Advice on champagne

[UpInTheAir:)]

Nail on the head there.

Personally the Lanson Black is possibly my favorite amongst the "cheap & decent" champagnes (Lanson, Möet, Mumm).

Agree with the personal taste comment.. it is interesting that there is so much variation in taste! I like it!!! Keeps life interesting
..and personally I like Moet (don't like Lanson, Mumm or Piper.. if we are surveying )
And for people that maybe interested.. I would prefer a good Australian Sparkling to those three..

P.S. Sir Cruisealot, Come Fly, and Mr Orange... work through the pain about the post title

 

[TomVexille]

Agree with the personal taste comment.. it is interesting that there is so much variation in taste! I like it!!! Keeps life interesting
..and personally I like Moet (don't like Lanson, Mumm or Piper.. if we are surveying )
And for people that maybe interested.. I would prefer a good Australian Sparkling to those three..

P.S. Sir Cruisealot, Come Fly, and Mr Orange... work through the pain about the post title

Forgot Piper, don't mind it either if looking for cheap bubbles.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Piper is my cheaper option, then Moet, working up to Veuve, Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart.

Perrier Jouet is nice too especially when it was free flowing in the Langham London club lounge.

I'm not keen on Lanson and not familiar with Mumm.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Piper is my cheaper option, then Moet, working up to Veuve, Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart.

Perrier Jouet is nice too especially when it was free flowing in the Langham London club lounge.

I'm not keen on Lanson and not familiar with Mumm.

Forgot Perrier Jouet... Yep I think this is ok also... Haven't had it for a while though..
Agree with your NV rating "Moet, working up to Veuve, Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart" and would place Krug after that...and perhaps Billecart in just before Bolli
All dependent on price of course... Like JohnM I have a price adjusted scale of appreciation (so perhaps "free" always comes first )
P.S. I also think Henriot is in there somewhere in the yum category..

 

[pagingjoan]

If you want a decent champagne then yes otherwise some Australian an NZ sparkings are excellent. (Tasmanian or Nautalis, CB from NZ.) Or why not give a good Italian Valdobbiadene Prosecco a try, even Innocent Bystander Prosecco is a nice (and v cheap) drop.

But none of those should be discussed in the same conversation as Champagne.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Forgot Perrier Jouet... Yep I think this is ok also... Haven't had it for a while though..
Agree with your NV rating "Moet, working up to Veuve, Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart" and would place Krug after that...and perhaps Billecart in just before Bolli
All dependent on price of course... Like JohnM I have a price adjusted scale of appreciation (so perhaps "free" always comes first )
P.S. I also think Henriot is in there somewhere in the yum category..

Pretty much spot on for me but I like Billecart better than Bolly.
OT but has anyone been to a Kyla Kirkpatrick event ?
I have only been to one and admittedly I did have a fair bit of background knowledge but I did really like her presentation style and the sabrage demo was phenomenal

 

[pagingjoan]

The reason I ask is that generally the discussion centres around champagne in that pricepoint. I do not profess to know much about champagne so was hoping for a little edumacation. Is it necessary to pay a higher price for champagne for something drinkable, and is everything below that level just swill? Is there anyone on this thread who owns up to drinking something lesser known and lesser priced and finds it quite passable?

Someone a while back identified the Louis Auger - which has been derided by others in this thread (personal taste is unarguable) but which I find to be a perfectly acceptable very modestly priced option, and preferable to most, if not all, domestic bubbles.

So, once again, it's a matter of what appeals to your taste buds and your wallet.

(Then again, there is a long list of Champagnes that I would drink in preference to the LA. But the question relates to the low end of the price range and the LA is usually just under $30, so fits the bill.)

 

[prozac]

Thanks pagingjoan, I find it interesting that a good red (or white) can be had for a discounted price sub $30 and closer to $20. Not knowing champagnes I am still surprised that it appears imperative to pay much more than this to get a decent bubbly.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Forgot Perrier Jouet... Yep I think this is ok also... Haven't had it for a while though..
Agree with your NV rating "Moet, working up to Veuve, Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart" and would place Krug after that...and perhaps Billecart in just before Bolli
All dependent on price of course... Like JohnM I have a price adjusted scale of appreciation (so perhaps "free" always comes first )
P.S. I also think Henriot is in there somewhere in the yum category..

Shucks, I forgot about Billecart.. how embarassing. That's proably alongside Ruinart for me.

