August has become Taste Champagne

Taste Champagne has become one of the premium Champagne events on the Australian wine calendar.

Organised by Tyson Stelzer and BlackEvents, 200 cuvées from 72 Champagne houses will be featured including our own Champagne Jeeper and Achille Princier grower Champagne.

It kicks off this week in Sydney and Canberra to sold out events, followed by Brisbane and Perth. There are still tickets in Melbourne but be quick!

If you are going please come and say hello.

To celebrate this month of Champagne events, we are offering 10% off our range of Champagne. 

Stock up for the spring races and end of year events ahead! Use code CHAMPS10 at the check-out.

Click here to see more.

Our top 5 Christmas Suggestions 2016

'Tis the season to be jolly! Here are our top 5 Christmas/New Year wine suggestions.


Gift Packs
Christmas is all about giving after all. We have some great gift packs ready to be sent. We can send to you or to the gift recipient. We can include a personalised note.

We also have digital gift cards at various price points that can be redeemed on line.

Jump on line or give Helen a call on 0260 206 016 or 0414596395 for ideas.

Champagne

Many of us look forward to a glass or two of bubbles with friends and family over Christmas. This one is fantastic. Its being poured in some great restaurants in Australia and around the world.  Its well-priced enough to pour a glass for your family (well maybe!) By the bottle its $54 or $49 in a six pack.

Rosé
We are thrilled to see the rise and rise of dry rosé. Rosé sales now exceed white wine in France, and it has really taken off in Australia in the last few years. We have 4 lovely rosé wines. 

Chateau Rollan de By 2008

This is a special wine that would go perfectly with turkey and ham and everything festive. It recently out scored the famous Chateau Margaux and Chateau Cheval Blanc (featured in the movie Sideways) in a blind tasting. Both these wines sell for >$1000 per bottle. We heard its being served on Air France business class! This is $59. A special wine to enjoy over the holiday period. Limited stocks. Find it here.

Mixed packs

We have some great mixed packs at various price points with a mix of rose/whites/reds and dessert wines. 

Don't forget we can send to your holiday address. 

Some clever customers have done this in previous years and had a case of their favourites delivered to their holiday accommodation/agents. Brilliant! Click here to buy.

Courier deadlines are approaching so please jump on line and order ASAP.

Whatever you are doing this holiday season, eat and drink well but drink responsibly.

Taste Champagne 2016

On August 15th we participated in Taste Champagne 2016 an exclusive champagne event held in Sydney at The Four Seasons Hotel for media, trade and the public. This is one of three events showcasing 158 cuvées from 50 Champagne Houses, growers and cooperatives.

The event was expertly put together by Styson Telzer and his team. Tyson is International Wine & Spirit Communicator of the Year 2015, Australian Wine Communicator of the Year 2015, Australian Wine Communicator of the Year 2013, and International Champagne Writer of the Year 2011. He wrote The Champagne Guide 2016-2017 which is out now in hardback and ebook.

We proudly presented our popular Achille Princier Grower Champagne and gave a sneak peak of a new marque about to arrive in Australia- Jeeper

Next week Taste Champagne moves onto Melbourne on August 22nd and then on to Brisbane August 29th. Be quick to book as some sessions are booked out. Here are the details.

Melbourne: Plaza Ballroom  (Under the Regent Theatre)
191 Collins Street Melbourne 3000
Monday 22 August 2016

Trade & Media 1pm to 5pm (Currently full – no vacancies)

Public Tasting Event 6pm to 9pm (tickets available)

VIP Public Ticket 6pm to 9pm + Vintage Cellars Prestige Masterclass 6:30pm to 7:15pm (sold out)


Brisbane: Customs House

Trade & Media – 1pm to 5pm

399 Queen Street Brisbane 4000
Monday 29 August 2016

Public Tasting Event 6pm to 9pm (tickets available)

VIP Public Ticket 6pm to 9pm + Vintage Cellars Prestige Masterclass 6:30pm to 7:15pm (sold out)

Listen to wine communicator and wine judge Stewart White talking about Taste Champagne and bubbles in general on 2UE.

Drinks on Helen

Helen was recently interviewed by the Daily Telegraph in Sydney! 

Our latest product: rosé Champagne from Achille Princier

We are delighted to be selling Achille Princier Grande Tradition non-vintage rosé Champagne.

