I don't really need an excuse to drink Champagne, so when I heard that Searcys Champagne bars had launched a National Champagne Week I whooped with joy and headed down to my nearest bar in Westfield Stratford.
The week was launched after a survey they conducted revealed 48% of people didn't realise that Champagne can only come from France and 62% admitted they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between premium Champagne and a low cost brand.
Now, I can safely say I DO know Champagne only comes from France however, I wouldn't be so confident in saying that I could tell the difference between premium and low cost Champagne… So there was only now way to educate myself - by ordering the tasting tray where I could sample three different Champagnes from the House of the month.
This month was Laurent-Perrier and we were poured Laurent-Perrier Rose, Laurent-Perrier Brut and Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut.
I'm not a huge fan of rose Champagne (or any kind of rose in fact) but I have to admit this was good, probably because it was very dry. The Laurent-Perrier Brut was also very good but what I was most excited about trying was the Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut. Ultra Brut means it is super dry and super crisp - meaning it's super amazing, basically.
And boy - it was. Just from drinking the three glasses from the same Champagne house, I could tell that this was the more expensive of the three.
Another fabulous thing about the Ultra Brut is that it's a 'zero dosage' Champagne, meaning that no sugar is added at the end of the fermentation process. No one is saying it's a diet Champagne, but knowing it's sugar free means as far as I'm concerned I can drink it guilt free. Apparently it's Kate Moss's preferred Champers too, and if it's good enough for Mossy...
During our time at Searcys we spent time chatting with the manager, Philippe, who talked us not only through the ones we were tasting but also happily talked about his favourites and why which made me immediately want to jump on the Eurostar and head towards Reims, where all the Champagne houses are.
After eating snacks of potted crab and smoked salmon, which complimented the Champagne perfectly, we headed off very happy from all the bubbles.
Even though I still can't claim I'm a Champagne expert, I'll happily keep tasting until I am. Top up? Oh go on then….
To find your nearest Searcys visit: searcys.co.uk and follow them on twitter: @SearcysBars
Extremely jealous!
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