Bottle Of The Week

The aromas wafting up from Champagne Pierlot Fils Grande Reserve Brut NV, right, (Bubble Brothers, details above, £18 if you buy six bottles)reminded me of walking into a French patisserie. Brioche, apples and apricots, a dab of honey . . . It's so perfectly attuned to brunch fare that all you really need on the side is a big, warm pile of buttery croissants. And, unlike many of the less expensive champagnes on the Irish market, this one tastes better, not bitterer, the more of it you drink. I'm not surprised it's already been adopted by restaurants such as Ballymaloe House, Isaac's and Lovetts in Cork as well as the Corkscrew Wine Bar in Blackrock.