“One of the best books on champagne I have read” – Huon Hooke. “Outstanding… brave… breathtaking… elegant… I cannot recommend it too highly” – James Halliday
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Welcome to the very first edition of The Champagne Guide! Pop a cork of something fine and frothy, pour yourself a large glass and settle in. There’s a world of champagne to be discovered!
readThe number of corked, stale and lightstruck champagnes in Australia this year is appalling.
readIt is not without considerable reluctance that I introduce a hierarchy of classification of champagne houses. I have thrown political correctness to the wind and taken the liberty of using the full breadth of a ten point scale
readWhat do expanding boundaries, rising yields and an antiquated cru classification mean for the future of Champagne?
readIf you believed all the commentary, you’d have to conclude that the Champagne that we know and love is all but doomed.
readTo contemporary France, the answer to the industrialisation and increasingly brand-driven mentality of the modern wine world is to work to express every nuance of terroir in its full detail. In this France, Champagne is the precise antithesis.
readBy some miracle the drab hillsides of Champagne produce fruits that thousands of winegrowers around the globe strive to emulate yet none has equalled.
readAfter this year, I won’t be buying sparkling wine in quite the same way again. I’ve always said there’s a very simple rule for choosing a bottle of bubbles in Australia. If you’re spending under $50, buy Australian fizz every time. If you’re shelling out more, always buy champagne. Not any more.
readThere has been a frenzy of discussion on Twitter today as to why the four winners of trophies and gold medals in The Great Australian Red 2010 were from three big companies: Jacob’s Creek, Penfolds and Yalumba. Chance? Or is there something more in this?
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