Nocturne: The Party Champagne

I’m not one for flowers, chocolates, or diamonds, but Champagne I can rarely say no to. Okay, make that never. So despite being slightly under the weather, I headed to the JW Marriott Aerocity in New Delhi for an evening with Taittinger a few days ago.

The famed Champagne house is one of the handful that is still family-owned and is among the most prestigious which is why I was that much more excited to meet Nicolas Delion, Export Manager Asia-Pacific at the event. Delion guided guests through a tasting of three Taittinger Champagnes. Beginning with the fresh and vibrant Brut (Rs 5,800), we moved on to the crisp Prestige Rosé Brut (Rs 6,900), and finally ended the night on a sweet (even if ever-so-slightly) note with their latest ‘sec’ Nocturne.

Champagne Taittinger Nocturne

The event also heralded the launch of Taittinger Nocturne in India. The latest Champagne from Taittinger, the Nocturne was released internationally just a couple of months ago and is aimed at being the ‘party Champagne’. It is a blend of Chardonnay (40%) and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%) grapes from about 30 different vineyards. This multi-vintage (over many years) wine is then left to age for four years.

In the style of Sec (off-dry), Nocturne has about 17.5 gms of sugar/ litre which makes it a tad sweet, yet crisp enough for it to go down smooth and pleasant. Since this is the first year of production there are limited bottles and only a few have made it to India via Prestige Wines. Perhaps it will make it to Mumbai and other cities next year. For now Delhi is the lucky one, where it is priced at Rs 7,500MRP.

For frequent wine-drinkers Nocturne might only figure as a Champagne to accompany dessert, but for those who aren’t, it’s the perfect place to start. Either way, it is not really a Champagne you’ll miss or confuse easily thanks to its rather unusual packaging.

Shiny disco Champagne anyone?