Champagne, Hunter Valley, Vict...
Champagne
The chalky soils of Champagne combined with its frigid growing environment create wines that are electric and salivating. But it’s the creation of bubbles that makes these wines stand out.
The bubbles are formed during a secondary fermentation in bottle, known as Méthode Traditionelle. The longer they age, the more nougat and brioche flavours develop and the finer the bead (bubble) becomes.
In terms of who invented Champagne, the English make a strong case as they worked out the formula for purposely making the fizz happen and their stronger coal-fired glass bottles - resulting from the Industrial Revolution - could hold the pressure. Whereas the French were still bottling in wood-fired glass which wasn’t strong enough and they hadn’t cracked the technique of creating bubbles on purpose.
Grapes
White: Chardonnay
Red: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Styles
Nowhere in the world can emulate the fineness and electric detail of these wines. Non-vintage Champagnes should be enjoyed earlier in their lives, while vintage wines have more structure and can age beautifully. House styles differ too. Blanc des Blancs (100% Chardonnay) offer a more elegant and fragile expression while Blanc des Noirs (100% Pinot and or Meunier) are darker fruited with more obvious structure and power.
Favourite Producers
Pierre Peters, Louis Roederer, Vilmart, Andre Clouet, Taittinger, Larmandier, Egly-Ouriet, Jacques Selosse
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Kaiju! Golden Axe Apple Cider 375ml CanMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia500$3.00 As low as $2.70 -
Kaiju! Krush Tropical Pale 375ml CanMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia500$5.00 As low as $4.50 -
Kaiju! Krush 375ml CanMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia500$5.00 As low as $4.50 -
Four Pillars Dry Rare Dry Gin & Tonic 250ml CanMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
GinAustralia500$8.50 As low as $7.65 -
Thomas Synergy Semillon 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022SemillonAustralia407$24.00 As low as $21.60 -
Tyrrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2016SemillonAustralia407$25.00 As low as $22.50 -
Amen Break Cabernet Franc 2021There's certainly a bustle in the hedgerow here, with blackberry, black raspberry, leaf, dried roses and pencils. Medium-bodied, cool acidity, a distinctly 'mineral' feel, intense small berried dark fruit, graphite tannin, a little sundried tomato and raspberry pip, and a spicy and gently bitter amaro/sappy finish of excellent length. Tight and crunchy, and very good to drink. I like it a lot. (93+) GARY WALSH, The Wien Front
We've featured the wines of under the Amen Break label a lot here and there is a reason why - they rock. Hailing from a small village in east of Australia called New Zealand the Clonal Brothers are Matt and Steve Harrop and together they are a lethal winemaking combination. One of the most sampled drum patterns music nerds will recognise this as a 6- to 7-second (4-bar) drum solo performed by Gregory Sylvester "G. C.". Coleman in the song "Amen, Brother" performed by the 1960s funk and soul outfit The Winstons.
2021Cabernet Franc, Pinot noirAustralia500 -
De Iuliius Estate Shiraz 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023shirazAustralia407$27.00 As low as $24.30 -
Four Pillars Dry Rare Dry Gin & Tonic 250ml Can Four PackMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
GinAustralia500$29.00 -
Margan Breaking Ground Rosato 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Barbera, Merlot, Pinot GrisAustralia407$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Mt Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2018More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2018SemillonAustralia407$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Unico Zelo Yuzu Sweet Vermouth 750ML
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VermouthAustralia500$33.00 As low as $29.70 -
Little Reddie Leanganook Riesling 2023Fully ripe white and yellow peach with fresh apricot and wet stone, the flavour intensity is invigorating. Ripeness is refreshed with bitter lemon, lemon pith and red apple skin. There's a welcoming mouth-coating viscosity that gets cleaned up by a chalky phenolic finish. A delightfully generous, thirst-quenching flavour bomb of a wine. KAYLEEN REYNOLDS2023RieslingAustralia500$37.00 As low as $33.30 -
Reed White Heart Riesling 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023RieslingAustralia500$41.00 As low as $36.90 -
Tyrrells HVD Semillon 2018
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2014SemillonAustralia407$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Allevare Gippsland Sauvignon Blanc 2022A small proportion of fruit for spends approxiamately two weeks on skin in Amphora to add a little textrure and grip to the final blend. The remaining juice is pressed to neutral oak barrels and aged on full lees for around 12 months.2022sauvignon BlancAustralia500$44.00 As low as $39.60 -
