For some of us travelling is just in our blood. We get itchy feet, and every so often we have to get up and go and explore somewhere new. But just because you have the instinct to travel doesn’t mean that you know all of the tricks to make sure you always have an amazing time. In fact, there are a few tips that you can learn to get the best out of your trips. Read on to find out more.
If you haven’t caught Starlight Express at the Marina Bay Sands MasterCard Theatre, don’t miss this chance because the last run for it is on 24 November 2013 [Sunday]!
One of the best-loved, longest-running, and most unique musicals in theatrical history, Starlight Express has delighted audiences from its sell-out tour around the UK.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock ‘n’ roller-skates sensation is one of his most successful musicals. Light years ahead of the rest, Starlight Express is a futuristic tale about love, rivalry, and hope in the face of adversity. The show delivers two hours of speed, energy, 3 dimensional spectacle, daredevil stunts and turbo-charged excitement.
Originally conceived as a cartoon story for his own children, Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece tells the story of a child’s dream, in which toy trains come to life and compete to become the fastest engine in the world, while also competing for the affections of the glamorous coaches with whom they must ‘team-up’ with.
With the entire cast of 28 on roller skates, Starlight Express will amaze audiences with its speed and skill, showcasing extraordinary roller-choreography from the renowned West End choreographer Arlene Phillips. The story hurtles along against a backdrop of high-tech staging, 3 dimensional projection, special effects and a pulsating score. The soundtrack by high-voltage team of Lloyd Webber/David Yazbek draws inspiration from numerous music styles, from rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, rap, country and western, and contemporary pop acts.
The challenge of designing and creating costumes that resemble different types of trains, while providing full movement and a degree of protection for the actor, resulted in ground-breaking designs. The show’s dazzling costumes and sets, by the legendary West End designer John Napier, have won numerous awards.
The original West End production of Starlight Express electrified the theatre world in 1984, running for almost 18 years. Since then, there have been a further seven major productions, including Broadway, USA/Canada Tour, Las Vegas, Japan, Australia/Japan Tour, Mexico and Germany, where the show is still running after 25 years. So far more than 25 million people worldwide have enjoyed a thrilling ride aboard Starlight Express.
Don’t miss this opportunity to catch this ground-breaking show that burst onto the theatre scene in the 80s! Not only is the show unique, being performed entirely on roller skates, but the story is a powerful lesson about the triumph of the human spirit. It’s truly an ultimate feel-good show!
The shows for tomorrow and the day after will be held at 2pm and 7:30pm and tickets prices are from $65 onwards [excluding the booking fee of SGD$3 per ticket].
To book your tickets, you can either book online via the following websites: www.BASEentertainmentasia.com or www.MarinaBaySands.com/Ticketing
Alternatively, you can book by phone via the number 6688-8826 or book in person at Marina Bay Sands Box Offices [Museum, Theaters, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 and 3 Lobby]
For VIP, Hotel and Dining Packages, please visit www.showbizasia.com
Corporate and Group Bookings are available via Showbiz so for corporate and group bookings, you can email to the following address at corporate@showbizasia.com or call 6688-1029
This is one long overdue blog post but we reckoned that it would be quite timely to publish this blog entry because its the September School Holidays! So, if you’re wondering where’s the next place to have a little bit of fun in Singapore, why not check out the Adventure Cove Waterpark at Resorts World Sentosa?
A Short Video of Our Day Out @ Adventure Cove Waterpark
Jacqueline and I visited the Resorts World Sentosa Adventure Cove Waterpark sometime ago and we had lots of fun and even had a few close encounters with all kinds of fishes and stingrays too!
Our first stop for the day was Ray Bay and we really want to thank Singapore Polytechnic for giving us a pair of tickets to have a close encounter with stingrays.
The Ray Bay, a place where you can have close encounters with stingrays.
Take a look at those stingrays! In case you’re wondering, the stingrays at Adventure Cove Waterpark are perfectly safe and harmless because their barbs have been removed.
As we were the only ones at Ray Bay, we had all the time in the world to feed the stingrays and touch them. If you’re worried about the stingrays, the trained instructors are present throughout to allay your fears.
Were there any unpleasant moments with the stingrays? Not really except the fact that some stingrays might gently nibble you to ask for food. But really, the stingrays are really friendly.
