The Vin de Champagne Awards 2018 were held last night at Quay restaurant by the Champagne Bureau Australia for the professional and amateur categories, hosted by John Noble, Director of Champagne Bureau Australia.
L-R: Nicole Smith, Leanne Altmann – Photo Credit: Belinda Rolland
Leanne Altmann from VIC was awarded the title in the Professional category while Nicole Smith from QLD won the Amateur category. Both winners received a two-week educational tour to the Champagne District where they will be awarded their medal from Le Comité Champagne.
The ten finalists of the 43rd biennial Vin de Champagne Awards attended a judging in Sydney on September 10, where a panel of experts including Huon Hooke, Bernadette O’Shea and Peter Bourne tested the entrants’ knowledge of the Champagne industry and their abilities in a blind tasting of Champagne wines.
The grand prize for the two winners is a two-week educational tour through the Champagne region, and Comité Champagne will present them with their medal at Maison du Champagne in Epernay.
A black tie dinner was held at the Quay Restaurant at Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks where chef Peter Gilmore created a delightful menu a special menu to match a selection of 18 Champagne wines. On arrival, guests were served Tuna pearl, caviar; Wakame crisp, smoked eel; Creme fraiche, lemon, trout roe; and Truffle arancini, shiitake with Jacquart Rose Mosaique, Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, Vranken Diamant and Lanson Pere et Fils before they were seated to a four course menu as follows:
Hand harvested seafood, virgin soy, seaweed, aged vinegar
Les Cuvées en Blancs:
Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée
Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs
GH Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2012
Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Grands Terroirs de Chardonnay 2010
Smoked pig jowl, fan shell razor clams, shiitake, sea cucumber cracklings
Les Rosés:
Ruinart Rosé
Deutz Brut Rosé
Duval Leroy Rosé Prestige
Bollinger Rosé
Veal fillet, fungi, roast cabbage
Les Millésimés:
Pommery Cuvée Louise
Louis Roederer Cristal 2008
Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2006
Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or 2006
Fromage, Tete de Moine, pickled cauliflower, baul gel, puffed wheat
Collet Blanc de Noirs
Laherte Freres Rosé de Meunier
The Vin de Champagne Awards 2018 were held on Monday 10 September 2018 at Quay in Sydney.
Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
