Advised by:Wine tasting expert To Viet
As a rule, every year, when Christmas comes, when the sky and earth are in harmony, the grass and flowers are tinged with yellow and the air is cold, I see all the stalls in the supermarket or Hanoi's Old Quarter displaying items for entertaining guests and giving as gifts, which could be wine. Although I know that in these difficult economic times, my old friends all try to buy a few bottles of good wine, first to give to their boss, second to invite guests to drink a little wine to warm their hearts, both to be known as connoisseurs and good for health.
However, not all of us have enough knowledge to confidently choose a bottle of fine wine. Even fewer people dare to spend money on a bottle of Champagne to treat their wife under the shimmering candlelight or treat friends at a royal party.
If we look closely, we see that the history of champagne begins with 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 will be a work of art and it depends on human creativity to be conceived, nurtured, refined, becoming a culinary and cultural specialty, and a masterpiece of time. And people can only call sparkling wines champagne when they are produced in the Champagne region of France. When produced in other grape-growing and wine-making regions of France or in other wine-producing countries in the world, that wine can only be called sparkling wine.
As a product of health, friendship and sharing, champagne symbolizes joy, happiness, excitement and joy. When a bottle of champagne is opened, millions of bubbles explode and resound in the glass like waves crashing on the sand, creating unforgettable moments. Therefore, when thinking of champagne, people often think of solemn, memorable moments, of a romantic or splendid scene...
Because of these meanings, champagne is often used on important occasions such as birthdays, weddings, New Year or foreign receptions... Therefore, choosing and enjoying champagne always requires sophistication and delicacy in every detail so that the connoisseur can fully enjoy the deliciousness and meaning of the wine.
Most famous champagnes are produced and sold by champagne houses and each champagne house researches and develops its own style of champagne.
Here are some famous Champagne brands available in Vietnam. In turn, we tasted and evaluated Champagne products of 4 brands with importers and distributors in Vietnam:
1) Taittinger, has about 167 hectares of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier red grapes (of which Pinot Noir accounts for 60% and Pinot Meunier accounts for 40%), 103 hectares of Chardonnay white grapes. In addition, the company also buys grapes from other growers. Taittinger produces about 5,000,000 bottles of champagne annually.
The importer of Champagne Taittinger in Vietnam is the French Golden Wine Company (Les Celliers d'Asie) with a chain of Red Apron stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and several other major cities in Vietnam.
Taittinger champagnes, from low to high, include:
- Brut Reserve
- Brut Millésimé
- Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagnes
- Rosé Comtes de Champagnes
Wine to try: Taittinger Brut Réserve. Bright straw yellow color, smooth, long-lasting bubbles. Aroma of peach, white flowers, vanilla and burnt bread. Harmonious structure. Delicate aftertaste with fruit and honey aromas.
Address to buy Champagne Taittinger in Hanoi:
Red Apron, 15 A Ngo Van So, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi,
Red Apron, 28 and 91 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho, Hanoi,
Address to buy Champagne Taittinger in Ho Chi Minh City:
Red Apron, 20-22 Chu Manh Trinh, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC
Red Apron, 8A/5C1 Thai Van Lung, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC
2) Bollinger, has about 110 hectares of red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes with a ratio of 86% Pinot Noir and 14% Pinot Meunier, 40 hectares of white Chardonnay grapes and grapes purchased from other growers. Every year, Bollinger produces about 1,950,000 bottles of champagne.
The importer of Champagne Bollinger 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 low to high, include:
- Brut Special Cuvée
- Brut Grande Année
- Brut Rosé Grande Année
- Brut Récemment Dégorgé (RD)
Wine to try: Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée. Bright lemon yellow color. Aromas of fruit, lemon peel, vanilla. Harmonious, smooth structure. Long aftertaste with aromas of burnt bread, burnt almonds and minerals.
Address to buy Champagne Bollinger in Hanoi:
Bacchus Corner, 1C Ton Dan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Address to buy Champagne Bollinger in Ho Chi Minh City:
Bacchus Corner,
158 Pasteur, District 1, HCMC
3) Henriot, is a small but very prestigious producer, with about 25 hectares of vineyards and grapes purchased from other growers, producing about 1,000,000 bottles of Champagne annually.
The importer of Champagne Henriot in Vietnam is Dat Vang Company (Vinifera) with a chain of stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and several other major cities in Vietnam.
Henriot Champagnes, from low to high, include:
Brut Souverain
Brut Millésime
Brut Rosé
Enchanteur
Wine to try: Henriot Brut Rosé. Fresh salmon pink color. Smooth, lively bubbles. Fresh, aromatic flavors of strawberries, raspberries, and mandarin. Long, fruity, peppery, and mineral finish.
Address to buy Champagne Henriot in Hanoi:
29A Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem
Address to buy Champagne Henriot in Ho Chi Minh City:
15C7 Thi Sach, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
4) Roederer is a very prestigious high-end Champagne house, with 125 hectares of red grapes and 75 hectares of white grapes and grapes purchased from other growers, producing about 2,600,000 bottles of Champagne annually.
The importer of Champagne Roederer 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.
Roederer Champagnes, from low to high, include:
Roederer Brut Premier
Roederer Millésime (Blanc de Blancs)
Roederer Cristal (Millesine)
Roederer Cristal Rosé (Millésime)
Wine to try: Roederer Brut Premier: Complex wine from the blend of 3 grape varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Smooth bubbles. Full, round, fresh taste. Long aftertaste, both powerful, glossy and smooth.
Address to buy Champagne Roederer in Hanoi:
The Warehouse, 59 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Address to buy Champagne Roederer in Ho Chi Minh City:
The Warehouse, 178 Pasteur, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
After champagne, consumers cannot help but enjoy and buy as gifts high-class wines from France, Chile, Australia, and Italy. Regarding the imported wine market in Vietnam, Chile is ranked second with the proportion of imported wine in 2009 being 21.6%, just behind France (36.7%), before Australia (12.3%), the US (4.3%), Italy (4.1%), South Africa (1.6%), Argentina (1.3%)... If the number of bottles of French wine imported into Vietnam in 2009 was 7,648,509 bottles, the number of bottles of Chilean wine imported into Vietnam in 2009 was 4,511,138 bottles (source: WTO, ONU).
If French wine is the strength of some large wine cellars such as Les Celliers d'Asie, The WareHouse or Tan Khoa, Chilean wine is the strength of some importers specializing in Chilean wine and some shops and wine cellars that we visited and tasted the products:
1. Toviet's Wine Cellar, 36 Nguyen Truong To, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. This is a relatively small wine cellar in terms of area, but has a very rich wine list,
mainly Chilean and French wines. Here, consumers can easily find mid-high-end products from dozens of famous Chilean wine brands such as Casa del Bosque, Aresti, Tamaya, Tierra del Fuego, Wiliam Fevre, Santa Rita, Carmen, San Pedro, Neyen, Botalcura, Casa Patronales... Notably, all high-end Chilean products here are packaged in 6-bottle wooden crates, which is very convenient for transportation and gifting. In the evening, by candlelight, guests can enjoy wine and Cohiba cigars, combined with some light dishes from both Europe and Asia.
2. Daloc Wine Cellar, 94 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem, 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 Rhone Valley (France), Santa Carolina and Errazuriz-Chadwick from Chile, Ruffino from Italy, Peter Lehmann and Brown Brothers from Australia, DeLoach from the US...
SSP Joint Stock Company and its showroom at 34 Au Co, Tay Ho, Hanoi. The featured products here are wines from two brands, San Pedro and Anakena (Chile), as well as Château Hostens-Picant (France) with the bottle HP Lucullus 2005.