Tickets to Ray Bay cost SGD$38 per person and they are subjected to availability because each session can accommodate a maximum of 6 guests. Little ones must be at least 5 years old and at least 107cm in height to participate. If your little ones are under the age of 12, they must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian and if you are under the age of 21, your parent/legal guardian must complete and sign the liability form.
After the Ray Bay encounter, we went to check out the rest of the remaining rides and attractions. For the little ones, there are play areas like these that are more mild and not so adventurous.
If you’re more adventurous, you can probably check out the Tidal Twister, Dueling Racer, and a whole lot of other fun rides!
Tidal Twister
A crowd pleaser with mild to wild transitions, Tidal Twister sends you careening down an unpredictable passage of swirls and slaloms, delivering maximum fun at maximum speed.
Dueling Racer
Grab a racer mat and take your friend on a dueling high-speed competitive plunge to the finish line. Clock the fastest time down this steep Dueling Racer and claim victory with the biggest thrill ever.
Pipeline Plunge
It’s like riding a water tornado in the dark! Experience dropping through an elevated chute that sends you careening down banked turns, radical twists and dips before splashing out in a pool of water.
Riptide Rocket
Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster, the Riptide Rocket is probably the most exciting and adventurous ride at Adventure Cove Waterpark. Like an intense rollercoaster on water, it combines all the powerful climbs, plunging drops, terrifying twists and tight turns to set your adrenaline pumping.
If you’re like me and you like to bummer around, you can either take a nap here…
or you can just laze on a tube and take a leisurely ride down Adventure River, floating through 14 stunning habitats including a lush jungle garden, a mysterious grotto and an underwater tunnel with a sea of marine life swimming above and around you.
Say “hello” to Uncle Ray.
Well, even if you don’t purchase tickets to Ray Bay, you can have some not really close encounters with the stingrays from the Adventure River.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to do some snorkelling at the colourful Rainbow Reef where you can enjoy some close encounters with 20,000 friendly fishes! The queue and wait might be long but it is extremely worth it!
Jacqueline posing for a photo while she snorkels away.
Our friendly snorkelling instructor whom splashed the salty cold water at us to get our bodies acclimatised to the temperature of the water at the Rainbow Reef.
Types of fishes you can try to spot at the Rainbow Reef.
A closer look at what’s underwater while snorkelling at the Rainbow Reef. Is that Nemo?
After one long day of water fun, we headed to the souvenir shop to get some souvenirs and boy, were they oh so expensive!
Fancy a Pink Dolphin?
Every time we chance upon a “Press A Penny” machine like this, we can’t help but to get a coin souvenir to keep as a momento.
Anyway, there are official photographers from Adventure Cove Waterpark whom are present to help you take photographs with their professional cameras and we highly suggest that you take as much photos as you want because you can purchase a disc that contains all the soft copies of the photos inside. Then again, the price can be rather steep and you might probably just want to waterproof your camera and snap all you want without forking out too much.
Here are the prices for the entrance tickets to Adventure Cove Waterpark!
[Image Credit to Resorts World Sentosa]
As the food prices at The Bay Restaurant is a tad too expensive and not value for money, we decided to dine at Din Tai Fung which is located outside of Adventure Cove Waterpark but within Resorts World Sentosa.
Pork Cutlet Fried Rice @ Din Tai Fung
Xiao Long Bao @ Din Tai Fung
Lychee-Peach Prawns @ Din Tai Fung
We’ll probably write about Din Tai Fung another day but well, we had a blast at Adventure Cove Waterpark and we will definitely be visiting again!
To go or not to go?
Yes you should, for a day of wet and wild fun in the sun, come and experience it all at Adventure Cove Waterpark!
[POST PERFORMANCE UPDATE AS OF 11 SEPTEMBER 2013]:
Having caught the full performance of Barbie™ LIVE! yesterday, we have to absolutely say that it was a splendid performance that was put up by the performers and the entire session was really engaging. We are pretty sure many of the little ones whom were present had a blast and adults alike were very impressed with the wholesome storyline! Even as we are typing this blog entry, we just can’t stop humming to the uplifting songs that were sung during Barbie™ LIVE! With only 4 more days to go, don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to bring your little ones to catch Barbie™ LIVE! because it will definitely be a delightful treat for them!
