Why Champagne Producers Should Be Doing More To Protect Consumers From Bad Champagne

A few blogs ago I professed my love affair with Ruinart. It's been a dizzy romance; I have fallen hard, head-over-heels in love for the euphoric highs of their expressive R de Ruinart Non-Vintage and Ruinart Brut Rosé Non-Vintage cuvées.

But like all love affairs, the lows can be as devastating as the highs can be euphoric. Unfortunately the bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Non-Vintage I recently chose was less than perfect - flabby in fact. Damn this heart-crushing romance.

So in fairness to Ruinart, this will not a be a review of their Blanc de Blancs Non-Vintage.

It's quite ironic really because only last week, I blogged about Ruinart's Brut Rosé Non-Vintage and how my wonderful experience contrasted with The Champagne Guide's Tyson Stelzer's experience who went through several bottles until he struck one that wasn't stale. I discussed the importance of publishing base vintage years (for non-vintages) and disgorgement dates so that the consumer could be empowered to make a more educated assessment of the champagne they were considering buying.

The Delights Of Freshness, Balance and Expression - Ruinart Brut Rosé Non-Vintage

I am so glad that I had a wonderful first experience with Ruinart's Brut Rosé Non-Vintage recently. Afterall, it had a lot to live up to; the R de Ruinart I had tasted a week before was sublime - so I had big expectations. However after reading Tyson Stelzer's write-up about his misfortune with this cuvée, I consider myself fairly lucky.

I use the word 'luck' very deliberately because after reading Tyson's tasting entry in The Champagne Guide 2012, it really seems to be 'pot luck' right now in Australia as to whether you get a good or a bad bottle.

Tyson recounts how after several failed attempts he finally struck a good bottle, putting it down to the fact there were several bottles still floating around with a vintage base of 2005 or 2006. In addition to the challenges presented by the 2005 vintage year, both champagnes were brought down by the fact they had been disgorged for a fairly long time.

Disgorgement refers to the process whereby all the sediment that gets captured in the neck of the bottle (at the end of secondary fermentation) gets released, leaving a clear cuvée ready for corking and distribution to the market.

Negociants Australia Champagne Masterclass With Pol Roger

Me, with Laurent d'Harcourt of
Pol Roger

I don't go in for Justin Bieber, Rhianna or Lada Gaga. The rock stars of my world are very different to all of that.

They are the people behind the bubbly stuff; the crafts men and women (growers and wine makers), poets (wine writers), ambassadors and enthusiasts (the unsung heros) of the champagne world. They are the stars that rock the champagne world. 

Earlier in the week I was privileged to have front row seats at my very own champagne concert; a champagne masterclass orchestrated by Negociants Australia in Adelaide. The stars of the show were Laurent d'Harcourt (Export Manager and Member of the Board of Directors for one of my favourite houses Pol Roger), Nick Ryan (wine writer for Gourmet Traveller and Men's Style magazines), Tyson Stelzer (of The Champagne Guide fame), Natalie Fryer (wine maker at Jansz) and David Brookes (contributing writer to Wine Companion magazine). Many thanks to Nick Ryan and Tim Evans (from Negociants Australia) for organising my invitation.