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Advised by:Wine expert To Viet
As is customary, every year, during the Christmas season, when the seasons harmonize, the plants and flowers are tinged with yellow, and the air turns cool, I see all the stalls in supermarkets and in Hanoi's Old Quarter displaying goods for entertaining guests and giving as gifts, which is often wine. Although I know that in these difficult economic times, my older friends all try their best to buy a few bottles of good wine, firstly to give to their bosses, and secondly to offer guests a little wine to warm their hearts, showing off their sophistication and benefiting their health.
However, not all of us have enough knowledge to confidently choose a fine bottle of wine. Even fewer people dare to splurge on a bottle of Champagne to treat their wife by candlelight or to friends at a lavish party.
Upon closer examination, we find that the history of champagne begins alongside the history of France. Champagne brought elegance to lavish parties in the 18th century, highlighted the romanticism of the 19th century, and encouraged creativity in the early 20th century. Therefore, each type of champagne is a work of art, conceived, nurtured, refined, and transformed into a culinary and cultural specialty, a masterpiece of time, depending on human creativity. Furthermore, sparkling wine can only be called champagne when it is produced in the Champagne region of France. When produced in other French wine-growing regions or in other wine-producing countries around the world, it can only be called sparkling wine.
As a product of health, friendship, and sharing, champagne symbolizes joy, happiness, exhilaration, and delight. When a bottle of champagne is opened, millions of bubbles burst joyfully in the glass like waves crashing on the sand, creating unforgettable moments. Therefore, when thinking of champagne, people often think of solemn, memorable moments, romantic or glorious scenes…
Because of these meanings, champagne is often served on important occasions such as birthdays, weddings, New Year's, or diplomatic receptions. Therefore, choosing and enjoying champagne always requires sophistication, attention to detail, so that the connoisseur can fully appreciate the delicious taste and significance of the wine.
Most famous champagnes are produced and sold by champagne houses, and each champagne house conducts research and development to create its own unique style of champagne.
Here are some well-known Champagne brands available in Vietnam. We tasted and evaluated Champagne products from four brands that have importers and distributors in Vietnam:
1) Taittinger has approximately 167 hectares of land planted with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier red grapes (60% Pinot Noir and 40% Pinot Meunier), and 103 hectares of Chardonnay white grapes. In addition, the company also purchases grapes from other growers. Taittinger produces around 5,000,000 bottles of champagne annually.
The importer of Taittinger Champagne in Vietnam is Les Celliers d'Asie (Golden French Wine Company), with a chain of Red Apron stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and several other major cities in Vietnam.
Taittinger's champagne range, from lowest to highest quality, includes:
- Brut Reserve
- Brut Millésimé
- Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagnes
Rosé Comtes de Champagnes
Wine tasting: Taittinger Brut Réserve. The wine has a bright straw yellow color, with fine, long-lasting bubbles. Aromas of peach, white flowers, vanilla, and toasted bread. Harmonious structure. Delicate finish with fruity and honey notes.
Where to buy Taittinger Champagne in Hanoi:
Red Apron, 15 A Ngo Van So Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Red Apron, 28 and 91 Xuan Dieu Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi.
Where to buy Taittinger Champagne in Ho Chi Minh City:
Red Apron, 20-22 Chu Manh Trinh Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Red Apron, 8A/5C1 Thai Van Lung Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
2) Bollinger, which has approximately 110 hectares of red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vineyards (86% Pinot Noir and 14% Pinot Meunier), 40 hectares of white Chardonnay vineyards, and grapes purchased from other growers. Bollinger produces around 1,950,000 bottles of champagne annually.
The importer of Bollinger Champagne in Vietnam is Tan Khoa Company, with a chain of Bacchus Corner stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and several other major cities in Vietnam.
Bollinger Champagnes, from lowest to highest quality, include:
- Brut Special Cuvée
- Brut Grande Année
- Brut Rosé Grande Année
- Brut Récemment Dégorgé (RD)
Wine tasting: Bollinger Brut Spécial Cuvée. The wine has a bright lemon yellow color. Aromas of fruit, lemon peel, and vanilla. The wine has a harmonious, smooth structure. The finish is long with notes of toasted bread, roasted almonds, and minerals.