Allevare Beechworth Roussanne 2022Lucy and Alysha are based in West Gippsland, looking after small parcels of land and sourcing fruit from around Victoria. Producing delicious and honest wines under their label 'Allevare', meaning 'to nurture', they pride themselves on working with the land and collaborating with growers in all regions with a focus on sustainability and innovation. An amalgam of Sicilian and local sensibilities, and some of the most joyful and inviting labels in the game.Artwork by Bridgette McNab, an old Sicilian love story about Teste di Moro.2022RoussaneAustralia500$44.00 As low as $39.60 -
De Bortoli Noble One 2020 375mL
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019SemillonAustralia407$46.00 As low as $41.40 -
Mayford Tempranillo 2022Eleana Anderson is the tempranillo whisperer, a natural when it comes to the Spanish grape. Brings a real sense of elegance and class to the '22, not the easiest of vintages. Gentle black cherry, plum, bramble, earth and dried herb aromas. A refined palate awaits, one sensitively managed by well-judged oak and fine tannins. A vinous picture of sophistication. (96) JENI PORT, Halliday Wine Companion
The framework here is substantial. So too the flesh. This is a wine of meat, bones, stuffing and gravy. It tastes of scorched black cherries, chicory, woodsmoke and cedar, though sweet spice and kirsch notes get guernseys too. The flavour here may be bold, and polished, but folded within it are arms of muscular tannin, and these guide the wine to somewhere grander. It’s a wave, this wine. It lifts and it carries. It’s a release of note. (95) CAMPBELL MATTISON, The Wine Front2022tempranilloAustralia500$49.00 As low as $44.10 -
Mayford Chardonnay 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023chardonnayAustralia500$49.00 As low as $44.10 -
Maidenii Dry Vermouth 750mlDry is the lightest in colour and is slightly alpine on the nose, you can taste the citrus apples, apricot from the viognier (at least I told myself I could) and there is an intense cardamom and cinnamon spice element. You can add this to a martini, but I want this chilled over ice with a wad of orange and that’s about it. BEN KNIGHT, The Guardian2016VermouthAustralia500$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Maidenii Yuzu Vermouth 750mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVVermouthAustralia500$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 2022Dried roses, boysenberry and classic Rosehill Shiraz character, but with a deeper more rugged, peppery and earthy cast. Medium-bodied, tannin slightly tough, red and blue fruit, pepper and spice, baked raspberry, and a slightly raw finish, but length is solid. It's a bit closed in as a young wine, but should turn out pretty well. It's a nice wine all up, from a more difficult vintage. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front2022shirazAustralia407$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2022
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022shirazAustralia407$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Allevare Gippsland Gippsland Chardonnay 2022Grown by Lucy and Alysha in Maffra, Central Gippsland. A single block Chardonnay made from 40 year old vines grown on alluvial soils. Whole bunch pressed and 100% barrel fermented in aged French oak. A complex and textural Chardonnay that is an honest representation of a beautiful and iconic Gippsland vineyard. Extremely limited with only 1 barrel being made. ALLEVARE WINES
2022chardonnayAustralia500$58.00 As low as $52.20 -
Outlandish Claims Red Vermouth 700ML
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
VermouthAustralia500$59.00 As low as $53.10 -
Maidenii Sweet Vermouth 750mlThe Sweet Vermouth is made by stoping the fermentation of cabernet grapes. Grapefruit, mace and angelica root all feature. Inspired by the classic Negroni, the Sweet is an ideal element for a white spirit cocktail, or perfect pairing for both soda and cider.When Maidenii was conceived over a year ago, there was no Australian Vermouth on the market. Shaun and Gilles wanted to fill this niche to showcase Australia's unique native botanicals. Their Vermouth uses fresh wine to make a vibrant product distinct from others.
Wonderful packaging aside, this is seriously brilliant to drink or mix. All Australian, very complex with herb, zest, spice and exotic botanicals aromas and flavours. It's got some great brine-meets-chalk texture too, kissed with a touch of glycerol sweetness. A must have. MIKE BENNIEAustralia500$61.00 As low as $54.90 -
Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023shirazAustralia407$62.00 As low as $55.80 -
Andre Clouet Grande Reserve NV 375mlANDRE CLOUET (9/10)
Bouzy and Ambonnay are the epicentre of pinot noir in Champagne, and the Clouet family is the priviledged custodian of eight hectares of estate vines in the best middle slopes of both villages. These are rich and concentrated expressions of pinot noir, wines of deep complexity, multi faceted interest and engaging character, yet with remarkable restraint and sense of control. Recent tastings confirm my impression that this small and relatively unknown grower ranks high among Champagne's finest practitioners of pinot noir - and expresses one of the best value of all.
