Westpac Wine Night 2024
Maybe its easiest to start with who and what we are not! We are not a supermarket, discount chain, lowest-common-denominator liquor outlet. In some ways we are not even a retailer who could be selling anything; tyres, widgets or beanie boos! We can only sell one thing…WINE!
What we are is an independently owned wine merchant, driven by our collective passion to source and share some of the greatest wines in the world with a similarly passionate group of punters…many of which are now friends and part of the PWS family.
There are two owners: Michael McNamara and Alex Wilcox (and their long-suffering wives) and together with 42 other committed (or perhaps should be committed) staff they run three wine retail outlets in South Melbourne and Sydney as well as a wine bar/restaurant Bellota and a wine cellarage business called Liquid Assets. In addition to this educate and have, for some years, now run the benchmark WSET qualification in Victoria and NSW and a suite of more informal courses written by the ourselves and our staff.
We import from a strong portfolio of producers from France, Italy, New Zealand and California that reflect our love of wines that are made by people who share our passion for great wine and wines that reflect their place.
So without getting too carried away and to put it succinctly, we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine.
Who else would you wanna buy wine from!
Founded by Alex Wilcox and Michael McNamara.
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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Andre Clouet Silver Brut Nature NVJean-Francois Clouet's zero-dosage ideal is realised with magnificent clarity here. Such is the concentration and richness of his pinot noir that it has absolutely no need for any sweetness. The bouquet is delightfully fresh, lifted, pure and expressive, with lemon zest, yellow mirabelle plums and red apple fruits. The palate follows impeccably, showcasing the concentration of Bouzy with exceptional purity and focus. Its barrel work blends impeccably contributing nuances of nougat, brioche and honey. Succulent yellow summer fruits pull seamlessly into a crunchy finish of red apple and lemon zest, concluding long and refined, with refreshingly taut acidity and soft, chalky minerality. Classic Bouzy of the finest order. TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide
Light yellow-gold. A highly aromatic nose displays lemon zest, fig, pear and ginger, with a bright mineral overtone. Tangy and precise, offering a complex blend of lime, white flowers, quinine and dusty minerals. Juicy, tightly focused Champagne, with nervy acidity adding cut to a long, sappy finish. This wine reminded me a lot of an old-school Chablis. JOSH RAYNOLDS
The NV Brut Nature Silver is naturally a very focused, driven wine given the no-dosage style. This shows wonderful nuance and depth all the way through to the long finish, with bright aromas and flavors but less of the toastiness than some of the house's other wines. The mousse and finish are both utterly impeccable in their elegance. ANTONIO GALLONINVChampagneFrance376$99.00 As low as $89.10