Select a region
The Atlantic Hotel’s Head Sommelier, Richard Burton, recently completed the prestigious ‘Académie du Champagne’ course in France.
The week-long course, which this year was hosted by Pol Roger, comprised a mixture of lectures, tastings and lunches and covered many different aspects of the champagne trade, including history, geography, grape varieties, the cycle of the vine and racking.
The Champagne Academy was created in 1956 by twelve ‘Grandes Marques’ houses, with the aim of educating young members of the British and Irish Republic’s Wine and Spirits Trade about the merits of Grandes Marques Champagne. Each year, sixteen carefully selected students are invited to The Champagne Academy, of which there are only 600 members in the UK. Candidates are confidentially nominated by representatives of each of the Grandes Marques houses.
Mr Burton, a Certified Court Master Sommelier with 10 years’ experience, joined The Atlantic Hotel in 2014. He said: ‘The Champagne Academy course is one of the oldest and most respected courses in the wine trade, so it was an absolute honour to receive an invitation. It was a very special week with many highlights, particularly the evening at Krug Clos De Mesnil and the lunch at Louis Roederer.
‘Attending the course was such a valuable experience; we really delved into the science and processes required to produce world-class champagnes. I would like to add more champagne varieties to The Atlantic Hotel’s wine list as a result, and I look forward to sharing my specialist knowledge with colleagues and guests.’
The Champagne Academy comprises 16 Grandes Marques: Bollinger, Charles Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Krug, Lanson, Laurent Perrier, Moet & Chandon, Heidsieck & C Monopole, Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Ruinart and Taittinger.
Mr Burton will be pairing wines and Champagnes for the prestigious Eat Jersey Food Festival which returns for a second year in the autumn.
