“Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!” ― Dom Perignon
Many countries make sparkling wine, each of them unique. The best-known sparkling wine is, of course, Champagne. Though much sparkling wine is referred to as Champagne, true Champagne only comes from the namesake area, and is unique in taste, texture and reputation. The Champagne region perfected the bubble-making process, 'méthode champenoise'.
In 'true' Champagne, one or more of only three grapes may be used – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.
Beyond those rules, there are many details involved that make Champagne and its method of winemaking so distinctive, which is why it is emulated in so many winemaking areas. The categories of Champagne, and wine in the Champagne style, include Vintage (made from one specific year and reflecting the characteristics of that year) and Non-Vintage ("NV") (made from two or more years supply of fruit to produce a balanced, predictable house style.
We have some great Australian sparkling houses - some, as in other parts of the world, owned and operated by French Champagne house companies, and you may find their wines similar in style to their French counterparts. Around the globe, sparkling wine hails from South Africa, Canada and South America, to name a few.
In Spain and Italy, Cava and Prosecco are the regional bubbles, both often made in traditional style. These are light and fruity sparklers that are often in the less-than-$30 category, which make them perfect for everyday enjoyment.
World Wine suggestions
While opening an evening of a party or dinner party with a "real" Champagne is great, it is also expensive to maintain your largesse for the whole evening. We recommend that after kicking off with a signature bottle, your guests will be more than happy with a Cremant sparkling wine. For around $30 we have some wonderful Cremants that are every bit as good as their more expensive Champagne cousins. Still French, still Champagne grapes, still exquisite packaging, but sparkling half the price.
Reading the Label
Some Champagnes include all three permitted grapes, some have one or two.
Blanc de Blanc – means "white of white" and is made only of Chardonnay; lighter in style, perfect with shellfish and seafood.
Blanc de Noir – means "white of black" and is a white champagne made from either Pinot Noir or both Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier both red grapes); usually fuller-bodied than blanc de blanc, this style can match with a variety of foods.
Rosé – could be only one grape or all three, but must contain some percentage of a red grape. Can be robust in style and hold its own with a dinner.
Champagne and Sparkling Styles:
Some are bone dry, while others are off-dry and still others are sweet. The level of sweetness depends on the last step before the cork is inserted, dosage:
Extra Brut or Brut Naturale – Bone dry - the driest of the dry. Brut – Dry. This is the typical style of Champagne, with no sweetness. Sec – Still very dry but with a hint of sweetness. Demi-sec- While the definition is half dry, think of it as half sweet. This wine will be fairly sweet. Doux – also known as rich, this wine is the sweetest you can get in Champagne –over 5% sugar. It's a dessert in itself and very rare.
The Wine Front – A blend of chardonnay and pinot noir from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, this shows citrus and yeasty/ bready characters on the nose and palate, with a fresh, crisp finish. Enjoy by itself or with fresh oysters, smoked salmon or creamy chicken dishes.
The Wine Front – Biodynamic farming, lees maturation, attention to detail, great vineyard sites. Rudi Bauer of Quartz Reef has many positives in the manifestation of his life work. Beyond that, and so often it’s hard to separate the person who makes the wine from the wine itself, he’s an outstanding human. And hilarious. That being said, it means little when wines are in brown paper bags being tasted. This wine leapt from the pack.
Incredible intensity, inward concentration, a knife edge of acidity in finely wrapped layers of toastiness, marzipan, brioche with a sleek, lean profile of green apple and citrus. Fine, fine bubbles add dimension and freshness. Aside its precision, it’s gorgeous to drink, refreshing the palate with each sip, leaving lingering detail of the presence of the wine. Insanely good drinking. It’s fine wine personified. Kudos here.
Wine Spectator – Kumquat, melon and anise notes are layered with toast, smoke and golden raisin flavors in this firm, minerally Champagne, complemented by a fine, creamy mousse.
Wine Enthusiast – With some bottle age, this nonvintage wine is beautifully integrated. Crispness accompanies a rounder, riper character, with green plum and lemon flavors cut by sliced apple and acidity. The blend brings together the three Champagne grapes in equal measure and reflects that in its well-balanced aftertaste.
Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – Straw yellow and with a golden hue in color, the Pol Roger NV Réserve Brut displays a brilliant, perfectly ripe but also fresh, highly elegant and refined fruit aroma on the nose; think of cooked pip fruits like pears and apples, but also quince-confiture and yellow stone fruits, such as apricots and peaches intermixed with vanilla, brioche (pain aux raisins), some nutty flavors and also some white floral notes. On the palate, this medium-bodied Brut is as round (if not pretty sweet) and fruit-driven as it is delicate, pure and very elegant. The mousse is deliciously fine and leads this charming and perfectly balanced fizz to a long, aromatic, stunningly dry and slightly mineral, impressively long finish. This is extremely well done Champagne from equal parts of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay sourced in 30 different crus. This Réserve includes 25% of reserve wines and was dosed with nine grams per liter.
Wine Enthusiast – An attractive value, this is generous and fresh, with layers of citrus, peach, honey and dried grass. Pair this with cheese appetizers or Parmigiano chunks.
Huon Hooke – Meringue-like bouquet, not overtly yeasty or bready, but fresh and fruit-driven. The palate is very fine with an abundance of floral flavours; small flowers and spices galore, the palate creamy textured and finishing fairly dry with superb balance. The acidity is high, but you don't feel it. A very appetising, refreshing NV style.
World Wine – Steve and Monique Lubiana have recently extended their portfolio of beautifully refined sparkling wines from their Granton Estate in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, and their NV blend remains rock solid. It’s a beautifully expressive chardonnay pinot noir blend that upholds the tension of the 2011 base vintage and deepens it with the red apple fruit and toasty, spicy complexity of 2009 and 2010 reserves, half of which have been aged in large Austrian oak barrels. The current blend is a 2013 disgorged cuvée released in 2014, making for a particularly toasty and honeyed style, finished off neatly with less than 8g/L dosage. Tyson Stelzer Australian Sparkling Report 2016
Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The NV Brut Premier Cru is a very pretty wine laced with expressive notes of citrus, lemon, white peaches and flowers. This mid-weight, floral Champagne will make an excellent aperitif, but it can also stand up to lighter-bodied foods. It is a beautifully balanced wine with plenty of Chardonnay character.
Wine Enthusiast – All the minerality expected in Chardonnay-based Champagne is right here. It is allied to great white fruitiness and good acidity that brings out this wine’s crisp texture. On the dry side, this Champagne is just now ready to drink.
Wine Enthusiast – This is a ripe, rich and full-bodied selection that has a flavor of spiced pear. It has weight and intensity, a wine that is on the sweeter side of brut, although this character is finely integrated. The finish brings out delicious acidity.
Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The NV Brut Premier Cru is a very pretty wine laced with expressive notes of citrus, lemon, white peaches and flowers. This mid-weight, floral Champagne will make an excellent aperitif, but it can also stand up to lighter-bodied foods. It is a beautifully balanced wine with plenty of Chardonnay character.
Wine Enthusiast – An attractive value, this is generous and fresh, with layers of citrus, peach, honey and dried grass. Pair this with cheese appetizers or Parmigiano chunks.
James Halliday – From the Bantry Grove vineyard, 1000m above sea-level, this
is a blend of 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir with a dose
of 7g/l, fermented with the traditional method and a dash of
older wood. The base is constituted with fruit from '13 having
spent 4 years on tirage. The result is filigreed and fresh, with
a leesy depth and fine detail across delicate mousse, Granny
Smith apple and citrus notes. The mineral quotient drives the
finish long and palpably very dry. Exceptional.
All wines over $25 per bottle will be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
Delivery Times
To be able to supply such a unique & extensive range of boutique wines, we don't hold much of the inventory. So with us, there is the added step of receiving the wine from our local suppliers before it is dispatched to you. Most orders are dispatched within 5-10 working days.
Quality Guarantee
Replacement or refund offered if bottles are faulty or damaged. All our deliveries are insured against loss, however you must notify us in a reasonable amount of time.
Sending a Gift
If you would like to include a gift message with your order, please enter that in the order instructions section. We'll print your message in a lovely font on A5 paper. We also won't include the invoice. Tracking will be sent to the email on file.
All wines over $25 per bottle will be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
To be able to supply such a unique & extensive range of boutique wines, we don't hold much of the inventory. So with us, there is the added step of receiving the wine from our local suppliers before it is dispatched to you. Most orders are dispatched within 5-10 working days.
Replacement or refund offered if bottles are faulty or damaged. All our deliveries are insured against loss, however you must notify us in a reasonable amount of time.
If you would like to include a gift message with your order, please enter that in the order instructions section. We'll print your message in a lovely font on A5 paper. We also won't include the invoice. Tracking will be sent to the email on file.
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