Your digital guidebook to the world of Champagne
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 MW
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Explore Essence of Champagne with Essi Avellan MW. Renowned champagne specialist and Master of Wine, 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.
What the others say
“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
Christies World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine 4th Edition

Latest blog

Tasted: Alfred Gratien Memoires Collection

TheMemoires Collection by Alfred Gratien – three consecutive vintages from 1996 until 1998, all crafted by the father-son winemaking duo, Jean-Pierre and Nicolas Jaeger. We commenced with the youngest, Memory 1998 (disgorged February 2015). The colour showed deep golden already and the nose was rich and abundantly fruity with tropical fruit meeting golden raisins, yellow […]

Featured house

Philipponnat

Philipponnat is a bijou house, whose precise terroir-approach and soulful, gastronomic champagne style have given it a cult following amongst champagne aficionados.

News

CSWWC 2021 announces Gold & Silver medal results

The world’s toughest and most prestigious sparkling wine competition, The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2021 (CSWWC), is delighted to announce its most decorated medal year yet, with a total of 139 Gold & 268 Silver medals awarded to 19 countries. All the Gold & Silver medal winners can be found here: CSWWC 2021 […]