WINE IS ONE of the few things that slows down our modern-day life, if only for a moment. Great winemaking is a slow and patient pursuit. Great sparkling winemaking is even slower, as it can often take a decade or longer to build a respectable reserve stock program for blending non-vintage sparkling wines. However, often the difference between old winemaking countries and new is not about experience or capability or land or dedication; it is about finance and time. Most investors in new world ventures do not appreciate ageing wine inventory and tend to avoid them, whereas in countries like France much of a wine company’s value is in its bottled reserves. With an understanding of the levels of dedication, investment and time required by sparkling wine producers, it is exciting to see the commitment to quality across a range of price points, styles and countries, old world and new. With so many beautiful sparklings to choose from, it certainly reminds us to slow down, capture the moment and enjoy.

TASTING PANEL For this sparkling wine tasting, John Belsham, an international wine judge and owner of Foxes Island Wines in Marlborough, was joined by Dr Tony Jordan, one of the most respected sparkling wine and Champagne judges in the world. Tony has been CEO of Domain Chandon Australia, Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay as well as a specialist consultant to Moet Hennessy internationally. The third panellist was Steve Voysey, a consultant winemaker with 25 years’ of experience in making sparkling wines, who is now the proud owner of Spade Oak Wines in Gisborne.