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

Club Oenologique Champagne Report is out!

Our first ever Champagne Report with Club Oenologique magazine is out. I tasted 350 champagnes for this report, of which some 250 made it past the 90-point mark. In the Part 1 of the report published today we focus on champagne houses’ and cooperatives’ produce, and a special grower champagne report will follow next year! […]

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 2022 medal results are out!

The medal winners of the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships are announced with a total of 147 Gold & 249 Silver medals awarded in this year’s competition. This year saw close to 1000 sparkling wines judged over 11 days from 21 different countries with Australia, France and Italy submitting their most entries since the […]