100% Bouzy and Ambonnay pinot noir. 6g/L dosage
Release after release, year after year, I have always marvelled at the lemon blossom freshness that Clouet manages to capture in pinot noir from two of Champagne's most powerful terroirs. Here it is again, in a captivating interplay of fleshy mirabelle plums, white peaches, crunchy golden delicious apples, and even a hint of pepper. Wild honey and mixed spice join the maelstrom along the way, gliding obediently into a well defined finish of soft minerality and integrated dosage. TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide 2014-2015
(100% Pinot Noir)The NV Brut Grande Reserve offers up layers of mineral-infused red fruits on a silky, mid-weight frame, with gorgeous length and a refined, subtle mousse. This impeccable, elegant wine shows terrific overall balance as well as complexity. I loved it. Andre Clouet is based in Bouzy, a village where Pinot Noir speaks with great eloquence, as is evident in these superb, pedigreed Champagnes. ANTONIO GALLONI, Robert ParkerNVChampagneFrance376$66.00 As low as $59.40 -
Mr Black Coffee Liqueur (700ml)Mr Black is coffee liqueur is locally made artisan spirit crafted at a small distillery on the NSW Central Coast. Mr Black only uses cold-pressed, specialty single-origin coffee beans from Ethiopia, Brazil and Papua New Guinea to craft this gold-medal winning liqueur. The bold and fresh coffee flavour, Mr Black burst onto the cocktail scene several years ago and has fast become one of the top local spirits with plenty of international accolades under its belt. The bottle design is as striking as the liqueur is smooth.LiqueurAustralia500$68.00 -
Vinden Somerset Vineyard Single Barrel Shiraz (North) 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021shirazAustralia407$68.00 As low as $61.20 -
Kaiju! Golden Axe Apple Cider 375ml Can SlabMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia500$72.00 -
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Bollinger Special Cuvee NV 375ml
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$73.00 As low as $65.70 -
Boatrocker Original Gin 700mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia500$80.00 As low as $72.00 -
Kaiju! Krush 375ml Can SlabMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
beerAustralia$85.00 -
Apollonis Authentic Meunier Blanc de Noir Brut NVBased in the Marne Valley, this producer has a predominance of Pinot Meunier in many of its Champagnes. Winemaker Marie Petit Loriot plays the tanks music as the wine ferments. This fruity wine is vibrant, densely textured and at the dry end of Brut. WINE ENTHUSIASTNVChampagneFrance376$85.00 As low as $76.50 -
Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut NVMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
ChampagneFrance376$86.00 As low as $77.40 -
Brimoncourt Regence NVA lightly toasty and flavorful Champagne with notes of praline, candied walnut, lemon peel and grilled orange. Fine bubbles. Pretty balance of toasty nut and zesty citrus. Dry feel. JAMES SUCKLINGNVChampagneFrance376$87.00 As low as $78.30 -
Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay 2022Marvellous chardonnay. Flavoursome, flinty, fleshy and complete. Stonefruits and white flowers, cedarwood and meal, a quartz-like aspect and plenty of struck match. But harmonious at every single turn. And then there's the finish, which is seriously well sustained. One sip and I was convinced. The score could well be stingy. (95+) CAMPBELL MATTINSON, winefront.com
The sort of wine that unravels with air, from a torque of initial restraint, to a more open weave. Fine contemporary chardonnay, delivered with a cooler climatic edge and Australia's typical clarity of fruit and suffusion of tension. Granitic. Sub-alpine. A meld that delivers gentle stone fruit allusions, kumquat and a seam of oak, impeccably integrated… NED GOODWIN MW, jamessuckling.comAussie winelovers need little prompting when it comes to elite Chardonnay from the Beechworth region which is home to some of our very best. This wine, mostly from the Mendoza clone, sees whole bunch pressing and a wild yeast ferment in new French oak, which is mostly 500-litre puncheons. A lean, pale yellow hue, this is obviously still very young, indeed almost raw, but it is certainly coming together. We have notes of citrus and cashews, with melon and peach. A minerally backing, juicy acidity and impressive length. This will be better in 12 months and should drink beautifully for the following five to six years, possibly considerably more. KEN GARGETT, winepilot.com
2022chardonnayAustralia407$88.00 As low as $79.20 -
Brocard Pierre Champagne 'Tradition' NVBrocard Pierre's entry-level and only blended-grape expression of Champagne, Cuvée Tradition Brut, spends three years on the lees in bottle before release, which in our opinion, makes it one of the best quality-for-value wine of Champagne.
