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Rank the United States holds among export markets for Champagne. Only the United Kingdom is a larger export market for Champagne. Champagne sales in the U.S. have increased for six years in a row. Last year, we drank 23.7 million bottles and spent $652 million on France’s finest bubbly. (At KM & Co., we’re pretty sure we account for some of that increase).

Where is Tumbarumba and what sort of grapes grow there?

A. South Africa; chenin blanc (aka steen)

B. South Island of New Zealand; pinot noir

C. Australia; chardonnay

D. Peru; criolla chica (aka pais) and cabernet sauvignon

Tumbarumba may not be as famous or as large as the Barossa, but it is indeed a wine region in Australia, specifically in the state of New South Wales. The nearby Snowy Mountains rise up 2100 feet. One of the cooler regions in Australia, Tumbarumba is now a source for cool-climate chardonnay grapes. Penfold’s “Bin 311” Chardonnay ($40), for example, is made in part from grapes from Tumbarumba and another cool region, Tasmania. Bin 311—unlike the stereotypical Aussie chardonnay—could easily be confused with French Chablis.

Aviner

The French verb used for rinsing one’s wine glass with the wine to come. Often this is done when switching between wines that vary significantly from each other—as when going from, say, an aromatic white… Continue reading

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