Mumm delivers a new world of flavours

You need to make sure you are buying the right Mumm when you step into your local bottle shop.

G. H. Mumm & Cie is a Champagne House that was founded in 1827 in Reims.

Famous for its Cordon Rouge label, Mumm is one of the largest Champagne houses and is owned by Pernod Ricard.

 
The Mumm brand has expanded over the years, however, with iterations from California, Tasmania in Australia and New Zealand - with wines from both Marlborough and Central Otago.

Australian wine drinkers can now sample sparkling wines from all four countries with the arrival of Mumm Napa Prestige Cuvée under Mumm Terroirs collection label.

Mumm Napa Prestige Cuvée is crafted from a blend of 49% pinot noir, 46% chardonnay, and small amounts of pinot gris and pinot meunier by head winemaker Tami Lotz.

All the fruit comes from the Napa Valley, about 80km north of San Francisco: a region renowned for its diverse soils and microclimates.

Kristy Rutherford, marketing director for Pernod Ricard Australia, said: “We’ve seen the remarkable growth of super premium sparklings from the new world in the last few years.

"Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige reached shelves in 2020, followed by the popular launch of Mumm Tasmania in 2022, and more recently the expansion into Central Otago with the Mumm Central Otago Blanc de Noirs and Mumm Central Otago Pinot Noir."

I thought the Napa Valley sparkling was well made with definite brioche-like intensity on the palate. It is very food friendly.

“The US has been in love with Mumm Napa sparklings for 40 years now, and we are thrilled to welcome Mumm Napa Prestige Cuvée to the Terroirs collection in time for the Australian summer season,” Rutherford said.

It would be a great choice for a wine options game but at $45 I think a lot of Australians will prefer the more elegant Tasmanian option.

Mumm Napa Prestige Cuvée is available now at Vintage Cellars, Liquorland, First Choice and independent liquor stores nationally.

Napa Valley wine legend dies at 95

Warren Winiarski, one of the key figures in developing the Napa Valley wine industry, has died at the age 95.

Winiarski founded industry leader Stag's Leap Wine Cellars but was also a key figure in the wine business community in the region, Wine Spectator reported.

Winiarski, who also owned Arcadia Cellars, was born in 1928 in Chicago, and was an academic track before he spent time studying in Italy and was inspired to enter the wine industry.

He was the first head winemaker for Robert Mondavi's eponymous winery in 1966 when Michael Mondavi was doing military service. 

Winiarski purchased a fruit orchard and ranch in the Napa Valley in 1970 and began planting cabernet sauvignon and merlot. He made wine from those plantings, along with some existing petite sirah (durif), and released the first Stag's Leap Wine Cellars label wine in 1972.

Stag's Leap was quickly recognised among the upper echelons of California wines, winning the historic Judgment of Paris blind tasting in 1976 with his 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. That tasting saw top wines from France and California compared against each other. 

In 2012, a bottle of that wine was received into the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. permanent museum collection. 

In 2007, after 37 years in charge, Winiarski went into partnership with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori, but remained involved.

Winiarski oversaw the Winiarski Family Foundation, which supports educational and charitable causes.

Water and wine a winning combo for Six Senses

Leading wellness travel operator Six Senses has announced it is to make its debut in California's wine and weed capital: the Napa Valley.

Six Senses is to transform the Aetna Springs resort facility in Napa County, home of some of the most sought-after cabernets in the world.

The mineral springs resort was founded in the late 1800s but has fallen into disrepair.

It had thrived until the 1970s as a natural spa destination, with Aetna Mineral Water also sold.

“Six Senses Napa Valley will marry the region’s beauty with the unique natural resources of the original Aetna Springs,” said Six Senses CEO Neil Jacobs in a press release.

“Working with Weller Development Partners, Pegasus Capital Advisors, and committed sustainability partners, we have the right energy in place to revitalize this precious jewel in the Napa crown as a destination to rewild our guests back to a connection with nature, each other, and ultimately themselves.”

I'm not sure what rewild means, but I'm sure you get the message.

The revamped resort is a two-hour drive from San Francisco and Six Senses says existing structures will be sensitively preserved, and the landscape regenerated.

There will be a choice of 95 rooms and suites, including 10 tent-style structures. There will also be 16 residences, which will be serviced by Six Senses and, alongside all the resort amenities, enjoy access to a dedicated lounge.



Programs will include yoga, meditation, mindfulness, visiting practitioners, and various treatments and therapies.

The historic mineral springs will be revived with indoor and outdoor thermal experiences and bathing.

So like Evian, but surrounded by vines.

There will be four food and beverage outlets and Well will entice guests to an informal al fresco space to celebrate the history of Aetna Springs with mineral water bottling and distilling. To dilute all that water will be the region's best wines, including Napa’s famed cabernets.

Six Senses operates 20 hotels and resorts in 17 countries and has signed a further 34 properties into its development pipeline.