Toast International Champagne Day with these six expressions

Sparkling wine is made all over the world, but there’s only one place that makes Champagne. 

Beyond the legal reasons – only sparkling wine made within Champagne can use the name – the region’s unique terroir (particularly its chalky soils) combined with centuries of winemaking history leave a distinct imprint on the wine, which while often imitated is never duplicated. 

About two-and-a-half hours’ drive east of Paris, Champagne is a single appellation which contains five main subregions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne and Côte des Bar.

Arbanne, petit meslier, pinot blanc, pinot gris and voltis are among the varieties permitted in Champagne, although most are made using chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. As Champagne is always made using the traditional method, the choice of grapes can play a role in the style – blanc de noirs is made only from red grapes, and blanc de blancs only from white, for example – but it’s not the only factor. 

Other styles of Champagne include non-vintage (NV), which is the standard offering from most Champagne houses. It's always made in the house style, which is usually lighter and fresher, and always from multiple harvests to ensure consistency year on year. Vintage wines are made in the best years and are usually more complex (and more expensive!).  

Friday October 23, 2026, is International Champagne Day. Toast with one of the six Champagnes in the list below.

Champagne Collet Art Deco Brut NV

Champagne Collet Art Deco Brut opens with delicate white flowers, lime, apple and pear, unfolding into hints of pineapple, aniseed and honey. Its luminous lemon-yellow colour is enlivened by fine, lively bubbles. The palate is creamy and silky, balancing generous fruit with bright citrus freshness. Subtle smoky nuances and a touch of sea salt add savoury complexity, while honeyed notes bring softness and depth. Crafted from Champagne’s Grand and Premier Cru vineyards, it brings together richness, vibrancy and finesse in an elegant, harmonious blend.

Cellar Master Sébastien Walasiak says: What stands out most about Art Deco Brut is the balance between freshness and generosity. The fruit is immediately inviting, while the silky texture gives the wine a lovely sense of richness. Floral and citrus notes bring lift, with subtle smoky and saline touches adding another layer of interest. It’s a Champagne that feels effortlessly welcoming, yet rewards time in the glass – equally suited to an aperitif or a leisurely meal.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Serve Champagne Collet Art Deco Brut chilled, at around 8–10°C, in a tulip-shaped Champagne glass or a medium-sized white wine glass. The wider bowl allows its floral aromas and creamy texture to develop. Give it a few moments after pouring, then enjoy how the wine opens as it gently warms.

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? For a particularly delicious match, try pan-seared scallops with a light lemon butter sauce. Their delicate sweetness complements the wine’s generous fruit, while its citrus freshness lifts the buttery richness. Art Deco Brut would also be a lovely partner for oysters, crab or roast chicken, making it an easy choice to carry from the first canapé through to the main course.

RRP: $130 | Drink to 2030 | Website | Shop this wine

Champagne Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve NV

A sublime pale gold, highlighted by silvery reflects. Effervescence with fine bubbles. Floral expression alongside the aromatic complexity of almond and toast. Perfectly balanced between finesse and power, it draws out flavours of citrus and white fruits such as apple or pear, expressing its subtle, melt-in-the-mouth vinosity.

Chef du Cave Sandrine Logette-Jardin says: Since 1859, Champagne Duval-Leroy has been perfecting the quality of its non-vintage Brut Reserve, balancing passion with aesthetic sensibility. It is in this product that one can taste the unique power and character which marks a top-of-the-range Champagne. The Maison Duval-Leroy reveals in the art of blending pinots and chardonnays. Enriched with around 15 crus and a generous quantity of reserve wines, Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve confirms its complexity and is recognised for its consistency.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Ideal as an aperitif wine. Serve at a temperature of between 8–10°C.

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? It's a subtle accompaniment to white meats and delicate fish.

RRP: $90 | Drink to 2030 | Website | Shop this wine

Champagne Fleury Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut NV

A pure pinot noir from the Côte des Bar with straw-gold tints. The nose is elegant and expressive, with delicate aromas of white peach and iris. Fresh on the palate, with a crisp structure and lasting fruity flavours. Blended from 2020 (35%) and 2021 (15%) with perpetual reserve wines aged in large casks, aged three years on lees, with a low 3.4 g/L dosage.