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We’re pretty sure everyone knows who Barbie is and for those of you born in the 1980s, you probably would have heard of the Barbie Girl song by Aqua. Now, if you’re a fan of Barbie, we have some exciting news for you and that is, Barbie will be coming to Singapore LIVE from 10 September 2013 to 14 September 2013 at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
[Image Courtesy of EMS Entertainment / Mattel, Inc.]
As an entertainment powerhouse, the Barbie® brand has been bringing fans of all ages engaging content for decades and now, Barbie will bring fans a new opportunity to sing and dance with the introduction of an all-new musical, Barbie™ LIVE!
Barbie™ LIVE! is an engaging musical featuring contemporary music with empowering lyrics, energetic choreography and a modern storyline that will appeal to fans of all ages. With a talented cast of 19 singers and dancers, dazzling costumes, spectacular lighting and set designs, and popular songs, Barbie™ LIVE! will deliver fans a one-of-a-kind show experience featuring the world’s favourite doll, Barbie!
[Image Courtesy of EMS Entertainment / Mattel, Inc.]
Set on a Hollywood sound stage, the show follows Barbie and her best friend / co-star Teresa on the set of their new movie. When Teresa starts to doubt herself and her theatrical abilities, Barbie leverage lessons from her past taught in her popular DVD’s – Swan Lake, Princess and the Popstar, and Mariposa & Fairy Princess to teach Teresa [and the audience] to be confident, to believe in themselves, and to embrace the power of friendship.
[Image Courtesy of EMS Entertainment / Mattel, Inc.]
Barbie™ LIVE! also features popular songs from the animated Mattel hit movies, as well as new music from distinguished producer, Robbie Roth. Join Barbie™, Ken™ and their friends as they ‘get their sparkle on’ in this dance-inspired musical that is sure to engage fans of all ages within two hours of delightful entertainment.
The musical will premiere its worldwide tour here in Singapore and then travel throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. Tickets are now on sale and don’t miss the world premiere of Barbie LIVE! because they will only be here for a week! Personally, we have never been a fan of Barbie but trust us, when we caught a sneak preview of the musical during the media call event, we were very enthused by the contemporary songs and energetic dance that we started tapping and grooving along during the performance. Barbie LIVE! will truly be a treat for all your little ones whom are fans of Barbie!
[Video Courtesy of EMS Entertainment / Mattel, Inc.]
Tickets are priced from SGD$35 and if you purchase the VIP tickets that are priced at SGD$125, you will have an exclusive photo opportunity with the cast from Barbie LIVE! What’s more, if you are a SAFRA Member, you can enjoy 10% off ticket prices, subjected to terms and conditions.
Tickets are available through the Internet via: www.BASEentertainmentasia.com or www.MarinaBaySands.com/Ticketing
Alternatively, you can also book your tickets through the phone at +65 6688 8826 or in person at the Marina Bay Sands Box Offices that are located at the Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and the lobbies of Hotel Tower 1 and 3.
For more information about Barbie LIVE!, you can log onto www.MarinaBaySands.com
For VIP, Hotel and Dining Packages, do visit www.showbizasia.com. Corporate and Group Bookings are also available via Showbiz. All you have to do is email Showbiz at corporate@showbizasia.com or give them a call at 6688 1029.
Have fun dolling up! 🙂
Here’s the both of us [Jacqueline & Melvin] wishing all of you Winsomelifers a Happy Chinese New Year 2013!
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
Time really flies and in the blink of an eye, it is already the month of February and we are really very grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that have been offered to us time and time again. If any of you remember, we recently organised an Exclusive Blog Giveaway that was sponsored by Sticky Ties and we are really happy to announce the following Winsomelifers who have won themselves a set of 5 Sticky Ties.
They are:
Missy Shenny
Dallas Goh
Snow Snoopy
Shane Zachery Kok
If you have missed out on our previous blog giveaway, fret not as we are currently giving away ToastBox Vouchers that are worth SGD $5. By the way, the ToastBox Vouchers can be utilised at all ToastBox Outlets and with the voucher, you can get yourself a nice breakfast set to kick-off your morning! To stand a chance in winning those vouchers, check out the following link: https://awinsomelife.org/current-blog-giveaway/
Anyway, in January alone, we attended more than 5 events and we received tons of requests for sponsorship write-ups. Well, due to our busy schedule, we might not be able to accommodate all of the requests but nevertheless, we really would like to thank all of our partners for giving us the awesome opportunity to write for them.
