On the grapevine

Russian bare-faced: The producers of Champagne have spent decades and millions of euros protecting their name. There was a perfume, a perry, even a wine writer who dared to affix the word Champagne to their product. Each one was sued so they backed down and removed the offending word. It means that Champagne has been recognised as a unique sparkling wine from the region of Champagne in France. Until now.

The Russians have decided that they want to use the word Champagne on their sparkling wines, and only on their wines. This means that if Champagne producers want to sell their products in Russia, they will have to remove the word Champagne from their labels.

Garage gin goes Global: Congratulations to Yorkshire gin producers Ben Peel and Emelie Nilsson whose product John Robert’s Botanic Request has won a Silver medal in the 2021 Global Gin Masters Competition. This competition is organised by The Spirits Business publication and is a blind tasting by independent judges. For a gin that is currently being made in a garage in Pudsey, this is an amazing achievement but hardly surprising. Gin-maker Ben Peel trained at Sipsmith Gin, and he has now developed his own method and style. Botanic Request is available in many bars around Leeds and at Latitude Wines in The Calls (£29.99).

Tuscan sunshine: Head to Bon Coeur Fine Wines in Melsonby (01325 776446), which has just received a shipment of Col di Sasso 2019 (£11.99) from Castello Banfi in Tuscany, inset. The name on the bottle means “stony hill” and it is the combination of altitude, soil and grape varieties Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon that makes this wine so good. Full of red and black cherry fruit with a base line of blackcurrant, it is elegant enough to team with a Sunday roast leg of lamb.