“Discussions ranged widely: from the by-now outdated segmentation of Champagne producers into grandes marques and growers,” writes Krebiehl.
Tyson Stelzer, Champagne Guide Online launch, April 13, 2023
In an era of too much hot air and waffle in wine, real information is prized. Yes, there is demand for expert opinion and people are happy to pay for that. This is what Tyson Stelzer found, an acknowledged and award-winning writer on Champagne, who celebrated the launch of his Champagne Guide Online at lunch in London earlier in the week.
Popular demand
The new guide went live on Saturday 13 April, 2023 and will be an all-round resource on the region, featuring “thousands of reviews, hundreds of house overviews, scores of articles, best of lists, in-depth market commentary and photography,” compiled from six previous physical editions of Stelzer’s Champagne Guide, first published in 2011. He also notes that the site will be “supported by future editions of the guide,” which will continue to be published in print. It was popular demand from existing readers that convinced him to launch this subscription service which will be available to consumers for an annual fee of €85, £75, US$85 and AUD$120, with professional packages with reproduction rights available, too.
Fortuitous timing
As Champagne is in ever greater demand, the guide is a timely addition to online wine media. Champagne quintupled its share of the secondary market over the past decade, while leading high street brands saw price hikes of up to 15% in the UK last year. Land prices in Champagne have quintupled over the past 30 years and the region is shipping ever more wine further afield – notably Australia. Whether you are looking at established luxury brands or cultish insider names, demand outstrips supply. Stelzer thus felt there was a need for “ready access to up-to-the-minute reviews, pre-release recommendations and pertinent commentary.”
Falling in love
Stelzer was his usual modest but well-informed self at the London launch that was studded with delicious vintage wines from the celebrated 2008 vintage – personal favourites of the writer “graciously donated” by the houses, as he said. Seeing himself more as a “communicator than a critic” and a mere “messenger,” for the wines, Stelzer recounted his unusual road into Champagne. As a young maths, physics and religious studies teacher in Australia’s Gold Coast, he was already in love with wine.
When the opportunity came to travel to Europe for the first time in his life, he contacted the best wineries in Europe. This resulted in some memorable encounters: “Never having travelled overseas before, I wrote to all the great estates in France…as a 25-year-old I had tastings with the likes of Krug and Latour,” he remembered. “I fell in love with the people first, the wines second.” This experience launched him into the world of wine writing. Since then, Stelzer has been showered with accolades.
A decisive coup de coeur
His love for Champagne became evident when another European trip presented itself in 2010 – when he was invited to the wedding of his friend and colleague Matthew Jukes. Of course he would tack on trips to European wine regions – like Champagne. Stelzer wanted to prepare and searched for the most up-to-date books of the Champagne writers he trusted and respected most, Tom Stevenson and Michael Edwards, discovering that both were out of print. This is what planted the seed for his own Champagne Guide which he published in the following year. Today, he is one of the most respected commentators on Champagne.
Stellar wines, an Oz shout-out and accessible luxury
Oz shout-out
Put a group of bubbleheads in a room with fine fizz, and lively discussion is ensured. The line-up of wines at the launch was indeed stellar. Arras Blanc de Blancs 2008 from Tasmania. It absolutely deserved its spot in this amazing line-up. Including it was a wonderful shout out to Ed Carr, the legendary cellar master of Arras, Australia’s most awarded and best producer of traditional method sparkling wines.
- Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Millésime de Collection Vieilles Vignes de Chardonnay 2008
- Pierre Péters Les Chétillons 2008
- Billecart-Salmon Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs 2008
- Arras Blanc de Blancs 2008
- Rare Champagne Millésime 2008
- Bollinger RD 2008
- Krug Vintage 2008 en magnum
Discussions ranged widely: from the by-now outdated segmentation of Champagne producers into grandes marques and growers, the tremendous steps made in sustainability and the subsequent increases in cost and therefore prices and the ongoing challenges of climate change. Even the validation and affirmation of the drinkers was debated – of what is, in Stelzer’s own words “The world’s most affordable and accessible luxury category in wine: Champagne.”
