With a mean annual temperature of only 50 degrees and the least amount of sunshine of any vineyard area in France, the appellation known as Champagne is a difficult place to grow grapes. Sitting on the 49th parallel, it is actually over 1,000 miles further north than our Island. Despite this, the first vines were planted by the ancient Romans; pinot noir and pinot meunier dominate at 75 per cent, with the rest being chardonnay.

The very cool temperatures result in high levels of acidity that would not suit regular table wine, but it is quite perfect for those with a sparkle. A few hundred years ago, the folks in Champagne were pretty jealous of Burgundy to their south, as their pinot noir and chardonnay were in such demand, but a fortunate thing happened.

Because of very cool temperatures the fermentation process would sometimes stop and in the spring it would start again in the bottles and many would explode in their cellars. Once they learnt how to make stronger bottles, their wines — with up to 45,000,000 bubbles in each one — became the symbol for luxury and special occasions. With pressures up to three times of those in our car tyres, recycled glass cannot be used as it does not have the required tensile strength.

Champagne should be served cooler than still whites; 43F to 45F is ideal. I also stay away from tall, thin flutes and much prefer a standard white wine glass, as many champagne houses now recommend.

There are about 250 “champagne houses” and hundreds of small producers and I could say that our Nicolas Feuillatte is third overall in size, Laurent Perrier fifth and Piper Heidsieck sixth. The truth is that two producers that are both owned by the same large corporate empire absolutely dominate the market with 60 per cent plus, in the USA and they are very strong worldwide. It all makes for a very interesting segment of the wine trade.

The absolutely stunning Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades package consists of a gold bottle with hand-attached pewter labels and the bottle rests in an equally impressive wooden gift box. For $320 you can enjoy an extremely highly rated bottle of bubbly.

Next down on our price scale is the Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Brut, at $179.85. Wine Enthusiast magazine picked it as their Cellar Selection and rated it 97/100. It has a heady bouquet of minerals, lemon, anise, dried pears, marzipan and a satin-rich texture with a smoke-tinged finish. It is always a blend of a few top years and I suspect that some are at least ten or even older.

Our world’s most asked for rosé champagne happens to be the 100 per cent pinot noir offering from Laurent Perrier. Many of today’s rosé is made by adding a little still, red pinot noir wine until the desired colour is reached, but LP used the far more difficult (and historic) saignée method of leaving the fermenting must (juice) in contact with the skins until the desired hue is achieved. I happen to absolutely love this wine that was awarded 96/100 by Connoisseurs’ Guide. I can virtually guarantee that you will as well and for $96.85 you can have a bottle in a fine gift box.

If you are a person that really appreciates the finest quality non-vintage champagne then the relatively small, family-owned Billecart-Salmon is a must. James Suckling, who writes of “wonderful aromas of light dough, fresh flowers, sliced pears and peaches, agile and fresh” gives it a 93/100. All champagne is good, this one just happens to be one of the “goodest”. $55.95. Their rosé, at $89.55, unleashes beautiful wild strawberries and the aroma of fresh bread which is the yeastiness that I so enjoy in this category of wine.

If it is not too much of an oxymoron to talk of budget-priced champagne we do have Cattier Brut Icone non-vintage for $32. This blend of 50 per cent pinot meunier, 30 per cent pinot noir and 20 per cent chardonnay, is straw gold with a fine, persistent mousse.

It is bready and yeasty with notes of tangy apples, lemon sherbet and elderflower. This firm actually produces a very fine range and it shows in their budget-priced offering.

I once met Noel Coward when he lived here. He supposedly asked, “Why do I drink Champagne for breakfast? Doesn’t everyone?” Another early tourist, Mark Twain, commented: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.” And of course that visitor in the 1950s, Sir Winston Churchill, has been often quoted: Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s champagne!”

He’s also known for saying: “In success you deserve it and in defeat you need it.”

Let us all have a great 2016 and thank you very much for enjoying our wines in 2015.

• This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits is available online at www.wineonline.bm.