Wine list

Champagne (rosé)The panel selected three wines

in this bracket

Champagne Pannier Brut Rosé

RRP $90.06Distributed by Zenith Wine Agencies

NotesStephen: Pretty pale colour, with a touch of yeast on the palate. Some sugar dosage, with a dry finish. Well-balanced and light in style.Jayne: Beautiful aromas of strawberries and cream. Nicely balanced and delicate, with a good acid back.Karen: Attractive aromas of fresh red berries and a hint of spice. Lovely, creamy beading with delicate red fruit flavours. Extended flavours on the back palate held by refreshing soft acidity.

Stephen Knight, educator, tasting judge, writer, industry consultant

Champagne Bollinger NV

RRP $121.32Distributed by Fine Wine Partners

NotesKaren: Lovely pale lemon hues in the style of a good aged champagne. A lovely balanced approach to fruit and acid. The flavour depth falls away a bit too quickly, but overall, it finishes clean and fresh.Stephen: Toast and yeast show some development. A good full, food style wine but needs some time in the bottle.Jayne: A lovely, well-balanced wine.

Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve NV

RRP $99Distributed by McWilliam’s Wines

NotesStephen: Lovely straw colour with complex aromas. A touch of yeast on the palate but balanced and clean. Full and classic; a very good wine.Jayne: Creamy with great length. Touches of vanilla bean on the palate. Well-integrated.

Our panel of experts seemed more than happy to spend the morning amid bubbles for the recent Drinks Trade Wine List tasting. With 112 wines in the lineup, Sarah Davey was on hand to capture the comments and top picks from the session.

The panel was comprised of seven members and was led by master of wine, Rob Geddes. Our panel members included:

For this tasting, the panel was split into two teams, with one group tasting European white and rosé sparkling and NZ wines; and the other tasting champagne and Australian sparkling white and rosé. Following the tasting, the panel then discussed the wines within their groups, selecting their top picks. After making their choices, each team tasted the top choices, and the final top wines were voted on. All wines received were above RRP $10.

We received 112 samples of current wine stock available to trade. The panel’s selection was as follows, in ascending price order.

Wine list

Champagne and sparkling

Travis Fuller, senior brand manager, Casella Wines

Sandy McKenzie, Porter’s Liquor, Chatswood

Rob Geddes, Master of Wine, wine writer, author of Australian Wine Vintages

Karen MacAllister, Wine Academy manager, McWilliam’s Wines

Melissa Parker, director, The Mod Comms Group

Jayne Powell, Wineworks International

Champagne (white) The panel selected a total of three wines in this bracket

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV

RRP $91.99Distributed by Suntory (Aust)

NotesStephen: A good, developed colour, with a touch of honey on the nose. This wine shows some bottle age and good acid. A good food wine.Jayne: Lots of creamy fruit and a good front palate.

60 drinks trade

European and NZ winesThe panel selected five wines in

this bracket

Grandin Methode Traditionnelle Brut

RRP $19.16Region: Loire, FranceDistributed by Fine Wine Partners

Notes Sandy: Highly coarse bubbles, with yeasty notes and showing some volume.Melissa: Light straw colour, with complex bread and dough aromas. A creamy mouthfeel with clean acid.Rob: Lean with steely acid. A good aperitif style. Clean and tight.

Champagne Taittinger Prestige Rosé

RRP $130Distributed by Mc William’s Wines

NotesStephen: A deeper red-pink colour. Dry, clean and solid.Jayne: Beautifully balanced with fresh fruit. Quite chardonnay-dominant.

Vigna de Sole Prosecco NV

RRP $14.99Region: ItalyDistributed by Euro Concepts

NotesRob: Very fresh, with white peach and nectarine fruit. Good balance and length; clean and superior.Melissa: Almost no colour at all! Fine mousse flavours with lifted citrus characters and fresh, zesty acid.Sandy: Fruity and juicy. No complex yeast lees on the palate.

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rosé

RRP $99Distributed by Moët Hennessy Australia

NotesStephen: Youthful colour, a clean and simple style. Lacks some complexity with a touch of sugar but is well-balanced.Karen: Bright pale pink with bronze highlights indicating some age. Soft bead, with delicate red fruit flavours that persist across the palate and extend to a lingering finish. A fabulous aperitif style wine!Jayne: Hints of orangey-pinks, with rich, buttery flavours. Quite sweet, but well-balanced.

EURO CONCEPTS Sydney proudly represents

the following iconic wineries ...