Krug, yes, but I ignored it since its pricing is rather esoteric compared to all the others.

 

[Lizzi]

Pretty much spot on for me but I like Billecart better than Bolly.
OT but has anyone been to a Kyla Kirkpatrick event ?
I have only been to one and admittedly I did have a fair bit of background knowledge but I did really like her presentation style and the sabrage demo was phenomenal

I've only been to one, and while there wasn't as much "education" as I'd expected for something marketed as a "masterclass", I certainly enjoyed it. As you say, great style. I also joined her club for a while but left because I felt I wasn't getting value for money on the $39/month (there were very few Perth events and most were on weekday mornings, so no chance I could get to them). I'm thinking of joining again though as I like her tulip glasses for champers and I (well, the dog did actually) broke one of the two I received on first joining!

 

[TheRealTMA]

But none of those should be discussed in the same conversation as Champagne.

LOL. I only drink Dom Rosè for champers ( thanks EK), otherwise a good valdobby prosecco. Prosecco now outsells French bubbles in London by a fair margin these days. YMMV

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Pretty much spot on for me but I like Billecart better than Bolly.
OT but has anyone been to a Kyla Kirkpatrick event ?
I have only been to one and admittedly I did have a fair bit of background knowledge but I did really like her presentation style and the sabrage demo was phenomenal

If I was listing my choices my list would be similar.
Though a couple of special Dom vintages have been superb.
My previous post was addressing a question about "affordable" champagne!

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Thanks pagingjoan, I find it interesting that a good red (or white) can be had for a discounted price sub $30 and closer to $20. Not knowing champagnes I am still surprised that it appears imperative to pay much more than this to get a decent bubbly.

I guess the issue is the limited quantities from the region.. like a burgundy or bordeaux.. good whites and reds are expensive.
If you open up the region (i.e. Sparkling wines) then you reduce the price

 

[pagingjoan]

Pretty much spot on for me but I like Billecart better than Bolly.
OT but has anyone been to a Kyla Kirkpatrick event ?
I have only been to one and admittedly I did have a fair bit of background knowledge but I did really like her presentation style and the sabrage demo was phenomenal

Have been to only one also. It was at Vue de Monde - and I think I may have reported in it somewhere here. The dinner was good but the range of Champagnes was disappointing for me, given the price of the event, and the commentary was entry level, at best. But then that may have suited the audience. Certainly, the people in our immediate vicinity had little knowledge of or acquaintance with Champagne. They were there for an "occasion" and a chance to visit the restaurant - although it was in a private function room, not in the restaurant itself.

Shortly after that, by chance, we were at another Champagne event in the same venue but hosted by Tyson Stelzer. For us, that was much more interesting and much better value. But each to their own, as always.

 

[pagingjoan]

I guess the issue is the limited quantities from the region.. like a burgundy or bordeaux.. good whites and reds are expensive.
If you open up the region (i.e. Sparkling wines) then you reduce the price

Yes, that's the critical issue. Thirty dollars may buy you an acceptable bottle of red - but it won't get you into the rarified strata of Bordeaux or Burgundy, just as it won't buy you the gems of Champagne.

 

[blackcat20]

For those that want Veuve for approx $40 a bottle, pop yourself over to Cellarmasters and use the code BLACKFRIDAY for 30% off. If you have access to cashback you can get it down to $38.

 

[Mr_Orange]

For those that want Veuve for approx $40 a bottle, pop yourself over to Cellarmasters and use the code BLACKFRIDAY for 30% off. If you have access to cashback you can get it down to $38.

$36.28 when you combine with a 5% discount gift card. Awesome. This smashes the Moet Hennessy statement credit/voucher code deal.

 

[blackcat20]

$36.28 when you combine with a 5% discount gift card. Awesome. This smashes the Moet Hennessy statement credit/voucher code deal.

Except apparently now "sold out". They did that last time when there was a discount code too....

 

[Mr_Orange]

Except apparently now "sold out". They did that last time when there was a discount code too....

So I see, although I have a 6 pack in my shopping basket as I type. I'll try and pay for it......

 

[Mr_Orange]

So I see, although I have a 6 pack in my shopping basket as I type. I'll try and pay for it......

Well, the order went through and the amount has been deducted from my WISH gift card. I opted for Click & Collect from my local BWS so I will be interested to see what happens.