Director of Franc About Wine (Australian importer) Neil Thomson says: Champagne Fleury is a family estate in Courteron, in the Côte des Bar, and one of the pioneers of biodynamic farming in Champagne, working this way since 1989. Their Blanc de Noirs was first created by Robert Fleury in 1955 and is built on a perpetual reserve, so every bottle carries a little of the house history.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Serve chilled but not icy, at around 8–10°C, so the white peach and floral notes can open up. Choose a white wine or tulip glass rather than a narrow flute to give the aromas room to breathe. Open just before serving and enjoy it slowly over a long lunch or dinner.

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? This is a wonderfully versatile food Champagne. The estate suggests scallop tarts, supreme of guinea fowl with morels, or duck breast with an Époisses sauce, where the pinot noir structure meets richer flavours. For something sweet, try it with rice pudding, chestnuts and figs.

RRP: $143 | Drink to 2030 | Website | Shop this wine

Champagne Sadi Malot Terre d'Origine 1er Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs NV

Sadi Malot's essential estate wine: 100% chardonnay from younger vineyard plots in Premier Cru Villers-Marmery, with a small amount from their Grand Cru Verzy vines. It shows an enticing range of floral and chalk aromatics, flowing into citrus and oyster shell characters on the palate, which is both mineral-etched and deeply fruited. Approx. 55% 2022 vintage (full malolactic, steel tank) with the balance from their 'eternal return' solera dating back to 1982. Approx. 18 months on lees, 4.2 g/L dosage. Unfined and unfiltered.

Director of Franc About Wine (Australian importer) Neil Thomson says: Sadi Malot is a family estate in Villers-Marmery, on the Montagne de Reims, now run by the fifth generation. In the heart of pinot noir country, they specialise in chardonnay grown on clay-limestone soils in Premier Cru Villers-Marmery and Grand Cru Verzy, crafting rare, chalky and elegant blanc de blancs with real sense of place.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Serve well chilled, at around 7–9°C. A white wine or tulip glass shows off its floral and citrus notes better than a narrow flute. Perfect as an aperitif or to open a celebration, and let it warm slightly in the glass to reveal more depth from the solera reserve wines.

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? Its chalky freshness and oyster shell character make it a natural match for seafood. Think freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters, sashimi, crab or prawns, or grilled white fish with lemon and herbs. It also works beautifully as an aperitif with salty snacks such as gougères or potato chips.

RRP: $129 | Drink to 2030 | Website | Shop this wine

Louis Roederer Collection 247

Pale and bright with a delicate and restrained mousse. The bouquet reveals yellow fruits such as Mirabelle plums and William pears, combined with white florals and a hint of spice and vanilla. The palate is fleshy with a lively freshness. The juicy fruit brings a creamy lightness with a very subtle touch of tannin and salinity through to the long, concentrated, chalky finish.

Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says: Louis Roederer’s main aim is to make the best possible multi-vintage cuvée each edition, with the freedom of blending afforded them, utilising all their accumulated savoir-faire. Each edition of Collection is unique, and being numbered, may be enjoyed now or cellared.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Serve chilled to 8–10°C and in a Plumm Three N. 2 glass.

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? Enjoy with natural oysters, king fish sashimi, white poultry or fish, and shellfish such as scallops or Morton Bay bugs.

RRP: $110 | Drink to 2030 | Website | Shop this wine

Louis Roederer Vintage Rosé ‘La Rivière’ 2017

A pale salmon colour and an exceptionally fine mousse, the bouquet is of wild strawberries and raspberries with blood orange and subtle floral notes. The palate is caressingly supple, delicate and elegant. The silky texture and spicy fruit give way to fresh iodised notes through to the lingering, saline and chalky finish.

Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says: Since the creation of Cristal Rose in 1974, Louis Roederer have adapted their unique ‘infusion’ technique across their other Rosé Champagnes. A touch of chardonnay juice is added to the pinot noir maceration to co-ferment and integrate harmoniously. The result is a rosé of exquisite balance, the union of ripe, spicy, smoky pinot noir from south-facing Cumières slopes in Vallée de la Marne with the vibrant freshness of chardonnay from north-facing Chouilly slopes in the Côtes des Blancs.

How is this wine best enjoyed? Serve chilled to 8–10°C and in a Plumm Three N. 2 glass. 

What is the ultimate food pairing for this wine? Enjoy with roast chicken or quail, shellfish, charcuterie, or washed rind white cheeses with fresh figs.

RRP: $175 | Drink to 2031 | Website | Shop this wine