciting efforts coming out of this wonderful region. In fact, Mendoza is rapidly becoming Argentina’s sparkling wine oasis as well. So if you are planning a trip to Argentina’s wine country and are interested in branching out and discovering the new smash hits of the country’s wine scene, take a look at some of the best sparkling wines coming out of Mendoza right now!

Chandon Argentina
Benefiting from 260 years of Champagne-making tradition, the minds behind Moet & Chandon brought their skills to Mendoza in 1959 and have been making stunning sparkling wine here ever since. Their Chandon Extra Brut is a fresh, fruity, and elegant combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and is up there with the best sparkling wine in the world.

Casa Bianchi
Founded in 1910 by Don Valentin Bianchi all the way from Italy, Casa Bianchi is one of the region’s most prolific producers of sparkling wine. Their Bianchi Extra Brut is half Chardonnay, half Pinot Noir, with fruity, fresh, and floral notes throughout.

Bodega Navarro Correas
With roots dating back to 1800, Bodega Navarro Correas has a decent claim to be one of the oldest wineries in Mendoza. Navarro Correas Nature is a sophisticated vintage, bright yellow with enticing aromas of citrus and peaches.

Trapiche
Pioneering the introduction of French vines and techniques, Trapiche are based in Maipu, Mendoza. Their Trapiche Brut is a fascinating wine, blending Chardonnay, Semillon, and Malbec grapes for an unusual but delicious vintage.

As every host or hostess knows, there can be a lot of stressful details involved in planning a party. Marvelous, festive holiday cocktails shouldn’t be one of them: Using Champagne or sparkling wine in mixed drinks or punch doesn’t require the skill level of an expert. Especially, if you are a student who hosts a party for the first time. In this case, experts from EssayWriterFree offer plenty of quick tips and easy recipes for wine cocktails are available to make the holidays a lot merrier while keeping the party-giver a lot more relaxed.

Cocktail Recipes for Dry Sparkling Wine or Brut Champagne
Many people like effervescent wine on the dry side; adding fruit juice or purée, sugar syrup or grenadine, or even a hibiscus-in-syrup or two to brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine will appeal to those with a sweeter tooth. These recipes also make wine stretch farther and add an alluring flavor to more inexpensive varieties of bubbly.

The two most traditional Champagne cocktails are probably the Bellini and the Mimosa. To make a Bellini, place one tablespoon of peach purée in a Champagne flute and then fill it with Champagne or sparkling wine. To make a Mimosa, fill the flute ¾ with Champagne or sparkling wine and then add orange juice. A dash of orange liqueur is sometimes added to a Mimosa as well.

Another extremely simple Champagne cocktail requires ½ teaspoon of sugar (or a single sugar cube) and 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters in a flute; fill with sparkling wine of choice.

Adding a dash to 1 ounce of raspberry, peach, blackcurrant, or melon liqueur to Champagne or sparkling wine is another way to perk up holiday spirits without taking too much time or effort. Many different puréed fruits also work well; if using pear or melon purée, note that these fruits turn brown fairly quickly; and should not be prepared until right before party time. Some people enjoy ginger liqueur and lemon juice in a Champagne cocktail, but this is perhaps an acquired taste.

Wild edible hibiscus flowers in sugar syrup are commercially available, and make an interesting and attractive additive to a flute of Champagne. Drop one flower into the glass, and add a dash of syrup; then fill with sparkling wine. The drink will take on a beautiful rosé hue as well as a delectable sweetness.

Two Simple Champagne Punch Recipes
These two punch recipes serve approximately 20 partygoers.

The first is sometimes called a ‘Chandon Cocktail’ after the famous French label Möet & Chandon (the company’s Brut Impérial Champagne tastes great in this one): Mix 6 ounces of orange juice concentrate and 6 ounces of limeade concentrate; slowly stir in two 12-ounce cans of club soda and two 12-ounce cans of ginger ale. Add the brut Champagne (or any dry sparkling wine you enjoy). Serve in punch cups over crushed ice.

A ‘White Sangria’ punch involves pouring a liter (4 cups) of grapefruit juice into a punch bowl; slowly add 2 bottles of dry sparkling wine or brut Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label tastes particularly nice in this recipe) and stir gently. Serve over crushed ice in punch cups or old-fashioned glasses. Top each glass with a strawberry and a bit of soda for a cheery holiday drink.

