Advice on champagne

juddles

juddles

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Need a bit of advice from the champagne-lovers out there. I know there are a few of you!

I do not drink champagne. Am strictly a red wine lover. (actually I only love Argentine Malbecs, everything else is just a make-do subsitute)

I simply know nothing about the bubbly stuff!! But my wife is getting addicted. She has always vaguely enjoyed the traditional stuff consumed by us average people in Australia. Asti Martini, etc etc etc. $10 - $20 a bottle stuff. But after doing a few flights on LAN and Qantas J, and hanging out in the good lounges, recently she has sampled some much better quality tipples and has realised just how much better these products are. Truly different to the budget offerings.

What I want to know (again, I have no knowledge of these things) is what would be a good selection (a dozen or so) of champagnes to make available to her. I want names of those that I have a reasonable chance of finding internationally. Not looking for the best and most expensive. Just want to familiarize myself with some that a good, decent, drops. Maybe in the $50 to $100 a bottle range. Is this request impossible?

I live in that eternal struggle that married men do of trying to keep my wife happy and making Life fun. It would impress her if I could help with this newly developed love.

Any advice??
 
It's not Champagne (it's from Cramant - a bit north and east of Champagne), but for the past few weeks I've been really enjoying some Diebolt-Vallois 'Brut Tradition'. It's non-vintage.
 
This is a good list of Champagne Champagne Houses & Brands


I like to drink Billecart-Salmon, Charles Heidsieck, Laurent-Perrier, Veuve Clicquot,at home they all range around the $50.00 to $70.00 per bottle and are non vintage.




Also I have just purchased Some Champagne Moutard from Vintage Cellars for $29.00 great value and a good 100% Pinot Noir very nice.


You will find that once you get over the $100.00 price it's vintage champagne ie Dom, Krug and alike.

Good luck with the tast testing, I can tell you as a red wine drinker that you will eventualy find a champagne that both you and your wife will enjoy, it just takes time to find the best one for you.

The Dyslexic Traveler
 
I share your love of Argentinian malbec (Catena Zapata, anyone?) but I also love champagne.

A personal favourite, and one that has really hooked PartnerJohnM's 27yo daughter is Louis Roederer NV (LAN's champagne of choice so you should have seen that often enough in the LAN lounges). I think it's a very good all-round easy-drinking aperitif style. The usual other non-vintage suspects in that $50-70 price range such as Pol Roger, Billecart-Salmon, Heidseck (QF J's choice), Moet are all good. Lanson (QF F lounge in AKL) is not bad. Personally, I'd steer away from Mumm Cordon Rouge although it has improved from the hole that it went into a few years ago. Bollinger is a heavier style so probably works a bit better with food than some of those other more aperitif styles.

For a good range and pretty good prices for Australia, check out Kemenys (https://www.kemenys.com/go.jsp#!class=Tab&theme=SparklingWines).

Use that information to put together a mixed carton, give it to your wife for Christmas and let her work through them to pick what she likes the best! Think of the brownie points you'd get for that :cool:.

Also check out: https://www.champagnegallery.com.au/ and The Champagne Guide 2012-2013 Hardback - Books & e-Books

Hope that's of some help and good luck :D!
 
wayne bourke said:
I like to drink Billecart-Salmon, Charles Heidsieck, Laurent-Perrier, Veuve Clicquot,at home they all range around the $50.00 to $70.00 per bottle and are non vintage.
Click to expand...

Nice choices - particularly the Billecart-Salmon and Laurent-Perrier IMHO. Easy to find almost anywhere too.
 
wayne bourke said:
This is a good list of Champagne Champagne Houses & Brands


I like to drink Billecart-Salmon, Charles Heidsieck, Laurent-Perrier, Veuve Clicquot,at home they all range around the $50.00 to $70.00 per bottle and are non vintage.




Also I have just purchased Some Champagne Moutard from Vintage Cellars for $29.00 great value and a good 100% Pinot Noir very nice.


You will find that once you get over the $100.00 price it's vintage champagne ie Dom, Krug and alike.

Good luck with the tast testing, I can tell you as a red wine drinker that you will eventualy find a champagne that both you and your wife will enjoy, it just takes time to find the best one for you.