For distribution details, please contact EURO CONCEPTS Sydney

Tel 02 9716 4600 | Email euroconcepts.sydney@gmail.com

63drinks trade

Jansz Premium Vintage Cuvee 2004

RRP $39.95Region: TasmaniaDistributed by Samuel Smith & Son

NotesSandy: Lifted, complex yeast notes. Lovely palate with balanced sweetness and acid.Stephen: A lighter aperitif style. Appley flavours; a good drink.Rob: Fresh apple and pear fruit tones with a good, full mouthfeel. Rich and dense.

Australian sparkling (white)The panel selected seven wines in

this bracket

Brown Brothers Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier

RRP $23.50Region: King Valley, VICDistributed by Brown Brothers

NotesSandy: Quite rich, with some bread and yeasty notes. Very flavoursome with good length.Stephen: Crisp style, good acid and a lovely balance. Jayne: Yeasty and creamy on the nose.Rob: Complex, rich yeast with good structure and length.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus 2005

RRP $51.99Region: Marlborough, NZDistributed by Moët Hennessy Australia

NotesSandy: Some red fruit aromas. Dry and fairly rich, good length. Quite complex and tasty.Rob: Quite yeasty, with some pinot strawberry showing through. Long finish.Melissa: Clean fresh acidity, with savoury flavours and citrus characters.

Nautilus Cuvee Brut NV

RRP $29.95Region: Marlborough, NZDistributed by Samuel Smith & Son

NotesRob: Rich and complex. OK acidity. A lean front turns toasty acidity. Good length and well-balanced sweetness.Melissa: Some melon and yeast complexity. Creamy mouthfeel, firm acidity with fine mousse and a clean finish.

Freixinet Cordon Negro Cava Brut NV

RRP $14.99Region: SpainDistributed by Fine Wine Partners

NotesSandy: Creamy palate, with some nutty/yeasty flavours. Some sweetness, but balances with acid. Good age.Rob: Lemon sherbert aromas. Long, balanced age but perhaps a little too much sweetness? Freshness is its virtue.Melissa: Citrus and lemon on the nose. Fresh, zesty acid with a sweet finish. An easy-drinking wine.

Macedon Ridge Blanc de Blanc 2004

RRP $43.99Region: Macedon Ranges, VICDistributed by Rutherglen Wine & Spirits

NotesRob: Earthy and toasty. Complex and even-balanced, with some savoury notes.Sandy: Some buttery notes on the nose. Palate is sweet in the middle; a flavoursome wine.Travis: Some matchstick notes; firm.Melissa: Bold, intense flavour with good acid balance.

Starvedog Lane Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2003

RRP $29Region: Adelaide Hills, SADistributed by Constellation Wines Australia

NotesTravis: Fresh, with good intensity.Melissa: Yeasty, with some brioche tones. Good acid balance.Stephen: A big, full style. Lots of solids contact.

Jansz Premium Cuvee NV

RRP $24.95Region: TasmaniaDistributed by Samuel Smith & Son

NotesStephen: Complex with a high dosage. Slightly broad but has a fine finish.Melissa: An elegant wine, with citrus and grapefruit aromas and fine bead.Rob: Good clarity with a touch of fresh apple and pear. A clean wine.

64 drinks trade

Wine list

Jansz Premium Vintage Rosé 2005

RRP $45.95Region: TasmaniaDistributed by Samuel Smith & Son

NotesMelissa: Beautiful silky and creamy mouthfeel. Clean fruit and yeast flavours with good clean acid.Stephen: A drier style with some tannins. Good food style.Rob: Really good complexity, acid balance and length.

Bay of Fires Pinot Noir Chardonnay Rosé NV

RRP $33Region: TasmaniaDistributed by Constellation Wines Australia

NotesTravis: Rich, clean, full and long.Stephen: Pale pink colour with some brassy overtones. A fuller, food style.Rob: Notes of sweet red berries. A mouthfilling palate with good length.

Chandon Vintage Brut 2006

RRP $39.95Region: VICDistributed by Moët Hennessy Australia

NotesJayne: Good balance, but short length.Karen: Good level of fruit flavour.Melissa: Complex bread and yeasty flavours with a clean acid finish.

Willow Creek Tulum Vintage Brut 2005

RRP $35 - $40Region: Mornington Peninsula, VICDistributed by DWS, VIC; Quality Estate Distributors, NSW; Addely Clarke, QLD

NotesMelissa: Lovely wine with a soft mouthfeel and balanced acid. Clean fruit and lovely length.Rob: Fruity, sweet, rounded and warm.Jayne: Clean and balanced.