Have plenty of fun, but always remember to drink responsibly.

Valentine’s Day is a cross country night out on the town and a fine chance to bust open the best wine for date night. The decisions at the store can be overpowering and in case you are not a Champagne specialist, you presumably don’t realize which jug to pick. Relax, we have you covered. Most importantly, ensure you are purchasing real ‘Champagne’. Authentic Champagne comes from one little area in France and no other effervescent is permitted to utilize ‘Champagne’ on the container. They are considered the best wine for a date.

If you are looking for more options then take a look and look for the best sweet wine for a date with a girl, as it is considered the most popular wine. Sweet wine is the perfect dessert mix. Be that as it may, from time to time after a powerful feast, you may have to avoid the last course and come right for wine. This container allows you to do the same. With all the extravagance of lemon pie, it gives a full and mellow flavor with a light, invigorating finish. If you are looking for tips for men on a first date, then this is one of the helpful tips for you.

We’d like to give first date tips for guys who are going out on a date. Below are the options that deserve a liaison suggestion:

Classic Champagnes

Ayala Brut Majeur, NV, France: This bottling gets approval for being hip—in case that is even a thing in Champagne. The winemaking group is young, the creation minuscule, and it is all still family claimed. What’s more, they are on pattern with an emphasis on less measurement (added sugar). It’s exquisite, sleek, and fresh with citrus and apple notes, reams of silvery air pockets, and a strong connotation of whiteness.

Ruinart Rosé Brut NV, France: This is a much-cherished rosé articulation from the primary house in Champagne to utilize the antiquated Roman chalk mines to age their bottlings. Indeed, the Ruinart crayères, or chalk caves, are probably the most delightful in the locale. The rose is an all-new cut strawberry and raspberry with a whiff of flower petal and zest.

Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV, France: This specific Champagne is poured at the Oscars which is a decent tidbit you can share to intrigue your date. Assuming it’s adequate for famous actors, without a doubt you also will adore the ready lovely notes of pink woman apple, buttered roll, and pear. It’s genuinely simple to find in stores, drinks well with others, and is well evaluated.

Mumm DVX Rose, 2013, California: The DVX moniker comes from established winemaker Guy Devaux, who as far back as 1979 saw the potential for shimmering wine in Napa Valley. This specific packaging is the winery’s most elite, utilizing the best determinations of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to make a staggering shimmering wine. It’s ravishing in the glass and the principal taste conveys lifted pretty strawberry notes. Rich, delicious and new at the same time, you’ll likewise get notes of brioche and orange creamsicle. Matured for quite a long time on the dregs, this effervescent method business, and assuming you pop this one then things will quit fooling around.

Total Show Off
Frerejean Freres, Blanc de Blancs, NV, France This formation of Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chardonnay is said to have wowed the group during its 2016 presentation in London. Richard Juhlin, who holds the world record for most Champagnes tasted, portrayed it as “One of a definitive Blanc de Blancs available”. You can expect a bunch of energy natural products, mango, citrus, and papaya, and a rich degree of pleasantness on the sense of taste. As one of the more modest Champagne houses, this delivery was restricted to only 3,000 jugs, which provides it with a genuine feeling of extraordinariness.

Smartest Champagne Buy
Pillot Cuvée Champs Rayés Blanc de Blancs NV, France: Made with natural organic product, this is an elite, exquisite, and impressive illustration of what makes Champagne so worth the cost. This one finds some kind of harmony among profundity and character and delicacy and zing. Bread roll, fresh apple, and lemon sorbet dance on the sense of taste. The completion is waiting and with exquisite intricacy. Perfectly made; this is the container you purchase when you are looking for the best wine for a date.

The Budget-Friendly

These are sparkling wines not Champagne for a cheaper option.

Faire le Fete Crémant de Limoux, NV, France: A splendid fresh crémant from southern France ready with apples and pear on the button and a refined newness on the sense of taste. This one is useful for a get-to-know-you date without a lot of monetary responsibility— – financial plan agreeable and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll host a decent get-together sparkler available.

