The vast continent of Australia boasts an immense diversity of terroirs that give birth to its extensive plethora of sparkling styles. Again in my tastings this year, Tasmania has set the benchmark on every measure. And the diversity even within this one region has never been more pronounced. We don’t much speak of the subregions […]

It’s the week before Easter, the sales are in full force, Bollinger is $64, Taittinger is $50, Lanson is $40 and Piper-Heidsieck is $39. Last year, Australia clocked in as the fastest-growing champagne market on earth by both volume and value. At the height of our champagne frenzy, should we even bother with Aussie fizz? […]

I am very proud to launch my Australian Sparkling Report 2018, the most in-depth report I’ve ever filed on this dynamic category, a 77 page trawl through all the hot topics in Australian sparkling, featuring full reviews of my 120 best sparkling wines of the year of every price and style. As always, I am […]

Australia’s thirst for champagne seemingly knows no bounds, and after fifteen years of strong growth, 2017 has hit a new high as a record-smashing year for champagne consumption down under. An all-time record 8.53 million bottles were popped in 2017, a huge 16% up on 2016. The explosion in ex-cellar value was larger still, mushrooming […]

Champagne is the most guarded wine region on earth and one of its biggest secrets is beginning to get out. The age of a bottle of non-vintage champagne has long been a mystery. It’s been impossible to distinguish from the label a fresh, young bottle from a stale one, to track a collection in the […]

Over the course of seven years, hundreds of tastings around the world and more than a dozen visits to Champagne, I have been privileged to taste more than 2,600 cuvées from more than 200 houses, from the very youngest releases all the way back to the grand old vintage of 1830. My list of 100 […]

Which are the estates to watch in Champagne this year? Who are the rock solid performers and who have tracked the most spectacular trajectory into the stratosphere in the seven years since I released the first edition of The Champagne Guide? At the start of a new year and the occasion of the release of […]

Publishing a full back catalogue of thousands of champagne reviews is something I have long studiously avoided. I’m more interested in recommending champagnes that you can go out and buy and drink than those you can’t. The mandate that gave birth to The Champagne Guide seven years ago and inspired five editions since was to […]

No other country drinks champagne like Hong Kong. This country has been bubbling along on an incredible champagne wave like no other. But all this is changing. In the weeks before the inaugural Taste Champagne Hong Kong, I take an intensive look at this unique market and discover more than one surprise. Hong Kong is […]

Tyson Stelzer announces his top 50 sparkling buys of the moment and discovers that the best deals are not where you might expect. You’ll always get the best sparkling deal by walking into your local chain store where the lowest prices are guaranteed, right? This year, if you shop around, you might be in for […]