To the OP: If you and your wife can manage to do a champagne tasting course, like the ones in Brisbane with Bernadette O'Shea (am sure there are other & other knowledgeable experts around), that would be incredibly beneficial for you.
Most true champagnes will be mostly red wine grapes - pinot noir and pinot meunier. This varies by house, but generally it's only those two grapes and chardonnay.
Champagne, like any beverage, is a hugely personal matter. I hate Perrier Jouet (too yeasty/vegemitey for me), but most other champagnes are fine, including some of Aussie sparklings, such as the Grant Burge and Chandons. As others have suggested, they would rather eat razor blades than drink some of the champganes I would drink. We are both right, for ourselves.
It's great to have some knowledge and understand whether you like Bruts, brut de bruts, a demi sec .... and if you have a preference for more chardonnay or more pinot for example.