The Dyslexic Traveler
Click to expand...

The cheapest I have found Dom in AU is $220. :-(
 
JohnM said:
I share your love of Argentinian malbec (Catena Zapata, anyone?) but I also love champagne.

A personal favourite, and one that has really hooked PartnerJohnM's 27yo daughter is Louis Roederer NV (LAN's champagne of choice so you should have seen that often enough in the LAN lounges). I think it's a very good all-round easy-drinking aperitif style. The usual other non-vintage suspects in that $50-70 price range such as Pol Roger, Billecart-Salmon, Heidseck (QF J's choice), Moet are all good. Lanson (QF F lounge in AKL) is not bad. Personally, I'd steer away from Mumm Cordon Rouge although it has improved from the hole that it went into a few years ago. Bollinger is a heavier style so probably works a bit better with food than some of those other more aperitif styles.

For a good range and pretty good prices for Australia, check out Kemenys (https://www.kemenys.com/go.jsp#!class=Tab&theme=SparklingWines).

Use that information to put together a mixed carton, give it to your wife for Christmas and let her work through them to pick what she likes the best! Think of the brownie points you'd get for that :cool:.

Also check out: https://www.champagnegallery.com.au/ and The Champagne Guide 2012-2013 Hardback - Books & e-Books

Hope that's of some help and good luck :D!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't flush my toilet with Moët :-) but I do love Pol Roger....
 
In that price range Billecart-Salmon NV and Ayala Brut Majeur are my faves, though some people do not like what they perceive as yeasty/mushroomy notes in both.

For something lighter - Pol Roger, Louis Roederer, Taittinger Perrier Jouet or Delamotte are all great. The entry level Pol Roger tends to be on special a lot at specialty wine shops near where I used to live in Melbourne and is especially good value.

You can also never go wrong with some of the staples in that budget - Bollinger Special Cuvee and Veuve Clicquot NV.

Can your budget stretch to $130ish? The entry level Billecart-Salmon rose (that is, pink champagne) is divine and tastes more expensive than it really is! But then we're getting into Bollinger La Grande Annee or Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995 territory, mmmm.
 
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The Rok said:
I wouldn't flush my toilet with Moët :-) but I do love Pol Roger....
Click to expand...

Rok, could agree AND disagree with you more!

Having visited Moet in Epernay last year I found the Vintage Moet delicious! $80 per bottle at Dan Murphys is pretty good value IMHO too.

Pol Roger I have always loved! 2000 Vintage at Dan Murphy's is about $110.
 
Paddy55 said:
Having visited Moet in Epernay last year I found the Vintage Moet delicious! $80 per bottle at Dan Murphys is pretty good value IMHO too.
Click to expand...

The normal Moet isn't odious (that would be Monopole Heidsieck or Mumm - bleh!) but it's nothing special either - a lot of better drops of similar pricing. Drop the pricing to Piper Hiedsieck level and it would be a lot more reasonably priced as a budget everyday drink. But I do quite like the Nectar Imperial and the 2000 vintage Moet.
 
Paddy55 said:
Rok, could agree AND disagree with you more!

Having visited Moet in Epernay last year I found the Vintage Moet delicious! $80 per bottle at Dan Murphys is pretty good value IMHO too.

Pol Roger I have always loved! 2000 Vintage at Dan Murphy's is about $110.
Click to expand...

I should qualify, I do like Moët Grand Vintage. Been a while since I bought a bottle but as I recall its referred to as Black Label.

My Moët distaste is for the NV $40 cough..... Last Christmas I had some friends around and ended up giving away 8 bottles that I had received as gifts... I just can't drink it.
 
Keith009 said:
The normal Moet isn't odious (that would be Monopole Heidsieck or Mumm - bleh!) but it's nothing special either - a lot of better drops of similar pricing. Drop the pricing to Piper Hiedsieck level and it would be a lot more reasonably priced as a budget everyday drink. But I do quite like the Nectar Imperial and the 2000 vintage Moet.
Click to expand...

and to think I could buy Verve Cliquot for $34 at Costco in the States.................bleh...
 
Verve cliquot would be our family choice. I'm trying to convince SWMBO that Billlicart is well worth the extra few dollars.


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