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.

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! 

Vinexpo news and insights

We wish that everyone who loves wine, gets to walk the red carpet at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, at least once in their life. It is pretty amazing to glide to a stop on the glass tram then step out on to - what 500 m or so?- of floating pontoon/red carpet, and to arrive in the massive convention space. This was our third Vinexpo and it was still exciting to meet suppliers and try new vintages and look at new products.

The Vinexpo stats are pretty impressive.

• about 2350 exhibitors from 42 countries- a conspicuous absence of oz producers one would have to say.
• close to 50,000 visitors- down a little on 2013 but exhibitors commented on a higher "quality" of visitors and more deals done and more optimism generally compared to 2013. Foreigners made up 36% of visitors with China, USA, Spain and Italy leading the way.
• some new innovations including Digizone where digital/social marketing innovations were a focus, there was a Vinexpo mobile app and One2Wine- a digital meeting booking system. 
• Many of the innovations were aimed at keeping up with Prowein which exhibitors praised for bigger size, more international focus, lower costs, more efficiency and better timing in vintage/buying cycle (March). Fair enough but hey Dusseldorf is not Bordeaux right!

Winners

• rosé: sales continue to climb, and there is an emerging differentiation between premium rosé (such as our Domaine de la Croix) and "vin de soif" (scoffing wines). There are now second labels of premium rosé and just about every European appellation seems to be making one, not just Provence and Bordeaux and certainly not just France. 
• grower champagne: buyers seem to be turning away from the perpetually discounted brands and looking for authentic artisanal products. Grower champagne has hit the mainstream says Jancis Robinson and there seemed to be plenty of evidence of that. Our own Achille Princier has been exceptionally well recieved and the Mansard Family are now struggling with demand.
• "garagiste" or "vinarchiste " or "super" wines. Call them what you will but producers in  Bordeaux, Loire, Languedoc, Rhone and even Burgundy are breaking the appellation rules and happily calling their wines Vin de France or IGP wines especially so for the export market. They are making modern, clean, varietal driven wines still authentic and expressive and usually under screw cap! Anarchy! Watch this space! We have some new lines to launch in Oz later this year.
• biodynamic/organic wines are ready for prime time. Currently 8% of French wines are certified as organic but it seems like the number under conversion is vast. Certainly in the price points/quality levels we were looking at, it felt like the majority of producers are organic or in conversion.The poster below from Producteurs Plaimont, the biggest producer in Madiran and St Mont is a sign of the times with an increasing proportion of their vineyards converting to organic. 
• the "small" appellations of Bordeaux: Bourg, Canon-Fronsac, St Emilion satellites, Graves, Listrac-Médoc etc where there has been great strides made in quality of production in recent years.
• Bordeaux the city. Is it possible to be in love with a city? I hope so because we sure are! It just seems to be getting better at every visit. And it is about to go up a notch with the arrival of the super fast train from Paris and the International City of Wine (Wine Museum) both possibly in time for Vinexpo 2017. The new museum alone is expected to attract more than one million visitors per year.

Losers

• Sauternes- lots of talk about the resistance in the market to "sticky" wines but the increased attention on wines such as Jurançon with high acidity/dryer finish. We expect to see falling Sauternes prices esp outside of the top brands and more and more dry Sauternes which are wonderful Graves/White Bordeaux and well received in the market
• vintage 2013: a very difficult wet vintage in many parts of France. Some wines are OK where the wines were not "over-made" and meticulous vineyard methods and section practices were followed. One of our producers lost his entire vintage due to rot in the vineyard (organic producer). Many of our producers were happy to let us pass over the 2013's and go straight to the 2014 wines which are generously fabulous. This was worth the price of the trip alone.
• homogeneous Bordeaux: There are lots of excellent wines out there but there was a "sameness" to many of the Bordeaux we tasted (perhaps reflecting modern wine-making methods across the regions) so we have concentrated on some authentic small producers and wines with some distinct character or a good story. It was a case of finding some outstanding gems amongst the very good pack so (as before) we end up with well curated lists.

At DiscoverVin we firmly believe there is a growing market for good value Bordeaux and wines across southern France especially the south west appellations, Rhone and Provence. We work with mostly small independent producers that are working on renewed vineyards/wineries. Many are at the forefront of the movement towards organic and biodynamic production. All are making authentic, terroir driven delicious and good value wines. Our trip to Bordeaux affirmed the importance of the types of wines we are looking for.

And now a final word on Vinexpo, commercialisation and product placement....."Don't lose a drop of it" !

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. 

North East Food and Wine Festival March 14th 2015

DiscoverVin has been invited to participate in the Market Day of the North East Food and Wine Festival.

Saturday, March 14th 10am - 4pm 

Junction Place, corner of Church Street and Elgin Boulevard, Wodonga

Come along and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere and indulge in the region’s fantastic food, wines, ciders and brews plus some international wines from independant producers.

Expect an array of differing cuisines – from Thai and Middle-Eastern to Italian, Spanish and more...Browse the stalls and meet some of the region’s top producers. Enjoy a glass of wine or Champagne. We have the perfect rosé to match a plate of paella and a glass of perfectly balanced french sticky to go with some cheese or patisserie.

With free live entertainment all day, this promises to be great day out for the whole family...

See what the best of the region has to offer you.

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