A group of bubble buffs give us the lowdown on the bottles worth your attention and how to enjoy them.
Popping open a bottle of Champagne has a sense of occasion to it like nothing else. There’s a drama from its historical and cultural importance, from the care, tradition and craftsmanship in creating each bottle of cascading bubbles. For the experts, this heritage stokes their love for the drink, but they value it equally for its versatility: as much an aperitif as an accompaniment to a meal, and on that, it’s an incredible match for so many cuisines. It’s easy to think Champagne needs fancy settings and fancy food to be enjoyed to the fullest, but if our Wine Merchants are anything to go by (and they are), they’ll as readily suggest drinking Champagne with oysters as with fried chicken and chips. To be enjoyed at a rooftop bar, as much as in your lounge watching your favourite movie.
To find out how we should really be enjoying Champagne, seven Dan Murphy's Wine Merchants from all over the country, told us exactly how they’ll be celebrating World Champagne Day.
Click image to shop
1. Philliponnat Royale Reserve Rose
Serena Monk – based in Coogee, but often hanging out at the new Lane Cove Cellar, NSW
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“My favourite place to drink Champagne is on a rooftop overlooking the stunning view of Sydney city, surrounded by my favourite people. In the spring, the stunning Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens is the perfect backdrop for bubbles.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“One of many reasons Champagne is so glorious is because it matches up to many different cuisines. I'll be taking a bottle to one of my favourite BYO restaurants, Dae Jang Kum, in Haymarket, Sydney. This year has been all about trying new things, I will be popping open a bottle of Philliponnat Royale Réserve Rosé. I have always loved Champagne Rosé, and Philliponnat has wonderful aromatic notes of strawberries and raspberries, and is generous and intense on the palate, but balanced out by a racy yet elegant acidity. Delightful on its own, it also holds up well to food. If I was drinking it at home, I’d have it with French fries or fried chicken – my favourite Champagne match, the fresh acidity and bubbles accentuate the salty goodness.”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“I tend to drink my bubbles in a white wine glass, that way I can really get acquainted with the aromas and it allows the Champagne to open up nicely, especially if it is aged or a growers’ champagne.”
2. AR Lenoble Cuvee Intense NV
Sean Menezes – based in the Ascot Vale store, VIC
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“With great company and amazing food. Be it at a house party, an outdoor picnic or BBQ setting, a glass of bubbly always sets the tone for the gathering.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“I'm planning on hosting some close friends for a few glasses and some home-cooked deep fried spinach and cottage cheese fritters. Something they’re unlikely to have paired with Champagne before, but I'll be opening a bottle of AR Lenoble Cuvee Intense NV, which is a great match. It’s a beautiful blend of all three prominent Champagne grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. The fruit comes from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards, which are looked after in a sustainable way and produce an elegant drop with mouthwatering acidity and precision. The flavours are lovely: green apple, citrus, lemon curd and cream.”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“Be on the lookout for great deals on vintage Champagnes. For example, 2008 was an exceptional vintage in the region, so grab any you find.”
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
3. Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut
Mick Stanton – hailing from the Phillip store, ACT
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“It’s a bit of a break from tradition, but I love to take Champagne when I go camping. I have a beautiful spot down the South Coast that we go to every year. We buy fresh Merimbula oysters and drink Champagne around the campfire out of campware. The rustic nature, the setting, the sound of the waves. It’s absolute perfection.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“Every Friday night I bring home a new discovery to enjoy over a quiet date night with my partner. I’m very excited to be bringing back Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut for World Champagne Day. As soon as I read about this bottle I knew that it was the perfect one to celebrate the day with. It has everything I look for in a Champagne; generosity in the palate, age on lees, a top match for charcuterie, and a great story to boot. The name of this Champagne hearkens back to the time of Louis XIV, and the Philipponnat family has been growing grapes since around 1522!”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“When it comes to Champagne, don’t be afraid to discover something new. There’s so much history and love in these wines to explore.”