At the end of 2014 we started the Champagne of this producer. It has been exceptionally well received and we are delighted to have added their rosé Champagne to our range. It has a bit of a "wow" factor. 

Our tasting notes: A splendid deep salmon colour. Has an initial freshness and a broad pallet of red small fruits (strawberries, raspberries) and blackcurrant/cassis. The delicious finish is clean and remarkable in its finesse which brings together this classy and harmonious product.

It was awarded 2 stars in the Guide Hachette putting it up there (or above) the well-known Champgane brands.

It is a good example of what is referred to as "grower" Champagne. In the past, most Champagne grape growers sold their grapes to the big Champagne "houses" or famous brands. Many producers have started to make their own grapes into Champagne. The folks at Wine Folly have written this explanation of grower Champagne. 

Winemaker Maxime Mansard is the fifth generation of winemakers at Achille Princier. This family used to sell grapes to the big Champagne houses but now they make their own.

As a non-vintage Champagne, parcels of grapes are blended with older material to produce consistency of taste and style. 

This wine is produced from 66 different parcels of vines in 10 communes extending across 24 hectares in the Marne Valley near Epernay. This dividing up of the vineyards is a major plus as it allows an "assemblage" of wines. This enables the producer to achieve a balance between freshness and complexity by blending different parcels, and ensuring a consistent but unique style for Champagne Achille Princier.

This champagne is a mixture of 3 varieties: Pinot Noir 50%, Pinot Meunier 15% Chardonnay 20% plus some Coteaux champenois rouge 15% . Coteaux champenois rouge is a red wine made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes grown within the Champagne region.  It is then blended with the parcels made for other Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes that have been made into Champagne in the usual way. 

The average age of the vines is more than 30 years old (the youngest are 7 years old and the oldest 84!)

This Champagne is made by traditional méthode champenoise. From vineyard management to picking to pressing to bottling, the grapes and resulting wines are looked after meticulously.  Only the first pressings of the grapes are used to ensure finesse for the Champagne and the wines that are keep for future blending. The bottles are rested for many years in traditional underground caves at a constant temperature.




And its a bargain at $65.

To buy click here. Trade customers please email us at info@discovervin.com.au for trade prices. 

DiscoverVin Top 10 wines of 2014 (Part 2)

This is the second part of our Top 10 wines of 2014. Part one can be found here.

The top 5 was dominated by rosé and white wine. Wines 6 to 10 features a wonderful Champagne and some great value reds.

6.Achille Princier Champagne Grand Tradition NV $54


This champagne was new to DiscoverVin in 2014. 
Its a great value Champagne from a small producer. 

It received 2 stars in French "wine bible" Guide Hachette 2014, beating a lot of well-known champagne brands, so it doesn't get any better at this price. 

Oz wine writer Sean Mitchell reviewed it recently: " Overall, this is a very impressive Champagne and one that I'll be buying. " 

It has quickly become one of our best sellers.

More details on this link.








7. Chateau Laroche Joubert 2011 $29.90

The 2010 version of this wine was selected in Gourmet Traveller magazine's Bordeaux feature in August 2014 and made it into the top 10 - and quickly sold out. This 2011 we think is just as good!

An easy drinking merlot blend from the Bordeaux Cotes de Bourg appellation. The vineyards of Bourg face Margaux across the Gironde estuary and offer exceptional quality and excellent value for money.

This is a good example of what we specialise in- finding good value Bordeaux wines from small producers.

The guys from The Wine Wankers loved this one. Read about it here. 

More details and technical information is available here






8.Chateau Haut Monplasir Prestige AOC Cahors 2006 $34.90

A great Malbec from the Cahors region from a top organic producer. 

This wine was mentioned in a review of Cahors, where the malbec grape originates from, in Decanter October 2014 as an up and coming producer.
Château Haut-Monplaisir is owned by Cathy and Daniel Fournié.  Cathy took over from her parents in the 1990s and adopted modern practices. These approaches have lead to impressive improvements in the wines from the property. They are now certified organic producers.



"Cahors is that rarest of all wines: both a rising star and a timeless classic." --The Guardian (UK) April 2013. 

This producer is a rising star of Cahors and this vintage is one of their classics. Details here.