The Tradition is made of Pinot Noir (80%), Chardonnay (10%) and Pinot Blanc (10%) grapes from vineyards planted on clay-calcareous soil near Celles-sur-Ource. 2018 vintage reserve wine makes up the dominant base, while 30% comes from different réserve vintages. The juice was fermented in oak (15%) and stainless steel (85%) at controlled temperature. The wine then spent 4 months in stainless steel, and it was aged on lees for 2.5 years. It has 6g/l of dosage.
A flattering nose dominated by the Pinot Noir. Good harmony in the mouth, strength associated with freshness but not heavy accompanied by a slightly mentholated finish. Ripe citrus. Unctuous mousse. Chalky, mineral and saline and mouth coating. Generous autolitic notes.
NVChampagneFrance376$89.00 As low as $80.10 -
Draytons Museum Release Shiraz 2010
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2010shirazAustralia407$89.00 As low as $80.10 -
Thierry Fournier Blanc de Blanc NVJulien explains that the Marne Valley vines sit in clay limestone soils, often giving richer Chardonnay notes than fruit from the Cote de Blancs. That said this is still very, very precise and fine with a rich mid palate for sure but then a precise, linear finish. To describe the flavour profile as ‘Chablis with bubbles’ would be perhaps to over-simplify things but this certainly makes for a sleek yet flavourful NV. Importer CellarHandNVChampagneFrance376$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Vilmart Ratafia de Champagne 500mlSTAFF PICKS 2024 - KAYLEEN REYNOLDS
Easily the best Ratafia I have ever tasted. Yes, the sample size is not large but it comes as no surprise knowing Vilmart's track record of making fine wines. Ratafia de Champenois AKA Champagne's vin de liqueur.
100% chardonnay from premier cru sites in village Rilly-la-Montagne of Montagne de Reims. Fermentation is stopped before completion by adding young grape spirit resulting in a sweet, full-flavoured wine that is delicate and oh so elegant. A must have for the festive season alongside Nan's pavlova or a stinky wash rind cheese. (serve chilled)
Candied apricots, lemon curd and cashew nut, instantly we know we are onto a great thing here! On tasting, we see wild honey on buttered toast with orange peel and white nectarine, all laced around stoney minerality. The impeccable balance of flavour intensity, residual sugar and grape spirit is remarkable. Persistent length is matched with refreshment. Finesse through and through. KAYLEEN REYNOLDS, pws
The 2013 Ratafia (Chardonnay) is laced with hints of dried fruit, almond, dried flowers and chamomile. It offers gorgeous complexity, along with notable energy and freshness. It is a very fine, elegant Ratafia. ANTONIO GALLONI
NVchardonnayFrance376$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Veuve Fourny Grand Terroirs 1er Cru Brut NVA blend of 80% chardonnay (grand cru) and 20% pinot noir (premier cru) mostly from Vertus. Small oak and 40% reserve wines included. 3 consecutive vintages make up the blend. Brut style with 6 grams dosage.NVChampagneFrance376$91.00 As low as $81.90 -
Maison Gamet Champagne 'Rive Gauche" NVA blend of fruit from several Mardeuil terroirs. 33% Pinot Meunier, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. It’s vinified entirely in stainless steel. The wine spends 35 to 40 months on lees before disgorgement.NVChampagneFrance376$92.00 As low as $82.80 -
Apollonis Theodorine Rose NVTheodorine is names after the vinegrowers daughter. It's a blend of Meunier, Chardonnay, pinot noir and red wine from pinot noir.NVChampagneFrance376$92.00 As low as $82.80 -
Ayala Brut Majeur NVThe NV Brut Majeur shows lovely balance in an approachable, up-front style well-suited to near-term drinking. Clean, mineral notes add a sense of proportion on the fresh, vibrant finish. The blend is 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, 80% of which is from the 2004 vintage, while the rest of the wine is composed of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reserve wines.ANTONIO GALLONI, Wine Advocate, 2010NVChampagneFrance376$92.00 As low as $82.80