4. Albert LeBrun Organic NV
Ciara Madill – giving wine recs at the Bicton Store, WA
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“My wife and I do ‘Champagne Sundays’ at home. We'll pick a different bottle and, after a morning at the beach, we set up in our backyard under an umbrella with cheese and a charcuterie board (or just a bowl of sea salt chips), with the Champagne in an ice bucket for easy access! Our french bulldog Tilly is obsessed with Champagne corks and is usually chewing it to pieces at our feet.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“We’re hosting a blind Champagne tasting for some of our friends. It’s so much fun – you just wrap your bottles in foil, number them, then rate from your most to least favourite to reveal the winner! The food portion is fried chicken, my favourite contrasting match for Champagne. One bottle I’m particularly keen to have in the tasting is the new Albert LeBrun Organic NV. It’s a smaller producer, made from 100% pinot meunier and farmed organically from the Vallee de la Marne. Its vibrant freshness make it the perfect aperitif champagne, with lifted characters of pear and subtle redcurrant backed by a gentle toastiness and a lovely creamy mouthfeel. The rest I'll leave as a surprise for the big reveal!”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“Buy small! Exploring outside the big brand names gives you access to the incredible value to be found from smaller producers. Talk to your local Wine Merchant and ask them to help you pick something you haven't tried before. You might not know the flavours or technical terms, but if you tell them what you've had before that you've enjoyed, they'll likely be able to find you a bottle you’d never have picked yourself, but will rock your world.”
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
5. Lanson Le White Label Champagne Sec
David Stevens-Castro – based at the Mermaid Waters Store, QLD
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“Between laughs and conversation with my wife. She loves Champagne nearly as much as I do. It’s an even better occasion when I’ve sourced fresh oysters from my friend who sells them in the local Gold Coast markets. Eating oysters and drinking Champagne on the patio is pure delight.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“One of my dearest friends has an amazing collection of vinyl. When we catch up he plays many old school tunes – Toots and The Maytals, Jimi Hendrix and Sublime. On World Champagne Day, he’ll bring the records, I’ll bring the Champagne. I am a bit of a classic when it comes to picking a bottle of Champagne for myself to drink. Champagne Lanson is one of my favourite growers and especially their new White Label. Their Champagne is uplifting, energetic and full of citric charm from the word ‘go’. It’s always great to see producers reinventing themselves. I have not tasted it yet, but knowing the pedigree of Lanson, I can't wait to have a go at it.”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“Who I am going to drink it with always goes into my considerations when buying Champagne, as well as the occasion. Look for value, but also what the event calls for.”
6. AR Lenoble Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV
Eralde Felix – recommending bottles from the Fisherman's Bend Store, VIC
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“On a picnic blanket, with the sun going down, a few friends and the projector playing whatever comedy is available so we can all have a good laugh.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“I’ll order some fried chicken and chips, watch Le Dîner de Cons, one of my favourite French comedy films, and sip a chilled glass of AR Lenoble Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV. What I love about Champagne is tradition and connection and this Champagne is made exclusively with chardonnay grapes from Choully, located in Côte de Blanc in Champagne. Why is that important? Choully is one of the 17 Grand Cru sites in Champagne and they are specialised in the production of the finest grapes in the region. In my opinion, this is one of the best quality to price ratios available on Champagne. On the first sip it’s dry, textural and ripe citrus with a touch of tropical fruit. My personal criteria for Champagne is balance, then finesse, and after that pure enjoyment, and this one has the right balance in terms of drinkability and complexity.”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“Champagne, as a place, is all about keeping tradition and value and I love that way of doing things. Learn about the history of a grower. It makes the drink even more enjoyable.”
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
7. Nicolas Feuillatte Selection Brut
Eden Walpole – hailing from the Mona Vale Store, NSW
What’s your favourite way to drink Champagne?
“With great friends, unwinding in a park somewhere and soaking up the weekend sun.”
How will you be celebrating World Champagne Day?
“Heading down to the beach with fresh oysters and school prawns that will pair well with a special bottle: Nicolas Feuillatte Sélection Brut. This is the number one selling Champagne in France, so it’s the perfect bottle to celebrate with! The affordability to complexity ratio is excellent, it has a great freshness with a vibrant primary fruit and more autolytic, complex flavours. Perfect for those salty seafood dishes or something more creamy and substantial.”
Top tip for your own Champagne adventures?
“Don’t be scared of sugar dosage. Sugar is one of a Champagne maker's best tools to manage searing natural acid. Balance is everything, especially with Champagne.”
?$dans-daily-web-image$&wid=800)