Faire le Fete Crémant de Limoux, NV, France: A splendid fresh crémant from southern France ready with apples and pear on the button and a refined newness on the sense of taste. This one is useful for a get-to-know-you date without an excess of monetary responsibility— – spending plan cordial and on the off chance that it doesn’t work out you’ll host a decent get-together sparkler close by.

Scharffenberger Brut Excellence NV, California: This winery has been making shining in California’s cooler-environment Anderson Valley starting around 1981, so they know a couple of things about the matter of effervescent. The Brut Excellence is matured for a long time on the remains, so it has a decent harmony between intricacy and newness. At $19.99 a container, you’ll get pears, apples, and some rich top notes.

Conclusion
With an unbelievable scope of Champagne choices and sticker prices to browse, picking the right highest quality level sparkler can frequently be overpowering. While each Champagne is a shimmering wine, few out of every odd shining wine is Champagne.

You don’t have to have an in-depth understanding of wine to have a home tasting, basic knowledge is enough. But it is important that the topic is interesting not only to the person organizing the party but also to his friends. If people are interested in wine, hosting a home tasting will be more interesting than just sitting around, chatting, and drinking.

Preparing
The optimal number of participants for a tasting is 5 to 10 people. Plan in advance where the tasting will take place, and prepare the venue. If the weather permits, an outdoor tasting is a great option. But don’t forget that the wine needs to be kept in the shade as well as the tasting. Put a large tent and don’t forget about comfortable furniture to create the best possible atmosphere. We advise you to pay attention to rattan furniture to give the impression of a wine siesta in Italy. The best outdoor furniture in Dubai can come in handy for this purpose.

You need a minimum of three different bottles of wine, less makes no sense. A good option is if you agree in advance with friends that each will bring one bottle to the tasting. The wines should be about the same age and in the same price range.

For a ‘blind’ tasting, bottles should be wrapped in foil or wrapped in paper bags so that no one sees the label and doesn’t know in advance what they are tasting. Samples should also be numbered so they don’t get confused.

Which wine to choose
It is better not to mix red and white wines in one tasting, as it is more difficult to sort out the taste. One suggestion is you use sparkling wines.

For a simple ‘blind’ tasting, it’s best to choose wines that are different from each other, for example you can compare Champagne and Prosecco to other sparkling wines and enjoy the bubbles. If you’re gathering people who know a lot about wine, you can make it harder for them and offer similar wines for comparison, such as a vintage Champagne or traditional method sparkling wines from different countries.

Another option is to move away from the ‘blind’ tasting and simply taste several wines from the same grape variety from different producers in an evening, such as comparing well known Champagnes with grower Champagnes. Or compare wines from the same country or region — for example, try different sparkling wines from Italy regions with Prosecco, Franciacorta and TrentoDoc.

The tasting portion should be very small — 50-70 ml. This is just to make sure that you don’t get too drunk by the end of the tasting. For the same, you need an appetizer, but the simplest, which will not interrupt the taste of the wine: bread and cheese — without the noble mold and not very salty. Spicy, salty, or tangy food strongly affects the taste of the wine and changes its perception.

Risks
• The tasting experience can be blurred by not knowing a few important things. Firstly, it’s a good idea to drink a glass of water after each wine and rinse it so the flavors don’t mix.

• The second important point is that all the glasses must be the same shape. The shape of the glass greatly affects the aroma, so if everyone drinks from different glasses, then everyone’s impression of the wine will be different.

• Thirdly, the wine should be of the right temperature. Sparkling wines are best served between 8-12°C

Conclusion
I’m sure the idea of entertaining everyone with a tasting will satisfy everyone’s needs. Just do not take everything too seriously, make it fun. Meeting like this more often, because it’s all about the quantity turning into quality and it’s all about gaining a deeper understanding of wine.

Khatta Meeta
This savoury snack should actually be hidden from me. When no one is looking, I can eat a whole pack. The name loosely translates as sour/sweet and a blend in itself. Picking this easy drinking South African favourite to kick things off, naturally was a hit! Pictured here is the Haldiram’s version, a well known brand.

