It’s International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate and raise a glass to amazing sparkling women everywhere. Around 70% of champagne is purchased by women. Aside from being the demographic who are the main consumers of sparkling wine, women are still under-represented on the industry side, which makes it even more important to showcase the examples of amazing women working in the world of sparkling wine from around the globe! It was around eight years ago, that I had the idea to turn my love of champagne and sparkling wine into a business and I created The Bubbles Review, which allows me the gr ..read more

When it comes to reading, I am a bit of a Francophile, especially when it comes to champagne and champagne stories. I love snuggling up with a good book when I can find the time, and during summer in Australia, I like to take some extra days off and have some lazy days in the sun while I immerse myself in a novel. And what better novels to do that with than the ones that are stories about my favourite things! I’ve recently finished reading Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg.  I am familiar with Madame Pommery’s story having done quite a bit of research on her f ..read more

I am often asked ‘What is my favourite champagne?’, or at our annual The Bubbles Festivals, ‘What is my favourite sparkling wine on our tasting list?’  I try to avoid answering, and sometimes I joke that I answer like a politician – meaning I don’t answer the question! Or liken it to having to name a favourite child.  I love so many different champagnes and sparkling wines and what I choose depends on a range of factors – the occasion, the budget, the weather, what food I’m serving, what do I feel like, who am I drinking it with …? Everyone’s palate is different, so choosing favourit ..read more

Around an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is known as the oldest wine-producing region in Victoria, dating back to 1838. The region offers a diverse range of wines and is best known for its chardonnay and pinot noir varieties, favourites for producing sparkling wine. As the name suggests, the Yarra Valley is named after Melbourne’s main river that begins its journey on the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and twists through the forested valleys of the Yarra Ranges and its quaint regional towns before flowing through Melbourne and concluding its journey in Port Phillip ..read more

When it comes to waking up feeling fresh after a night out, bubbles often get a bad wrap, and I see it as one of my missions in life to help people understand what the issue might really be and develop the art of indulging without the headache. When I tell people about The Bubbles Review, mostly I get an excited response, but sometimes people tell me that “I tried champagne when I was younger and it made me sick, so I haven’t drunk it since.” My next question is to ask when that was. If it was as a teenager, I then ask if they know what they drank? My response is usually that is more likely th ..read more

What champagne to serve during the holiday season! I often get asked – what is my favourite champagne? I try to avoid answering, sometimes I joke that I answer that like a politician – meaning, I don’t answer the question. Or liken it to having to name a favourite child.  I love so many different champagnes and sparkling wines and what I choose depends on a range of factors – what’s the occasion, what is the budget, what is the weather, what food are you serving, what do I feel like, who are you drinking it with …? But I am feeling the Christmas spirit, so here are a few answers to your q ..read more

To celebrate International Women’s Day this week, we are so excited to share this series of interviews with the Sparkling Women of Australia! I have had a love of bubbles for all my adult life. For my 18th birthday I had a champagne luncheon, and not long after that I did the tour of the historic ‘drives’ in the Great Western region in Victoria – arguably the birthplace of Australian sparkling wine. Since then, my love of bubbles and travel has taken me to many sparkling wine regions including Champagne (several times!), and I have had the joy of meeting and interviewing many champagne and sp ..read more

Located in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, the ‘hills’ are known for their cool climate grape varieties and wines. The highest vineyards are sited between 600-650 metres altitude in areas such as Crafers, Summertown, Piccadilly and Carey Gully. With over 90 wine labels, and 50 cellar doors, they are acknowledged internationally for their distinctive premium wines, viticulture and stunning scenery.  I had been to the Adelaide Hills before, but it was many years ago. I knew there were some lovely sparklings being produced there, but I hadn’t realised the extent. Diverse in terms of ..read more

My name is Natalie Pickett, and many of you will know me as the Founder of The Bubbles Review and Creator of The Bubbles Festival. Recently, I have had the honour of being interviewed about The Bubbles Review in major publications in the USA (the links to the articles are at the end of this post), and I thought it would be a great idea to share some insight with you about where the idea for The Bubbles Review came from and a behind the scenes look at what it took to deliver the recent sold-out Bubbles Festivals across Australia in the middle of a global pandemic! As a serial entrepreneur, I ha ..read more

At The Bubbles Review we love sharing the joy of sparkling wine, through our award winning blog, and our events and tours.  One of the things that I love about organising The Bubbles Festival is bringing the Cellar Doors, Producers and Distributors to our followers.  I love creating opportunities for people to discover new sparkling wines, meet the wine industry and develop a greater appreciation of what goes into making a quality sparkling wine. As we are experiencing restrictions to keep us at home, many people are ordering online. So, we have created an opportunity to bring the Ce ..read more