Taste Champagne is my favourite event of the show circuit. It's a hard month of travel and follow up but it's so rewarding for me. When thinking about it, I realised there are a few reasons why I love it so much. 

For those that don't know, Taste Champagne is a true celebration of Champagne from across the entire region. There are over 200 cuvées from different houses. It's almost impossible to get around to all of them but thats why it's great to go back for multiple years and try different houses each year. 

It's the best education in understanding the difference between the main regions of Montagne de Reims, Cote des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Sézanne and Côte des Bar before going deeper and exploring the sub regions. 

It is also a great opportunity to try the Grand/Prestige cuvées as well as vintages of the houses. Not everyone has the budget to purchase and consume vintage Champagne so we are usually stuck drinking Non Vintage. When you start to develop the taste for vintage Champagne, you really start to understand the beauty and wonder of Champagne as a region and a drink. Vintage Champagne is so delicate and complex, it's like a party in your mouth. I love my vintage champagne and I really enjoy Taste Champagne as an opportunity to try a number of them from different houses. 

I also love how much effort has gone into finding the right partners for this event to ensure the Champagnes shine. Using Riedel glasswear for serving and Antipodes water to cleanse the palate and rehydrate, really highlights the care the team takes in ensuring the Champagnes are the centre of attention. 

Finally, it's a celebration of bubbles! How does it get better than that? It also showcases how all the houses have such a unique style and flavour. A lesson in Champagne is like a tour through history if you take the time to listen to the Ambassadors. It's a fabulous educational day out. 

It's also a time for me to connect with the general public and educate them on both Henri Abelé and how Champagne is made. I often find it surprising how many Champagne lovers actually don't know what Lees or Disgorge mean. So it's a chance for me to connect on a human level and have an unpretentious conversation in what could somewhat be deemed as a pretentious occasion. 

So, have you got your tickets to Taste Champagne yet? For less than $150, you get 3 hours of unfettered access to over 260 cuvées on tasting. I recommend downloading the tasting booklet, doing some research and really honing in on what you want to taste as there is no time to waste. 

You can also save some money by buying Champagne from the Ambassadors on the night! So if you think it's time to start your champagne collection or time to restock, ask what deals are available. I can tell you now, we have plenty of awesome deals over at Henri Abelé :) 

Let me know if I'll be seeing you there!