Chris Shanahan:

Bream Creek Tasmania

Riesling 2007 $22
Chardonnay 2007 $23
Pinot Noir 2008 $30

Visit a few Tasmanian wineries and you’ll soon hear the name Fred Peacock, owner of the beautiful Bream Creek Vineyard at Marion Bay, just to the east of Hobart, and one of the state’s most widely consulted vine experts. Fred grows his grapes for flavour then works closely with winemaker Julian Alcorso. On a recent visit we were deeply impressed by Fred’s wines. We loved the tasty, bracing, fresh riesling; the vibrant, intense, finely structured chardonnay; and the pristine, fleshy, mouth wateringly delicious pinot noir. These are classy wines from a vineyard planted back in 1973. See www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuis 1er Cru Champagne Brut $40–$50
Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale NV Brut Champagne $45.90–$50
Taittinger Prelude Grand Crus Champagne $130
With a starting price of around $50 real Champagne ought to be good. But, alas, much of it’s rubbish at this cheaper end. Two that offer real value are Coles and Woolworths direct imports. Pierre Gimonnet, available at 1st Choice and Vintage Cellars, is a delicate, all-chardonnay blend from the highly rated village of Cuis. The slightly fuller Joseph Perrier, shows the attractive brioche-like flavour and round, soft texture of pinot meunier. And he non-vintage Prelude blend brings the extra flavour dimension from some of the most highly rated pinot noir and chardonnay vineyards of the Montagne de Reims and Cotes des Blancs sub regions respectively.