Where to buy Champagne Bollinger in Hanoi:
Bacchus Corner, 1C Ton Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Where to buy Champagne Bollinger in Ho Chi Minh City:
Bacchus Corner,
158 Pasteur Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
3) Henriot, a small but highly reputable producer, with approximately 25 hectares of vineyards and grapes purchased from other growers, produces around 1,000,000 bottles of Champagne annually.
The importer of Henriot Champagne in Vietnam is Vinifera Company, with a chain of stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and several other major cities in Vietnam.
Henriot Champagnes, from lowest to highest quality, include:
Brut Souverain
Brut Millésime
Brut Rosé
Enchanteleur
Wine tasting: Henriot Brut Rosé. The wine has a bright salmon pink color. The bubbles are fine and lively. The aroma is fresh and crisp, with notes of strawberry, raspberry, and mandarin. The finish is long, full of fruit, pepper, and minerality.
Where to buy Henriot Champagne in Hanoi:
29A Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem
Where to buy Henriot Champagne in Ho Chi Minh City:
15C7 Thi Sach Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
4) Roederer is a highly reputable premium Champagne producer, with 125 hectares of red grapes and 75 hectares of white grapes, as well as grapes purchased from other growers, producing approximately 2,600,000 bottles of Champagne annually.
The importer of Roederer Champagne in Vietnam is An Nam Fine Foods Company, with a chain of stores called The Warehouse in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and several other major cities in Vietnam.
The Roederer Champagne range, from lowest to highest quality, includes:
Rodgers Brut Premier
Roederer Millésime (Blanc de Blancs)
Roederer Cristal (Millesine)
Roederer Cristal Rosé (Millésime)
Wine tasting: Roederer Brut Premier: A complex wine resulting from a blend of three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. It has a smooth, fine head of bubbles. The flavor is full-bodied, rounded, and refreshing. The finish is long, both powerful and elegant, yet smooth and mellow.
Where to buy Roederer Champagne in Hanoi:
The Warehouse, 59 Hang Trong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Where to buy Roederer Champagne in Ho Chi Minh City:
The Warehouse, 178 Pasteur, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
After champagne, consumers cannot resist enjoying and purchasing premium wines from France, Chile, Australia, and Italy as gifts. In the Vietnamese imported wine market, Chile ranks second with a 21.6% share of imported wines in 2009, behind only France (36.7%), ahead of Australia (12.3%), the USA (4.3%), Italy (4.1%), South Africa (1.6%), and Argentina (1.3%). While 7,648,509 bottles of French wine were imported into Vietnam in 2009, 4,511,138 bottles of Chilean wine were imported in the same year (source: WTO, ONU).
While French wines are the strength of some large wineries such as Les Celliers d'Asie, The WareHouse, or Tan Khoa, Chilean wines are the strength of some importers specializing in Chilean wines and a number of shops and wineries that we visited and tasted:
1. Toviet's Wine Cellar, 36 Nguyen Truong To Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. This is a relatively small wine cellar in terms of area, but it has a very extensive wine list.
The selection is primarily Chilean and French wines. Here, consumers can easily find mid- to high-end products from dozens of renowned Chilean wineries such as Casa del Bosque, Aresti, Tamaya, Tierra del Fuego, William Fevre, Santa Rita, Carmen, San Pedro, Neyen, Botalcura, Casa Patronales, etc. Notably, all premium Chilean wines here are packaged in wooden crates of 6 bottles, making them convenient for transportation and gifting. In the evening, under candlelight, guests can enjoy wine and Cohiba cigars, paired with a few light European and Asian dishes.
2. Daloc Wine Cellar, 94 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Consumers can find here high-end products such as Grand Cru Classé 1855 wines from Bordeaux, Faiveley from Bourgogne, Trimbach from Alsace, Delas from the Rhône Valley (France), Santa Carolina and Errazuriz-Chadwick from Chile, Ruffino from Italy, Peter Lehmann and Brown Brothers from Australia, DeLoach from the USA, etc.
SSP Joint Stock Company and its showroom are located at 34 Au Co Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi. Featured products include wines from San Pedro and Anakena (Chile), as well as Château Hostens-Picant (France), specifically the HP Lucullus 2005.