General Comments:

European and NZ wines Rob: After 20 years of tasting these wines, they essentially still taste the same, with two divisions. The fruit-driven Italians and some new-world styles and the champagne look-alikes such as New Zealand, Australia, Loire and Cavas which still have their edge of earthy, savoury characters although the flavours are longer and fresher. These are fruity with varying degrees of complexity that does not yet approach champagne. Among the fruit driven, the German wines have those same cool climate herbal pepper, spicy characters. There’s debate over the emergence of prosecco. Two of us

DeBortoli Emeri Pink Moscato NV

RRP $13Region: NSWDistribued by DeBortoli Wines

Karen: Fruity and balanced.Jayne: Light, fresh and sweet.Rob: Displayed all the attributes of a typical pink moscato; fresh perfume, length and persistence.

went with the juicy, citrus, ripe wines such as the Vigna Del Sole Prosecco. Generally, prosecco has vivid bright fruit with a distinct fresh juicy ripe fruit.Mel: Yes, I put lifted, citrusy, melony characters that are really appealing. A fresh and zesty acid, a good style.Rob: It’s not about yeast though.Sandy: It’s definitely all about freshness, but I do like sparkling with more varied flavour than prosecco and that comes from the variety that they are produced with. Among the French wines, the Loire wines are lighter in fruit wines that are long on the palate. I think the only ones that came out with more character were the ones that had been aged and had more depth although some people may not like them because they are not as fresh.Sandy: Generally, NV Loire is going to be lighter and fresher such as Grandin Methode Traditionnelle. They’re fairly steely and acidic – a good aperitif style.Rob: So if you are looking for crisp, fresh styles with length and subtlety then the French wines are definitely the style. I’d be drinking Loire before the meal with the salty or fatty foods, and I’d be drinking proseccos for fun when there is no food. For people selling them, proseccos have a unique fresh juicy fruit and special almond like edge to their fruit flavouring. In terms of NZ wines, a couple of those were good. There is sophistication in the thinking of NZ wines now. Sandy: The general NZ style seems to

be leaning more towards the French style, in the champagne mould. They are richer and heavier than the other wines with their intention to be top quality white wines showing toastiness and yeast derived flavours.

ChampagneTravis: I think the great thing about the four wines we chose is that you’ve got two whites that are quite different in style.Stephen: Number 15 (Bollinger NV) is the bigger, bolder, richer style, whereas number 14 (Tattinger Brut Reserve) is the lighter, cleaner style. But it depends on which style you like. One is much cleaner, crisper. Whereas the other one is a much more ‘worked’ wine, with more complex characters that go with food. It’s a slightly broader style, but they both have good structure to them. Travis: I think the rosés are also quite different in style, particularly number 23 (Champagne Pannier Brut Rosé), which is a much finer, delicate and intense wine. Wine 24 (Veuve Clicquot NV Rosé) was one of those wines you could drink at any time of the day. Lovely, approachable, exciting with delicate fruit flavours, but the palate persisted to a length, which I liked. To me, a champagne needs to have a front fruit flavour but also that length that follows through and that gives me satisfaction.Jayne: Number 23 (Champagne Pannier Brut Rosé) had a lot of integrated sweetness. In order to appeal to consumers, what they often do with

Australian sparkling (rosé) and moscatoThe panel selected three wines in this bracket

rosé champagne is they make it quite rich. This wine shows a lot more of that finesse, whereas number 24 (Veuve Cliquot NV Rosé) is a champagne that you could drink at any time of the day.Sandy: Most champagne is still sold as an aperitif. Very few people buy champagne to drink with food.

Australian sparklingKaren: I thought on the whole, the Australian rosés were very good. A couple of them were exceptional!The ones based on a pinot chardonnay blend had a far better approach. Their technicalities and structure was far better. South Australian and Tasmanian tend to be very sound wines. I think Victoria lost it a little bit because they are probably picking a little bit early. They are losing a bit of tannin balance and structure. Overall, I enjoyed them better than the pinot noir champagne blends.Rob: Among the rosés, it seems , “Rosé in the market means sweeter than the standard NV style”.Mel: I think the Tasmanian rosés are a bit more elegant.Rob: In general Australians are taking sparkling wines more seriously. I think the wines have a great evenness of palate, great structure and they flow. They were sweeter and leaner in fruit a decade ago. This same tasting 12 months ago didn’t seem to be as happy as this.Sandy: I didn’t come across any real shockers. Overall, it was fairly good quality wines in the mix.