10 days time. In just 10 days, I will be leaving Australia in an Air France jet, sipping champagne in Business Class heading towards a dream that has been about 20 years in the making. My champagne dream is becoming a reality. And I am slightly terrified! When I first laid eyes on the now World…
champagne
Teaching an old dog new tricks
There is always something new to learn. Always. One of the things I love most about champagne is that with somewhere in the vicinity of 2000 independent growers, I will probably in my lifetime never taste them all. And with each new one I taste, I learn something new, be it about the village it…
Rosés for your Valentine!
Pink hearts, pink flowers and pink bubbles! What’s not to like about Valentine’s day! On a day when the world celebrates love, it’s is a perfect time to drink some of Cupid’s special nectar – Rosé! You might wonder what is so special about Rosé, and why is it so much more expensive than other champagnes,…
Fabulous dream tour planned!
Ever since I moved back to Australia, it has been a dream to organise a tour for like minded people to the Champagne region. All I needed was a catalyst, and little did I know that the catalyst would be so fabulous! After visiting Champagne last May with Jane from The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, added to…
Sparkle your way into a magical New Year
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to Sparkle. And to really sparkle, I mean drink French champagne! I wish I didn’t have to say ‘French’ champagne, because champagne by definition is French, but it seems to be taking a while to get the message through! Back in the mid- 18th century, Madame de Pompadour, mistress…
Tasting Perfection
There has been a lot of talk lately about what the correct style of glass is for tasting champagne. Coincidentally, when I was on my tour recon visit to Champagne in May 2014, I believe I found the ultimate vessel to tasting perfection! It was the unlikeliest of times to find such a perfect glass,…
Vin de Champagne Awards 2014 – now the bubbles have settled
I am in my office and finding it very difficult to focus on the backlog of work in front of me – piled up after being all consumed over the last few weeks with my preparation for the Vin de Champagne Awards. What an amazing experience it has been. I was selected as a finalist…
Harvest time – hard work and anticipation of the bubbles to be
September is a hive of activity in champagne. The anticipation of the harvest, followed by the shear hard work and organisation around the event is a heady time. Harvest dates are set by the Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) and change yearly depending on the weather conditions. Interestingly, the harvest dates are not…
