99 Jones Street Ultimo NSW 2007
27 bottles of bubbly to try
Thanks to
Champagne Jayne for giving me the heads up about this amazing annual event generously provided by the
Ultimo Wine Centre. It’s become so popular that this year they held it in the entry foyer of
Fox Golden Century in the Entertainment Quarter so there was more space for attendees to move around than the wine shop. Those lucky enough to RSVP early to get on the guest list were provided a tasting glass upon arrival and treated to 27 bottles of
champagne to sample — of course I had to try them all. I finally learnt that ‘NV’ stood for Non-Vintage which meant the champagne had a combination of grapes from different vintages/years while other bottles with a specific year on it was made from grapes pertaining to that year only — I hope that’s correct.
The champagne sellers had their work cut out for them constantly pouring their expensive drops of champagne to the eager crowd with a friendly smile and much generosity. Special prices for the event ranged from the very reasonable priced
Chateau De L’Aulee Brut Intense NV ($16.95) from the Loire Valley to the highest priced
Larmandier Bernier Cremant 2005 ($139.95) closely followed by the
Barons de Rothschild Rose NV ($129.95) and
Blanc de Blanc NV ($129.95). There was no sign of the more commonly known brands of Moet, Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger and Dom Perignon but
Taittinger Brut NV ($71.95) and
Prelude NV ($99.95) made an appearance along with
Louis Roederer Vintage 2004 ($114.95) and
Gosset Brut Excellence NV ($64.95) and
Grande Reserve NV ($81.95) which I’ve only just started noticing more in restaurants I’ve dined at like
Tabou and Kingsleys.
In the end it was hard to pick a favourite but it was a great event where you could talk shop with the suppliers and learn more about the finer points of champagne. Interesting and tasty canapés were provided by Fox Golden Century by their friendly young staff. Be sure to sign up to the Ultimo Wine Centre mailing list to keep in touch with future wine tasting events.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:PROS: Free event, Large range to sample, Tasty canapés, No apparent bad headache from quality champagne the next day
CONS: Must RSVP early to secure a spot, No Bollinger, Dom Pérignon or Cristal to try, Driving home is not an option
MUST TRY: Attending more wine tasting events
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Champagnes on offer
Grab your tasting glass and let's go
Larmandier and Egly Ouriet
Taittinger
Laurent Perrier
Lombard
Louis Roederer
Barons de Rothschild
Chartogne-Taillet
Jacquesson
Drappier Carte d'Or
Gosset and Paul Bara
Chateau De L'Aulee
Fox Golden Century canapés
Beef and cucumber
Salt and pepper white bait
Salt and pepper eggplant
People and bubbles
Entry to Fox Golden Century
