When Warilla’s Nicky Goodyer was named among the top five amateur champagne connoisseurs in Australia, there was just one way to celebrate – with a glass of bubbly of course.
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It was just a warm-up for the finals of the biennial Vin de Champagne Awards in Sydney on September 26, where the 54-year-old’s passion for all things sparkling will really be put to the test.
‘’I’m thrilled to have a one-in-five chance of being the best amateur champagne connoisseur in the country,’’ Mrs Goodyer said.
‘’My passion for this wine seriously developed 12 years ago after I realised it had been present at all my life’s milestones. When I have a glass, I sit and savour it and respect the process it’s taken to get that wine in the bottle.’’
The wedding florist set up a champagne appreciation club after realising most people didn’t know the difference between champagne – exclusively from France’s Champagne region – and other sparkling wine.
If she wins, the prize is a tour of that region, where France’s Comite Champagne will present her with a medal.
The prestigious awards include the amateur category, as well as a professional category for those who gain income from the food and wine industry.
Entrants answered essay questions about Champagne’s viticulture, terroir and history. Finalists will undergo a blind tasting and questions from an expert wine panel including Huon Hooke, Peter Bourne and Bernadette O’Shea.
‘’After 40-plus years, these awards continue to reveal an intriguingly diverse cross-section of champagne palates, in both the amateur and the professional classes,’’ Elisabeth Drysdale, director of the Champagne Bureau, said.
‘’We are witnessing a growing collective of champagne lovers in Australia, evidenced in the calibre of candidates entering the awards and the ambassadorial work former winners are carrying out in every state.’’
Ms Drysdale said Australia was the sixth largest import market for champagne in the world. In 2015, Australia imported more than eight million bottles of champagne, which represented a 24 per cent increase on 2014.