Fizz on the rocks: Pimping a classic drink(2)
But it's not a trend which satisfies everyone's palette. Alun Griffiths, buying director at wine suppliers Berry Brothers and Rudd, believes it is simply a copycat piece of marketing, which attempts to tap into the same consumer mindset. "It's a bit of a gimmick, for people in bars and in clubs. It's the same as cider over ice, it looks good, like a long drink over ice," he says. "As a purist it takes a huge amount of care and effort to make a great champagne, so if you're making it more condensed then you're interfering with the process."
The introduction of ice cubes and bigger glasses is not the only emerging trend, though. Galoupet restaurant, which opened last week in London, is home to what it claims is the capital's first 'enomatic' champagne machine, which gives customers the chance to try some vintage, normally only available by the (very expensive) bottle, by the glass. But with a glass of Krug Grand Cuvée Brut costing £35 and Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1996 costing £50 a glass, it remains a luxury.
Pol Roger has found success with the introduction of PURE (from around £36 per bottle), which is a low calorie champagne with no added sugar. Similarly, Laurent-Perrier has just launched its Ultra Brut (from around £45.99 per bottle), a super-dry champagne with no added sugar.
Meanwhile, Searcy's new Champagne Bar in One New Change near St Paul's, has introduced another trend that's popular on the continent - champagne decanting. Used mainly for older, bigger bodied vintages, it is designed to open up the drink's flavours. But being in a decanter also adds both a ritual and theatrical element to the drink. Important, as a number of those having their champagne decanted are business customers trying to impress clients.
If these innovations fail to impress the fizz fans among you, fear not. With the economic outlook as yet still a far from certain, it looks likely that producers will continue to pull out all the stops – as well as the corks – in a bid to try to get us to open our wallets, as well as our mouths.
