Decanter luxe list: Summer

Spring always seems slow to start but summer approaches quickly bringing sunshine, outdoor dining and holidays aplenty.

Luckily, the summer season seems to be extending longer each year, giving us more time to soak up late sunsets and beachside bonfires sipping new releases and lauded vintages in some of the most stunning settings.

From Krug-fuelled pop-up dinner parties around the US to a brand-new Möet Hennessy four-floor cocktail experience in Paris, we’ve pulled together a list of haute happenings in the wine world sure to make this summer one of the best yet.

 Join Krug’s summer pop-up series around the US

Throughout the summer, Krug is paying tribute to an ingredient that highlights the notes found in a glass of Krug Grande Cuvée and Krug Rosé — lemon.

Taking its Single Ingredient culinary pop-up Krug x Lemon on the road, the first in a series of dinner experiences with Krug ambassador chefs popped up on the rooftop at The Ned NoMad in New York in June in honour of National Lemon Month, with citrus-infused recipes crafted by executive chef Brian VanderGast paired alongside Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition and Krug Rosé 27ème Édition.

Other restaurants on the roster to host dinners and pairings this summer: March in Houston; Elcielo in Washington; Roister in Chicago and TORC in Napa Valley.

Experience Moët Hennessy’s new bar, CRAVAN, in Paris’ stylish Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Moët Hennessy is known for celebrated spirits and wine, but now you can sip from the source itself in the newly opened CRAVAN, a first-of-its-kind concept.

Extending across four floors in a 17th-century building in the heart of literary hub Saint-Germain-des-Prés, choose from three cocktail bars (plus an invite-only atelier and kiosk on the rooftop, which will screen movies all summer) that take a cue from cocktail expert Franck Audoux, the author of French Moderne: Cocktails from the 1920s & 1930s.

From the candlelit, third-floor bar, order haute bottled cocktails like the Cherche-Midi, Cognac Hennessy VX and apple cordial, which you can sip in one of the small salons outfitted with a private fireplace, or go for one of the royals in the Grand Bar, like the Ruinart Brut-based Royal Basilic with basil flowers.

Cook with mega chef Francis Mallmann in Mendoza

Jet over to Mendoza with membership club The Vines, where you’ll sleep in the Uco Valley, encased by the Andes, at luxe wine destination hotel The Vines Resort & Spa.

Since you’ll be in the heart of wine country, you’ll not only have the chance to sip some of the best in the region, you’ll also be led through a blending class crafting your own personal Malbec with wine director Mariana Onofri, one of Argentina’s first certified sommeliers.

Throughout the five-day cooking summit, which takes place September 14-18, you’ll get a deep dive into Argentina’s lauded cuisine, perfecting everything from knife skills to empanadas.

The highlight will be an exclusive look at Francis Mallmann’s sacred seven fires techniques, grilling meat and vegetables alongside the superstar chef, which you’ll enjoy during a sit-down wine pairing dinner that evening.

Dine at Gérard Bertrand’s new, cosmic-inspired Moon Room in the Languedoc

One of France’s biodynamic pioneers has unveiled the Moon Room, a private dining experience revolving around the cosmos at Château l’Hospitalet Wine Resort Beach & Spa in Narbonne.

Designed as a multi-sensory experience, chef Laurent Chabert’s eight-course tasting menu themes dishes around the planets, with cuvées and rare vintages paired alongside music matched to specific frequencies.

Tucked behind a wooden sliding door in the winery’s signature L’Art de Vivre restaurant, the intimate dining space’s communal round table seats four to 12 guests, and menus start at €350 per person.

Whimsical plates include Mercury, with relaxing flute music played alongside a pairing of Crémant de Limoux and poached oyster with fennel purée and caviar.

Enjoy fine British bubbles in London with onefinestay at-home tastings and vineyard tours

Luxury home rental company onefinestay has partnered with boutique English winery Gusbourne Estate to offer guests staying in London properties like the four-floor, old Victorian Elgin Crescent VIII in Notting Hill curated wine-tasting experiences.

Sample the newly launched English Rosé 2022 before taking a helicopter out to the countryside to sip wine in the source with a vineyard visit and private lunch on the estate.

Live out your James Bond fantasies on a private helicopter ride to Bollinger in Champagne

Curated with the help of 007 insiders, experts and production crew, Black Tomato has partnered with EON Productions — which produced some of the most successful Bond films — to launch a series of James Bond-themed tours in Europe, from visits to members-only gambling club Les Ambassadeurs in London to a trip to the Bollinger estate, the British secret agent’s favorite Champagne house — typically an invitation-only affair.

Fly by private helicopter from Paris to Aÿ in Champagne, where you’ll cruise the vines via Land Rover before descending under the estate into the legendary wine cellars, including the 3,000-magnum La Réserve, where vintages date back to Bollinger’s first, 1830.

To cap off the full Bond experience, you’ll have the chance to sample some of the vintages highlighted in the films over the years, including La Grande Année, sipped in Die Another Day and GoldenEye.

Sleep in a 19th-century inn in Puligny-Montrachet in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or

Looking out at a village square near Burgundy’s iconic Le Montrachet vineyard, family-owned COMO Hotels and Resorts — located everywhere from Bhutan’s remote Himalayan valleys to a private island in Turks & Caicos — opened its first property in France this June.

Housed in a 19th-century ‘place du village’ inn, COMO Le Montrachet’s 30 rooms and suites are swathed in French country-chic fabrics and show off views of the square or legendary vines.

Signature eatery Le Montrachet serves up traditional French fare that shifts with the local harvest, and menus are paired with sommeliers’ recommendations from the cellar, which is curated with some of the best bottles from Burgundy.

Take advantage of the location with a chef-led tour of the market in Beaune followed by a cooking class, or take an e-bike tour of Burgundy’s vineyards wrapping up the day in the best possible way—with a tasting at a winery.

Sip Château d’Esclans rosé at winemaker dinners and beachside bonfires in the Hamptons

This summer, Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa in the Hamptons will host a trio of winemaker dinners paired alongside wine from Provence’s Château d’Esclans, the birthplace of Whispering Angel and Rock Angel.

Executive chef Christopher Watts will craft five, farm-fresh, seasonally-driven courses designed to pair with the iconic rosés, and the evening will end in true South of France style with a beachside bonfire. Upcoming dinners will take place July 21 and Sept. 1; $275 per person (tickets here).

Drink Ruinart’s recent release, Blanc Singulier — the first new cuvée in 20 years

Ruinart may be the oldest Champagne house, but the master of blanc de blancs isn’t afraid of incorporating its savoir-faire to craft a product designed for the future.

Dubbed a ‘nature-led cuvée,’ the newly launched Blanc Singulier is the maison’s first new product in two decades and is intended to show how the region can adapt Champagne-making to work with the changing climate instead of fighting against it.

Over the past few years, the Ruinart winemaking team noticed the base wines gaining a stronger maturity and aromatic profile, so they wanted to highlight this expression of Chardonnay through a fresh brut nature blanc de blancs.

‘Ruinart Blanc Singulier was created to reflect the consequences of climate change on Champagne vineyards, particularly in warm and early-ripening vintages,’ explains Ruinart’s chef de cave Frédéric Panaïotis. ‘This new cuvée raises awareness of the importance of sustainability practices across the region, as we (the producers) are affected by today’s ever-changing climate.’

Each release will express the climate of that year, starting with Edition 18, which reflects the warm season and early harvest through a mix of fruity and floral notes like white peach, mango, honeysuckle, and lily blossom.

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