My love of fizz by Fran Eccles-Bech of the Manchester Law Society
When I was asked by Michael Taylor to be ‘wine reviewer of the month’ a few things crossed my mind. Firstly this is REALLY grown up – is this a career high? Should I put it on my LinkedIn profile? At last – something to make my dad proud!
He’s waited long enough – since I got my cycling proficiency badge and my Pathfinder Badge in the girl guides actually!
I must also admit that I was a bit concerned. What can I bring to the party? (apart from wine, obvs!) Those of you who know me well are aware that anything ‘bubbly’ is my tipple and I’m not really a wine connoisseur. I recently had my 60th birthday and a testament to my ‘fizz fetish’ was the sheer amount of champagne and prosecco that I was gifted – all pink of course!
I have always loved bubbles and I blame my parents. When I was little my mum and dad would have bubbles (probably Asti Spumante back in the day) when it was a VERY special occasion, and, we were actually allowed to have a thimble full. The excitement, the celebration, the uniqueness of being allowed a drink has stayed with me and I still always feel like this when I‘m having a glass of bubbles now.
M&S, apparently, sell 5.4 million bottles of bubbles each year, a lot of it to me in the form of their Millesimato Prosecco Rose. It’s a bit more expensive than other supermarket prosecco but it really is, for me, the best one I have tasted (and I have tasted a few!) It’s lightly fruity and a tiny bit tart, very smooth and not too sweet and extremely drinkable at the weekend. (Not on a ‘school night’ – I can’t recover like I used to!).
My very favourite tipple though is Laurent Perrier Rose – and Max (my 3 ½ year old cockapoo) bought me a bottle for my 60th – he is SO well trained!
Barbara Woodhouse eat your heart out. For me it’s a special occasion tipple and my undisputed star of the pink fizz market. I really can’t afford to drink it regularly, but having a glass (or three) of LPR heightens my excitement and the uniqueness of the celebration, when I do have it.
I love the iconic dumpy bottle with its pink label and it jumps out at me from the shelves! It’s like drinking a lightly bubbled basket of berries – raspberries, strawberries and cherries and is a lovely elegant colour, with small bubbles that seem to dance out of the glass onto my tongue! It’s fresh and lively and I LOVE IT!
As the Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon himself said, or so legend has it, when he accidently invented champagne, and I couldn’t agree more, ‘I’m drinking the stars!’