9 .Chateau de Saurs 2010 $24.00

This wine is from the Gaillac region near Toulouse in south-west France. Wines have been made here from Roman times. Nowadays both "new" varieties like Shiraz and merlot are used as well as ancient indigenous varieties that grow wild and were domesticated many centuries ago.

This one is a blend of shiraz, merlot and an indigenous variety Braucol.

"This is easily the best Gaillac wine that I have tried" Sean Mitchell, Grape Observer, June 2014.

Another good example of the wines that DiscoverVin is bringing to Australia. From an ancient vineyard that has been producing quality grapes for many centuries, premium grapes are now being made into modern, organic and clean wines while retaining characteristics typical of the terroir. 

Again this offers great value for money for the quality!

This wine was awarded a Silver medal at the Concours National des Vignerons Independants 2010.

Please click here for more information



10. Chateau Truquet 2011  $31

A rare budget-friendly Saint-Émilion red wine which you will love for its soft rich fruit, balance and complexity. 

This is an undervalued producer that is the immediate neighbour of famed Chateau Figeac (which sells for many times the price.) 

Bronze Medal Concours des Grands Vins de France (Macon).

Another example of the great value wines we are bringing from France.

Further details can be found here.



To recap, out Top 10 for 2014 included 2 rosé, a dry white, 5 great value reds from a mixture of appellations, a new Champagne to Australia and a stunning dessert wine from the Pyrenees. If you haven't tried any of our wines, we suggest that any of these top 10 would be a great place to start!

Prices above are for online customers. Trade enquiries welcome via info@discovervin.com.au or 0260 206 016

Please see our website for terms and conditions. 

Great Value Champagne from Achille Princier

DiscoverVin is excited to add an elegant value-for-money grower champagne from independent family producer, Achille Princier, to our portfolio of wines. 

DiscoverVin have emphasised independent, artisanal winemakers and grape growers in our portfolio.  Achille Princier Champagne complements our range of  producers, and fits with our philosophy of sharing wines crafted by small independent producers to demonstrate their terroir, with Australian wine drinkers. 

Our customers often ask us if we have Champagne to sell. We have spent more than 12 months researching a good value for money Champagne, and we are very happy to have finally found it! 

Achille Princier Grand Tradition NV has won 2 stars in the Guide Hachette in 2014 (one of the main French wine guides).  Excuse our french translation of the Guide's notes: "Its golden colour invites you to smell citrus fruits and white stone fruit which one finds in the mouth. Nice to taste, generous, suave and balanced. This bottle will hold its own well enough as an aperitif or with a meal".

Winemaker Maxime Mansard is the fifth generation of winemakers at Achille Princier.

Terroir: This wine is produced from 66 different parcels of vines in 10 communes extending across 24 hectares in the Marne Valley near Epernay. This dividing up of the vineyards is a major plus as it allows an "assemblage" of wines. This enables the producer to achieve a balance between freshness and complexity by blending different parcels, and ensuring a consistent but unique style for Champagne Achille Princier.

Grapes: This champagne is a mixture of 3 varieties: Pinot Noir 30% , Pinot Meunier 35% and Chardonnay 35%.

The average age of the vines is more than 30 years old (the youngest are 7 years old and the oldest 84!) 

Pinot Meunier brings an intense bouquet, a freshness on the pallet, often described as giving a "fruitiness" and a "roundness" to the wine. Pinot Noir gives aromas of red fruits and a more marked/stronger structure. Finally Chardonnay adds a freshness on the pallet, and a finesse and elegance.

Wine making: Made by traditional méthode champenoise. From vineyard management to picking to pressing to bottling, the grapes and resulting wines are looked after meticulously.  Only the first pressings of the grapes are used to ensure finesse for the Champagne and the wines that are kept for future blending. Dosage 8 g/L. Malo-lactic fermentation in stainless steel. The bottles are rested for many years in traditional underground caves at a constant temperature.

Our tasting notes: A deep yellow/gold colour, clear and bright. In the mouth its fresh, soft and harmonious, and endowed with good length on the palette. It evolves in the mouth, its balanced, profound and subtle. Excellent.

Alcohol:  12%

An excellent Champagne at this price! Jump on our website to buy. Trade price available on application 0260 206 016 or info@discovervin.com.au