
Connoisseur: Them’s The Rules
Australia’s foremost wine experts reveal their top tips for collectors.
In the words of Clovis Taittinger, global export director for the internationally renowned Champagne house: “The pop of a cork should sound like a gunshot with a silencer.” But before we even put lips to liquid, what are the modern rules for collecting Champagne? How can we ensure that, years down the line, our treasured stockpiles fizz with greatness? We asked three leading wine authorities to share their best advice for storing, selecting and acquiring the world’s most precious tipple.

1. STORE CAREFULLY
“If you’re starting a collection,” says Tyson Stelzer, author and organiser of the Taste Champagne event, “just go and buy a little dedicated wine fridge or wine cabinet from any one of the great, devoted manufacturers like Vintec or LeCavist. You don’t need a lot of space, you can get tiny ones for an apartment that take just 12 bottles. Any good appliance store will have one.”

2. BE SELECTIVE
“In each decade there are good years to look out for when collecting,” says Stelzer. “In ’60s, 1966; ’70s, 1979; ’80s, 1989; ’90s, 1996; ’00s, 2008; ’10s, 2013.”

3. FIND YOUR OWN STYLE
Develop a relationship with a good independent bottle shop and let them help you explore your preferences. “The first point of collecting is understanding a style that you like and enjoy,” says wine critic Nick Stock. “And then from there, spend time getting your feet on the ground in terms of understanding that style. And then start to look further afield; you know, look to the left, look to the right. Deliberately go out and find another style to counterpoint what you like, and then understand how it’s different. And then decide whether you want to go there again. There are a myriad of different options with Champagne. It’s just a case of getting yourself oriented.”

4. OPEN SLOWLY
“Keep downward pressure on the cork as you extract it, because otherwise it will just explode” cautions Ned Goodwin, Master of Wine and respected wine critic. “And I mean, even if you’ve handled it well and gently, you just get these rogue bottles that are just wanting to go bang! Just ease the cork out with downward pressure on it—no need to pull it out aggressively; slowly does the job.”

5. GO LARGE FORMAT
“If you’re going to collect Champagne, don’t mess around,” says Nick Stock. “Just collect magnums. It ages so much better. You can thank me later.”
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Courtesy of Patricks