Well, today is the first day of the Chinese New Year and I believe many of you should be visiting your relatives and friends and getting Ang Pows too. Therefore, we are also expecting our readership to fall this month as everyone should probably be spending quality time with their family and loved ones. Here’s a gentle reminder for all the guys out there, Valentine’s Day is just 4 days away so don’t forget to plan a really sweet surprise for your other half! 🙂
Anyways, a few weeks ago, Baby and I went to Chinatown and it was really packed with people! Since we didn’t want to visit Chinatown nearing Chinese New Year because of the expected heavy human traffic + road closures, we went earlier but there were still quite a number of people. Although the weather wasn’t fantastic [because it was raining rather heavily], we had quite a fruitful time at Chinatown because we bought a couple of things and discovered some new stuffs that might just interest you. Hence, the remainder of this blog entry would very much be about our recent experience in Chinatown.
While walking along Chinatown, we spotted a couple of stores selling Ang Pows [Red Packets] and some of them were sold for quite a good price. We daresay that the Ang Pows that are being sold now are way better and attractive than when I was a kid.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
After purchasing some Ang Pows which we felt were quite cute, we spotted a store that was selling embossed metal plates. Well, we’ve been thinking of how we could “decorate” our car and we actually did considered having customised paint designs but because it was too expensive, we went to search for alternatives. So, when we spotted this particular store, we decided to customised a metal plate to put up at the back of our car because it was really affordable. If you happen to spot our customised metal plate on the roads or just about anywhere, you could snap a picture and post it up on our Facebook Page via the following link: http://www.facebook.com/awinsomelife and you can stand to win a GV Gift Card worth SGD $38! Happy Hunting!
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
We didn’t know that The Singapore Coins and Notes Museum was in Chinatown [Pagoda Street to be exact] and we popped by to see what they have to offer.
Presenting to you the World Largest Coin which requires two people to carry! The hole in the middle is for a pole to go through so that the coin can be carried on the shoulders of the people carrying it.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
The Singapore Coins and Notes Museum also has a coin minting machine which you can try out for SGD $2. All you have to do is just head to the payment counter to purchase a “blank” coin and you will also be given a small gift pouch to put the coin in.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
This is the minting machine.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
And ta-dah, a newly minted coin which cannot be used for payment but can be kept as a keepsake souvenir.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
After spending 15 minutes at the Singapore Coins and Notes Museum, we went on to get a customised Wooden Crafted Seal for me. The seal is done on the spot and takes about 10 minutes.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
The Master Carver testing out the seal that he carved for me.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
and this is how the “end result” of my seal looks like.
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
It so happened that on the day we visited Chinatown, it coincided with the Chinatown Lighting Up Ceremony. Well, it was nothing fantastic because the crowds were jostling with one another and the worst thing was, the event started extremely late!
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| From Chineses New Year 2013 |
Anyhows, this very much concluded our short day spent at Chinatown.
Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone of you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!
Stay tuned to more updates from us.
God bless!
Jaillance is bubbling to Singapore shores in late September this year and many of you must be thinking, “What exactly is Jaillance?” Well, Jaillance originates from the Drome Valley, nestled between Vercors and Provence, and it represents the Cave de Die, a cooperative founded in 1950; which produces sparkling wines that are second only to Champagne in France and it is the leading French brand in Appellation d’Origine Protegee sparkling wines.
I figured that many of you must be scratching your heads right now and you probably might not be familiar with certain technical wine terms; hence, I would try my best to keep this blog post really simple to understand.
Anyhows, Jaillance is making its debut in Singapore with two bottle-fermented French sparkling wines; the demi-sec Muscat, Clairette from Die and the brut Semillon from Bordeaux. Before I go on to introduce these two really fabulous sparkling wines, please allow me to define certain wine terms for you so that you more or less will understand what I am about to share with you.
The term demi-sec means semi-dry and the term brut means dry. So in other words, if you see the word, “brut” on a wine label, it means the wine has an extremely low or no sugar content; on the other hand, if you see the word, “demi-sec” on a wine label, it means the wine has a slightly higher sugar content level and is mildly sweet. If you prefer sparkling wines that are extremely sweet, you should look out for labels that indicate moelleux or doux [very sweet]. However, it is extremely rare that sparkling wines are moelleux or doux; most of the time, sparkling wines are either brut or demi-sec. If you’ve a sweet tooth, then demi-sec sparkling wines are actually good enough.
