Champagne decanting: the next big thing?

Searcys will promote the practice of decanting Champagne when it opens its new bar at One New Change in London’s City district next month.

Although rarely seen in the UK, even in top restaurants, decanting Champagne is becoming far more widespread in Paris.

Billecart in particular is reported to be supporting this approach, with 70 of its restaurant accounts said to have adopted the practice, including a number of brasseries.

It was this Parisian trend which inspired Searcys to carry out its own experiments.

Michelle Cartwright, Champagne bar concept development manager for Searcys, explained: “What we discovered was that certain Champagnes, especially Pinot Noir-dominated styles, showed more pronounced aromas.”

Research unveiled further stylistic considerations, as Cartwright outlined: “It needs to be high pressure Champagne, not cremant or anything too old.

"The Champagne tends to lose 10-15% of its fizziness, but decanting often takes away some of the sharpness and helps the creamy character come through.”

One major hindrance to this trend is the strongly branded, image conscious aspect for many people who order Champagne. Given the anonymity created by a decanter, Cartwright agreed that this approach “will only work with the softer brands we sell,” citing Paillard and André Jacquart as particularly suitable candidates.

She also expects location to prove a key factor to the success of decanting, explaining: “I don’t think it would work at Westfield where it’s all about ‘look what I’m drinking’, but at St Pancras and in the City when we open there you get real connoisseurs.”

Despite the branding issue, Cartwright emphasised the aesthetic benefits of decanting, saying: “Visually it’s very beautiful and adds a lot of theatre.”

She also raised the option of adopting an approach common in Rome, where sommeliers often leave a little wine behind in the bottle, placing this on the table as well as the decanter.

Due to open at the end of March, Searcys One New Change will mark the group’s first City venture, although a second is already in the pipeline as part of six London openings planned for this year.

Gabriel Savage, 22.02.2011