The Wines

1. Raventós i Blanc, De Nit Rosé

48% Xarel.lo, 15% Macabeo, 32% Parellada & 5% Monastrell

The white varieties for De Nit are from the La Barbera, La Plana and El Viader estate plots with deep calcareous soils with a sand-rich loamy texture giving freshness and elegance. The Monastrell, providing color (without sacrificing freshness) is from the lower terraces of the El Serral hillside. Made in the traditional method. Vinification in stainless steel tanks followed by blending and secondary fermentation in the bottle, aged for a minimum of 18 months. A pale, subdued and elegant pink color with clean, pure and almost crystalline aromas of light citrus, red flowers, white fruit, and a touch of cassis. The clean nose evolves with a smooth, voluminous and fruity texture, pleasant freshness and fine bubbles. Driven by a very good balance, with low dosage (Extra Brut)

2. Lilbert-Fils, Blanc de Blanc

Lilbert owns 3.5 hectare of vines- all Grand Cru, and all Chardonnay, with an average vine age of 45 years- in the Côte des Blancs. 60% of their vines are in Cramant, 30% in Chouilly and 10% in Oiry. These are three of the six Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs. It is rare that any one house owns exclusively Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs; Bertrand calls himself "very lucky" to be able to make wines from such prestigious vineyards.The NV represents 80% of the production and is aged in the cellar for two years. Dosage is normally around 7g/L, since Bertrand is going for acidity in his wines and not ripeness. (He does not perform batonnage because it makes the wines too heavy.) The winery is tiny and the latest investment is a 4,000kg pneumatic press and a disgorgement machine. Each bottle is still riddled by hand. The end result is a true connoisseurs champagne. 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from Oiry, Chouilly, and Cramant in the Côte des Blancs.

3. Francis Boulard, Les Murgiers

65% Pinot Meunier/25% Pinot Noir/10% Chardonnay. Les Murgiers is the beginning of the Boulard range. Though the tiny home estate of Boulard lies in the far north of the Montagne de Reims in the Massif de Saint-Thierry.The fruit for Les Murgiers comes from a cluster of three villages--Cuchery, La Neuville-aux-Larris, Paradis--on the Right Bank, or north, of the Marne River, west of Cumière, in a small valley carved out by a stream called Belval which flows south into the Marne.

Meunier thrives in the clay-rich sandy soils of this zone of Champagne and is currently about 2/3 of the Murgiers blend (moving eventually toward being 100% Meunier), completed with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As for all Boulard wines, the grapes are harvested by hand and pressed gently; only first-press juice (la cuvée) is used. It is fermented spontaneously in well-used, neutral oak vessels to smaller Burgundy and Champagne barrels. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and remains on its lees with regular stirring (bâtonnage) but only on fruit and flower days per the lunar calendar; it is bottled without fining and with a minimal amount of sulfur. The wine was disgorged by hand in January 2017 and finished with a 5-gram/liter dosage. Les Murgiers is always bottled in both no-dosage Brut Nature and Extra Brut versions.

4. A. Margaine, Le Demi-Sec

The Champagne Le Demi-Sec by A. Margaine is a cuvée made up of 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir, of which 52% are reserve wines dating back to 2006. The vineyards are located in Villers-Marmery in Montagne de Reims, and classified as Premier Cru. For this Champagne, partial malolactic fermentation is carried out and the wine is aged for 18 months in stainless steel tanks. The dosage is just over 30 g/l -  making it a Demi Sec. 

The Champagne Le Demi-Sec by A. Margaine has similarities to the nose with their Brut, where fruity hints of apple stand out. In the mouth it is pleasant and creamy, with a natural sweetness that does not predominate. It goes particularly well with aperitifs and cake and cream.

The Menu

Summer Corn Elote with Caviar

Paired with Raventos i Blanc de Nit Rosé

Fresh Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Herbs and Feta

Paired with Lilbert-Fils Blanc de Blanc

Brooklyn Hot Dog Co. Cheesy Dog + Sweet Butter Crab Roll with House-made Chips and Slaw

Paired with Francis Boulard “Les Murgiers”

Summer Strawberry Trifle

Paired with A. Margaine Le Demi Sec

Our host, Chef-turned-sommelier Sandia Chang is from California. She moved to train at the internationally acclaimed Culinary Institute of America in New York, working stints at René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen and Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York (where she met her husband, James Knappett) before moving to London in 2010.

Before founding Bubbledogs, and later Kitchen Table, Chang was assistant manager and wine buyer at Simon Rogan’s first Roganic iteration, and assistant manager at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley.
Experience at some of the world’s most respected restaurants led her to found Bubbledogs in 2012 with Knappett. Based at 70 Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, Chang took on the role of general manager and sommelier, while Knappett manages proceedings behind the pass.

Once unlikely bedfellows, Bubbledogs’ formula of grower Champagne and gourmet hot dogs made it an instant hit. So much so that the couple’s fine-dining concept, Kitchen Table, opened in a private dining room at the back of the restaurant shortly after, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2014. It has just picked up a second star in the 2019 edition of the Guide, which Chang described as “a bit surreal”. The 19-seat venue, set around a stainless-steel bar, features a 12- to 14-course tasting menu that changes daily.

It is Chang’s work behind the scenes, however, that is less known. Making a point of knowing each of her suppliers personally, she makes regular visits to small-scale producers in Champagne, constantly on the lookout for wines to list.

Her charm and warmth has seen her become a regular wine presenter on the long-running BBC series Saturday Kitchen, during which she selects the best-value supermarket wines to pair with dishes cooked by top chefs live on air.

In recognition of her work, she was awarded ‘best front of house’ at the GQ Food and Drink Awards, while she and Knappett also picked up the ‘welcome and service award’ from Michelin.