The terms, “Die” and “Bordeaux” are wine producing regions in France and the terms, “Muscat”, “Clairette”, and “Semillon” are the grapes that are used in producing the sparkling wines.
Here is a picture of a bunch of Clairette grapes; and Muscat and Semillon grapes look kinda similar as Clairette grapes.
So now that you have more or less essentially understood the wine terms, let me introduce you to the two fabulous sparkling wines that Jaillance is bringing to Singapore; the demi-sec Muscat, Clairette from Die, and the brut Semillon from Bordeaux.
The wine tasting session was held at Balzac Brasserie, a French restaurant at Rendezvous Gallery.
This is where Balzac Brasserie is located.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
Jaillance‘s Muscat, Clariette and Semillon.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
A closer look at the wine label. I believe that by now, you would have more or less understand what the wine label means. What’s probably ancient to you is, “Methode Ancestrale” and “Methode Traditionnelle”. Well “Methode Ancestral” means that the sparkling wine is made using the ancestral method while “Method Traditionnelle” means that the sparkling wine is made using the traditional method [similar to how Champagne is being made in Champagne].
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
A closer look at the back portion of the wine label. Good information to know but might be a bit hard to understand.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
This is Mr. Oliver Campos, Business Manager of Asia-Pacific, UK and Scandinavia. He gave us a short but informative introduction to Jaillance and the two sparkling wines that we were going to sample.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
Just look at those small fizzy bubbles. You just have to know, the smaller and finer the bubbles, the better the sparkling wine is. Usually, big bubbles are associated with cheap sparkling wines.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
After the informative introduction by Mr. Oliver Campos, we had a food and wine pairing session where delectable canapes were served.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
To pair with the Semillon, we had the Carpaccio of Red Beetroot and marinated Calamari
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
and the Balzac Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche and Chives on Mini Tartine
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
To pair with the Muscati, Clariette, we had the Reblochon Tartiflette and French bacon
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
and the Camembert Croquette with wild Mushroom Veloute
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
As the Muscati, Clariette goes well with desserts too, we had the Classic Homemade Lemon Tart
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
and the French choquette and Vanilla cream
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
Ok, I know alot of French terms here are pretty confusing but well, they’re French.
And because I really don’t want to give you readers an information overload, a lot of information regarding Wines can be found on the Internet and Wikipedia is a good start. Anyhows, both the sparkling wines are just superb and I really like it because the taste of the sparkling wines are mellow, balanced, and it certainly exudes a rather exuberant kind of sophistication. Unlike other sparkling wines where the grapes used in producing the sparkling wine are harvested using machines, Jaillance harvest the grapes by hand, a method that is really costly and that which proves its commitment to producing only the finest French sparkling wine that is second only to Champagne in France. No wonder it is indeed the leading French brand in Appellation d’Origine Protegee sparkling wines!
After the wine tasting session, Jaillance was really so generous that they gave each of us attendees a bottle of the Muscat, Clairette and the Semillon. Not only that, they gave us an Ice Bag which would really come in handy for picnics and also a Wine Bottle Stopper.
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| From Jalliance 2012 |
So, if you’re wondering where on earth you could find Jaillance‘s sparkling wines, you can find them in Cold Storage, MarketPlace, and Bottles & Bottles from late September and you can also find them in FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, and FairPrice Xtra from early November onward.
The best part is, the Muscat, Clairette is going at $26.90 and the Semillon is going at $29.90; a price that is really value for money, considering the fact that you’re getting award-winning sparkling wines which usually cost about $40+ a bottle. Hence, if you’re planning a 18th or 21st birthday and you’re thinking of having some booze to rock the night away, you might want to consider getting Jaillance‘s sparkling wines for that extra special touch.
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Sparkling Wine Trivial:
Do you know that Champagne is a sparkling wine but not all sparkling wines are Champagne? As a matter of fact, the word, “Champagne” has been used too casually that people tend to associate all sparkling wines with Champagne. Now what is really true is this, that Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced exclusively only in the region of Champagne in France; and all other sparkling wines that are produced outside of Champagne are known as sparkling wines.
Stay tuned to more updates from us!
God bless!
