The BWC journal · From the event
Six bottles, five countries—and a few surprised palates
A Russian surprise, sparkling Albariño and a vineyard duck patrol: revisit BWC’s sparkling masterclass, with photos and an educational recap for attendees.
Six bottles, five countries, and no label to hide behind. On 11 October, BWC gathered at VNTG Wine & Cheese Bar Dubai with Alex Kovalov to explore sparkling wine beyond Champagne. We knew the candidates—but which wine was in each glass?
The pleasure of being surprised. Fresh, saline Albariño met creamy Blanc de Blanc and expressive rosés. Russia’s Temelion 2016 drew enthusiastic responses, reminding us how easily an unfamiliar origin can become a favourite discovery. Along the way, we explored how base wine, lees ageing and dosage shape the character behind the fizz.
A vineyard story with feathers. Avondale sends Pekin ducks through its vines to eat snails. The ducks do the vineyard rounds; we do the tasting rounds. Browse the gallery for a taste of the morning. Attendees can continue into the full recap for the winemaking lesson, comparisons and a few questions to bring to their next tasting.
On the table
The line-up, bottle by bottle
Browse the bottles now; the tasting notes are still yours to write.
Avondale
2017SparklingChardonnay
Paarl · South Africa
Meet this wine
- Grape composition
- Chardonnay 100%
- Region
- Western Cape
- Subregion
- Coastal Region
- Vineyard / site
- Avondale estate, Klein Drakenstein slopes
- Colour
- White
- Wine subtype
- Traditional method
- Residual sugar
- Brut
- Bottle
- 750 ml
Mar de Frades
NVSparklingAlbariño
Rías Baixas · Spain
Meet this wine
- Grape composition
- Albariño 100%
- Region
- Galicia
- Subregion
- Val do Salnés
- Extra
- DO
- Colour
- White
- Wine subtype
- Traditional method
- Residual sugar
- Brut Nature
- Bottle
- 750 ml
For those who were there
There’s more to this story
The rest of this report is available to members who checked in at this event.
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