No French wine region has been revolutionised over the past two decades as dramatically as Champagne. And no appellation has needed it more desperately. For decades, Champagne has been the laughing stock of responsible growers everywhere, notoriously piling on herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, fertilisers and even Parisian rubbish to shamelessly bolster its poor vines to ludicrous […]

It’s my great pleasure to invite you to join me for dinner with Champagne Bollinger International Sales Director Guy de Rivoire to launch Bollinger La Grande Année 2012 and Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2012. In the new edition of The Champagne Guide, my lowest score for any of the dozen Bollinger cuvées I’ve rated […]

I am very excited to announce my flagship dinner of 2020! I am delighted to again team up with Shannon and Clare Kellam at Montrachet to create a bespoke five course degustation to match eight of the most stellar and most rare wines of the year. We will commence with Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc […]

It’s my great pleasure to invite you to join me for dinner with Pierre & Sophie Larmandier. Some growers are known for their focus on the vines, others for their attention in the winery, but few find a harmony in every detail like this legendary estate. Alongside his friend Ansleme Selosse, Pierre Larmandier is a […]

Is this the beginning of the end of the grower producer? Forces are at play that threaten the survival of Champagne’s grower producers. Global economies, erratic harvests, incentives from négociants and even the French taxation system itself are driving growers to sell all their fruit, some to relinquish their status and become négociants, and others […]

Does global warming spell certain doom for the region that has built a wine style around its cold climate? Things have hotted up in Champagne since I unravelled the climatic drama that has played out over the past 30 years in The Champagne Guide 2014–2015. The region has responded in force, and it’s time for a sequel.

International Wine Communicator of the Year Tyson Stelzer invites Vintage Cellars Wine Club Members to join him for exclusive dinners and tastings…

Tyson Stelzer and Charles-Henry Fourny invite you to dinner at Otto Ristorante. Showcasing: CanapéSmoked ocean trout rillettes, chives dill, crostiniVeuve Fourny & Fils Blanc de Blancs Brut Vertus Premier Cru NV en magnum 1st CourseMooloolaba yellow fin tuna, pine nutsVeuve Fourny & Fils Grande Réserve Brut Premier Cru NV en magnum 2nd CourseBlack and white […]

Matthew Jukes and I are proud to announce The Eighth Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification to highlight New Zealand’s finest pinot noirs. New in 2019 In 2019, The Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification highlights 121 estates, representing less than the top quarter of New Zealand’s 512 pinot noir makers. This reinforces the strength […]

Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer invite you to The Great Australian Red 2019 Melbourne Tasting. Showcasing Australia’s flagship cabernet shiraz blends – museum vintages and current release gold medal and trophy winning wines of the past 13 years of The Great Australian Red competition. Canapé Menu by Cumulus 6:30pm Wednesday 23 October 2019 Arc One […]