Blanquette de Limoux, world’s first sparkling wine

Date:   September 27, 2010

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Blanquette de Limoux

Sparkling wine was discovered by Benedictine monks at Sainte Hilaire abbey 14km northeast of Limoux and today the hills surrounding Limoux are filled with vines growing the Mauzac grape. Not as popular as it’s more famous rival Champagne, the Blanquette de Limoux will always be the world’s first sparkling wine and provides a lively, refreshing alternative at an excellent price.

The Limoux appellation area is situated to the west of Corbieres and the south of La Malpère, crossed from north to south by the Aude river and cut through by a network of streams. Perpendicular to the Aude, it divides into two very distinct zones; in the north a gently rolling landscape with no hills higher than 400 metres (1,312 feet); to the south, steeper more rugged terrain.

Blanquette Methode Ancentral is made entirely from Mauzac grapes; Blanquette wines made by the Methode Traditionalle are a blend of Mauzac with Chenin and Chardonnay. Local wine growers maintain that the monks of the Abbey of Saint Hilaire ‘invented’ effervescence’ long before Dom Perignon in Champagne

Limoux AOC

As well as the sparkling version there is a Limoux appellation controlle which is a white wine made from Chardonnay, Chenin and Mauzac grape varieties, often with a woody flavour.

The Limoux viticultural area extends along the Aude river from Campagne-sur-Aude and Esperaza as far as Pomas to the north east of Limoux. The appellation comprises 41 communes nestling in the foothills of the Pyrenees, enclosed by the Monts des Corbieres and opening onto the Carcassonne region to the North.

The appellation produces dry whites that must be vinified and matured in oak barrels until the first day of May following the vintage – hence the woody flavour.

SOURCE:      http://www.epyrenees.com/guide/wine-limoux.php

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

Buy wine in Cebu, Philippines at good wine shops and boutique wine stores that offer good selection of good vintage wines at all price points. Wine lovers in Philippines can find good red wines in wine shops in Manila and Pampanga. Among the good selections of French red wines from Bordeaux are Chateau Gloria, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Ausone, Chateau le Pin, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Pontet Canet, Chateau Carruades de Lafite, Chateau les Forts de Latour, Chateau Pichon Lalande. This makes it easy and convenient for wine lovers to buy wine in Manila. Manila wine and food lovers looking for things to do in Pampanga and Manila can consider attending one of these wine events. The best way to learn more about wine in the Philippines is to attend public wine tasting events that have no sponsors.

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