Top of the morning! Since Dan always starts his emails with G’day, thought I’d differentiate.

Megan here, aka a free woman, aka finally done with wine school. I wish I could say the exam went well. Maybe I’ll manifest it. The exam went well! Either way, it’s eight weeks until I find out, so I guess I can put my anxiety about it on the back burner and return to the regular scheduled programming of being anxious about everything else. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this new-found free time. I feel like I should go learn something else. Portuguese? Crochet? Send suggestions, I’m open to anything. 

In the meantime, I’m running the show while Dan’s off sunning himself in Aus, presumably shopping for loads more weird (sorry, ‘iconic’) Aussie snacks. Can you believe he left the kids in charge? Me neither. It’s only day three and I’m already having nightmares about burning the place down.

But hey, this isn’t a week of worrying, this is a week of celebrating! Celebrating being able to drink wine without having to identify which soil type it came from. And you know what celebrating calls for…

That’s right baby! Champagne! Lucky for you lot, we have a bit of a soft spot for Champagne. Who doesn’t? If you’ve got something to celebrate, bust open one of these. If you don’t have something to celebrate, bust one open anyway. Guaranteed to improve ya mood, boost endorphins, flood your brain with dopamine (is that what I mean? Whatever, I’m not a scientist). Here’s some good stuff.

Some Blanc de Blancs from Michel Gonet – this is right up my alley. For anyone who’s never asked me for a recommendation at the bar, I’ll let you in on a little known secret – I don’t reeeeeeally like red wine. It’s never what I’d choose, and that extends to putting Pinot Noir in Champagne. So Blanc de Blancs is the one for me – 100% Chardy, super acidic, fresh, nothing to worry about.

Continuing on the Blanc theme, here’s another from Laherte Frères. Mineral soils, so it’s got zip, it’s got zorp, it’s got it all. Super dry and a bit of brioche, a flavour whose presence in Champagne I now understand (spoiler: coz of yeast. Why is it always yeast?). Cute label 2.

You know what, I’m just gonna go full Blanc. They say write what you know. And I do know this producer, mostly coz I just finished writing a little spiel about him for a new feature on our website (I’ve got 250 left to do, so don’t hold your breath). Here she is. Suenen is one of Champagne’s rising stars, a bit of a risk taker, a bit devil-may-care, kind of like James Dean. Idk what he looks like, I added that bit. Let me keep my fantasy, orite?

If fizz doesn't do it for you, that's totally fine, we're here to talk whenever you need. Do you know what's good to talk over? Cheese. A not too subtle reminder that spaces r shifting for THIS event, and if you wanna be a part of it, you'd better shift too.

Go off and celebrate then! And come see the kids at the bar this weekend, we’ve got a cracking list to make up for the lack of Dan. New food on the menu too… salt bagels and muhammara, wowza. Reminds me of my halcyon days in New York, which obviously, I never mention or talk about. Stop asking me about it! God!

Love u!

Megan