Pairing: Graham Beck Brut

Dal Makhani – Black lentils
You would have definitely have seen this on a typical Indian restaurant menu, as a guaranteed staple that can be as lean as you like, yet packed full of flavour with ginger, garlic and chillies. This may well be full of ghee and cream depending on where you go. The key here is that it is incredibly healthy and more filling than one may realise!

Bhindi Fry – Stir Fried Okra
This one is a bit like marmite – some people may make a face just by reading the name, others absolutely love it. It has grown in popularity over recent years. It wouldn’t be my first choice dish, however featured here to demonstrate the variety of foods that can be cooked with ease. I do like them well done and picking them is an experience in itself!

Wine Pairing: Bolney Estate Cuvee Rose 2018 – Trophy Winner of the Light & Fruity Trophy at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2021

Verdict: Of the two dishes, I felt this wine complemented the Dal better with its creamy texture and suggest it may have worked well with Bhindi that was heavier on tomatoes. Dal Makhni can be quite deep and heavy so in some instances, a still red may be the way to go.

Accompaniments
The above was served with yellow fragrant pilau rice.

Boondi Raita – Yogurt with crispy baby balls
Yogurt is a funny one, where in some parts of India and some families, it is a given and in others, it may not even feature. My mum’s side of the family will typically have yogurt with a meal (depending on what it is) whereas I tend to see my father have a couple of spoons almost to wrap things up.

No pairing here, but a condiment or side dish that takes minutes to prepare and can serve as that additional dish if things feel a little sparse, a rare treat for those not used to it, or to cool things down if a little spicy.

Alsi Burfi – Flaxseed bites
I’m probably not a typical sweet-toothed Indian, though I may be getting this way. Let’s be frank something like this may not appeal at first glance, but they are sooo good! Homemade by my mum, with a little help from me, it is a healthier option with just the right amount of sugar to pass as an Indian sweet. I’ll be honest, I put away quite a few!

I didn’t pair this with any wine, but I’d hazard a guess that it might be worth a go!

A pre-Covid Diwali affair at my parents place, may well have followed a similar theme though with maybe double the amount of dishes. Whether you opt for simple or go all out this year, from my family to yours, a very Happy Diwali and prosperous new year!

Author: Rupa Datta – [email protected]

I spoke to founder Christopher Walkey.

Hi Chris, great for taking the time for me! How many entries did you have this 5th edition and what was the origin of those bubbly wines?

We had several hundred entries. Both northern and southern hemispheres across the world from Japan to England. This year the total of different countries was 14.

Did you have to do a lot of adjustments due to Covid-19?

Normally we invite 50 judges in total., due to covid-19 we have reduced that down to 12 judges. Our Chairman of the awards judging is Prof. Marin Berovic and our Honorary Judge is Michael Edwards (wine author and journalist). We previously have had judges from far away locations such as Australia, Alaska, South Africa.

What makes the Glass of Bubbly Awards so unique?

We have a unique judging system where wines are not only judged for medals, they are also added to categories so that consumers can better understand what the tasting experience of the wine will be. We bring together a host of judges from across the world including passionate consumer bubbly lovers so we get a broad opinion.

That sounds nice, could you tell me more about those so-called trophies?

Each trophy represents a best in category – We have 18 categories and each is dedicated to an expression of wine aroma and flavor. The highest scoring wine, i.e. the example that our judges see as the most applicable, wins the trophy – Examples of categories include ‘Light & Fruit’ and ‘Oaky & Toasty’.

I also heard something special about your partnership with Slow Food UK?

Yes, we also have a special trophy each year for Sustainability in partnership with Slow Food UK – wineries need to adhere to the criteria set by Slow Food UK in order to win this trophy.

Additionally, Michael Edwards Trophy each year is chosen which is simply the best wine tasted by Michael Edwards (or his representative when he is not available). Anyone can win at the Glass of Bubbly Awards!

And does this trophy selection differs from the ‘normal’ judging procedure?

It is also a totally blind tasting format, no judge will know what style of wine they are tasting or where it originates from, so labels battle against each other on aroma and tasting qualities only.

Thanks again Chris for your time, do you have some closing words?

We would like to thank every wine label that submitted their wines to our competition and looking forward to next year! Cheers!

For all the winners and the overview of the results see here

Written by: Dennis Doorakkers