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Essi Avellan’s personal champagne site offers you a brand new source of unbiased champagne opinions. Discover Essi’s vast library of recent tasting notes, Essi’s blog, essential champagne information, latest news, as well as the results of the champagne awards to which her palate has contributed.
About Essi
My palate is one for purity, elegance and vivacity. Regarding champagne, I love what is in the glass but I also love what lies beyond. Champagne is an intriguingly complex and diverse region. A world of luxury and a truly fine wine. Still, where champagne is, fun begins. But knowing more makes it even greater fun. This is the Essence of Champagne.Essi Avellan
Essi has a mind like a steel trap! And she is uniquely qualified. Of all the Champagne specialists I know, Essi is the best and most consistent taster I have encountered, and I have tasted thousands of Champagnes with her, so that is no throwaway statement.Tom Stevenson, wine writer and champagne specialist
One senses a new voice – convincing, precise, analytical and mercifully free of dogmatic judgment masquerading as incontrovertible truth. Put another way, Avellan wears her knowledge and authority lightly, born of quiet self-confidence in the accuracy of her own palate, which is one of the best in the effervescence world.Michael Edwards, wine writer and champagne specialist
In every sip of champagne you can taste a piece of history, culture, terroir and the person behind the wine. To me, this effervescent charmeur is the finest wine on earth. Champagne’s inviting image belies a multi-faceted region and an exceptional amount of human skill in the making. Hence my belief that understanding champagne makes us appreciate it even more. Thirsting to know more and more, to dig deeper and deeper into its secrets, I welcome you to join me for a bubbly tour of Champagne and champagnes.
À la Essi
- To the forever-lasting memory of chef de cave Frédéric PanaïotisThe news of Ruinart chef de cave Frédéric Panaïotis’ passing has hit me hard today. It is this one interview of him that I did for the Flacons magazine exactly 10 years ago that keeps on returning to my mind as vividly as it was yesterday… The face of the oldest champagne house, Ruinart, founded …
Read more “To the forever-lasting memory of chef de cave Frédéric Panaïotis”
- Minne Is Part of the Summer Magic at EsplanadiSummer arrives on Eteläesplanadi, transforming the street into a lively celebration oasis – full of music, art, and delicious flavors. During “Espan kesäillat” (Summer Evenings on the Esplanade), the street is closed to traffic, and the atmosphere comes alive on three summery evenings: At Minne’s sales point, you can enjoy a curated selection of wine …
- Bollinger novelties: PN TX20, La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2015 and Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2016This week Bollinger launched three new, exciting iterations of its trilogy of blanc de noirs. Long before Blanc de Noirs became a buzzword among Champagne aficionados, Bollinger was already breaking ground with its legendary Vieilles Vignes Françaises, first crafted back in 1969. Fast-forward to 2012, and the house added another showstopper to the lineup with …