Which is the best champagne guide book ?
Whether you are a champagne specialist or a simple bubble lover on special occasions, you have already had to consult a guide to make the right choice when you buy champagne.
They are a guarantee of neutrality and authority when you have to choose or taste some champagnes. However, there are many guides. We present here a small selection that will be able to guide you in your choices.
As champagne is a wine, it is present in all guides dedicated to wines. There are, however, guide book only dedicated to champagne. Read this article to discover a quick look of these bubbles bibles …
The wine and champagne guides
The Hachette Guide: more than 11000 champagnes tasted
More than 11 000 champagnes are tasted and noted by this guide which is a reference of the sector. A quarter of this champagne is subsequently selected by the guide. The wines and champagnes are then rated from 0 to 3 stars. These notes come from the experience of tasters (winemakers, oenologists, wine merchants). Only a small part of this thousand champagne will become a favorite of the book (660) and will win the 3 stars (337).
The champagnes that have the honor of having these 3 stars have their title in red (on the 2019 edition). They are easily recognizable when you flip through the famous guide.
You will pay thirty euros for this guide of 1280 pages and whose 2020 edition is available since September 4, 2019.
The Bettane and Desseauve Guide: 1500 champagnes listed
This Guide is named like this because of its two creators, Michel Bettane (famous wine critic) and Thierry Desseauve (the Revue des Vins de France’s editor during 15 years). He admits willingly that he could not live without champagne. The two friends accompanied by their team of experts offer us since 2005 a complete guide.
He presents several charts (the best quality-price ratio, the wines to preserve, best domain …) allowing the consumer to make a fast reading of the work.
The Bettane and Desseauve guide also offers a digital version. It lists more than 120,000 wines and 8,000 producers. It’s called GRAND TASTING and is available on App Store and Android.
If you want to acquire the 2020 edition in paper format, its costs 25 euros for this 960 pages guide
The “Guide des meilleurs vins de France”
The Guide of the best wines of France, also called the green guide (due to the color of its cover), is a reference. In this guide, independent experts grade the wines.
On this 2020 edition, organic wines and champagnes are in the spotlight.
This year, we can notice that, 3 champagne houses have progressed and now have a star on the guide. The first on is the Laherte Frères house of champagne. According to the green guide testers “the wines presented this year delight us“. The second house to be detached is the Alfred Gratien House of champagne, founded in 1864 in Epernay, which “wins a deserved star”. Finally, the Pierre Gimonnet and Sons house of champagne, whose “consistency and regularity of the range leads us to award the first star to this family estate” marks a good progression.
Beyond the palmares that is proposed by the guide, all the information is gathered to make easier the consumption experience with for exemple: practical informations, indicative champagne prices, and even a selection of good addresses close to the vineyards. The 2020 edition is available at a price of 28 euros and has 800 pages.
Champagne guide books
The Gault et Millau guide: 1760 champagnes are selected
This guide, only dedicated to champagne, lists and tests 400 Champagne Houses and therefore 1,760 champagnes. Their beverages are tasted regardless of the size or reputation of the house. Thus, from the independent winemaker to the big houses, all champagnes are tested.
We particularly appreciate the recommendations of food and champagne pairings. What extend the experience of tasting his champagne …
This guide is usually published during the month of December. It will therefore wait a little for the 2020 edition. An application is also available but only on Iphone. As an indication, the 2019 edition of 552 pages is priced at 19 euros.
The Veron Guide
This guide has a concept that is very specific . In fact, here champagnes are not noted. Thus, only 70 champagnes are selected in the 2020 edition. The latter will be available in October 2019 at a price of 30 euros. Created in 2010 by Michel Veron, oenologist and oenology professor at the Champagne wine school since 1991, this guide is born from his passion for champagne.
In this autumn 2019, you are ready to choose your champagne with these guides, from the most famous to the most confidential and specialized. And if you ever needed advice to choose your champagne, we are of course available on this blog and our website specialized in champagne since 2004. We will guide you with pleasure 🙂