Tom’s articles from
The following sparkling-specific articles were originally published in The World of Fine Wine (WFW), the most in-depth and highly-respected wine magazine in the world, and have been reproduced here with the kind and specific permission of the senior management of that publication. Future sparkling-specific articles will be reproduced on this site three months after their publication in WFW.
The Panel Tastings are distinguished from pure articles by their gold headings. I always tried to put the tastings I organised into context through their introductions, which were much longer than the norm even for WFW and as comprehensive as I could make them, diving deeply into what I believed to be necessary explanations, be they technical or historical.
Ca’ del Bosco
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 79 (2022)
A 10-page technical appraisal of an icon.
CSWWC 2022
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 79 (2022)
The (French sparkling) Empire strikes back!
100 years of Moët
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 76 (2022)
A vertical of Moët 1921-2013 plus vin 2021 clairs, after which we drank 1921 all night!
CSWWC 2021
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 75 (2021)
The chairman goes down with Covid (written by Essi Avellan MW)
CSWWC 2020
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 71 (2020)
Judging bubbles in a bubble.
Le Déjeuner d’Huîtres
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 70 (2020)
The first popping of a Champagne cork recorded by painting.
2012 Charles Heidsieck
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 69 (2020)
The dangers of a great vintage.
Dr Tony Jordan OAM (1944-2019)
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 67 (2019)
Goodbye to a dear friend, colleague, and mentor, the academic-turned-winemaker who played a crucial role in shaping Australia’s modern vinous story.
CSWWC 2019
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 66 (2019)
The CSWWC: it’s not a guessing game!
Panel Tasting: Champagne Dosage Trial Part II
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 64 (2019)
Another three years and we have the final verdict!
CSWWC 2018
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 62 (2018)
Trophy winners, including first ever CSWWC Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The beautiful mind of Michel Salgues
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 58 (2017)
Saying goodbye to a rare combination of great intelligence and humility.
Panel Tasting: 2006 vs 2007
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 58 (2017)
A mind-boggling exercise!
CSWWC 2017
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 57 (2017)
The most diverse competition, yet.
Panel Tasting: Has English Sparkling Wine come of age?
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 57 (2017)
Panel tasting including a concise yet comprehensive history of English sparkling wine, an overview of the vintages tasted.
Panel Tasting: Champagne 2008 vs 2009
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 54 (2016)
A tale of two September harvests.
Panel Tasting: Champagne Dosage Trial Part I
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 53 (2016)
The first ever practical and technical examination the effect, if any, of different levels of dosage on two different vintages of exactly the same Champagne from a dozen producers all disgorged in the same week. Part I after 3 years, with Part II due after another 3 years.
CSWWC 2016
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 53 (2016)
Third World Competition.
Jean Meyer 1945-2016
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 53 (2016)
The passing away of a guiding light who was both passionate and compassionate.
2002 Krug Vintage
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 52 (2016)
A wine for Einstein!
Behind Clos doors
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 52 (2016)
After 10 years, Lanson launches its new, single-vineyard, gastromic cuvée.
Exploring the Magnum Effect
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 50 (2015)
Examing precisely what the magnum effect is and whether it commences before or after disgorgement.
Cristal Milestones
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 49 (2015)
Cristal & Cristal Rosé from the difficult vintage of 2007.
CSWWC 2015
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 49 (2015)
Bigger & better: an insider’s view of the Champagne Sparkling Wine World Championships.
Panel Tasting: All for one and one for all
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 49 (2015)
Biggest ever single-vineyard Champagne taste-off!
Starck Raving Sane!
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 46 (2014)
What makes Roederer’s 2006 Philippe Starck Brut Nature tick?
Panel Tasting: Champagne 1990 & 1996: Human error?
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 46 (2014)
Comprehensive tasting of 1990 & 1996 magnums of the same Champagne with tasting notes from Simon Field MW, Essi Avellan MW & Tom Stevenson
Panel Tasting: Vintage Blanc de Blancs
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 45 (2014)
Comprehensive tasting of the vintage blanc de blancs with tasting notes from Andrew Jefford, Michael Edwards & Tom Stevenson
Letter to the editor!
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 45 (2014)
Why low and no sugar in Champagne is an entirely different and more damaging proposition than low or no sugar in Riesling or any still wine.
NV Blanc de Blancs
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 45 (2014)
Concise reiew and tasting notes of current non-vintage blanc de blancs cuvées.
CSWWC 2014
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 45 (2014)
The first Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships!
The magic of Laurence Faller
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 44 (2014)
A star burned brightly then fell to earth.
Panel Tasting: Alsace Riesling on the rocks
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 44 (2014)
Can we tell the differene between the supposedly polar opposites of Riesling: those grown on granite and those grown on limestone?
Franciacorta bigger is better
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 43 (2014)
The first ever tasting of Franciacorta in both bottle and magnum.
Mumm & Perrier-Jouët 2006
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 42 (2013)
A double-take on the 2006 vintage.
Panel Tasting: Champagne 2004 – A vintage on steroids
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 42 (2013)
Why 2004 truly is a vintage on steroids, with tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Simon Field MW & Tom Stevenson
Panel Tasting: In the Pink
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 42 (2013)
Comprehensive tasting of Rosé Champagne with tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Simon Field MW & Tom Stevenson
The deepest dive yet into Cuvée Dom Pérignon
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 40 (2013)
Dom Pérignon inside out: its true history, the plots it is blended from and an an indepth review of Oenothèque (now P2) 1966–1999.
A Tale of Two Rosés
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 40 (2012)
Moët 2004 & DP 2002
Windows of Opportunity
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 38 (2012)
Looking back at future Champagne vintages
Panel Tasting: Lemon and Limes
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 38 (2012)
Champagne & English Sparkling Wine with tons of comparative data and tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Michael Edwards & Tom Stevenson
Panel Tasting: No Year, Every Reason
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 37 (2012)
Comprehensive tasting of non-vintage Champagne with tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Michael Edwards & Tom Stevenson
Reinventing a classic
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 37 (2012)
The difference between Heidsieck Brut Reserve in the Old and New bottle
Panel Tasting: All Black – The New White
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 34 (2011)
Comparative tasting of blanc de noirs with tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Simon Field MW & Tom Stevenson
Belle Epoque Jéreboams 1975-1998
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 33 (2011)
The difference that Jéoboams make
Perrier-Jouët’s Living Legacy
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 33 (2011)
Drinking the same Champagne as your Great-great Grandfather
Panel Tasting: Vintage Wars: 1997 v 1998 Champagne
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 30 (2010)
Background to both vintages and blind tasting notes from Essi Avellan MW, Michael Edwards & Tom Stevenson
Lanson 1976-1996: The Acid Test
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 28 (2010)
An in-depth review of Lanson vintages made by Jean-Paul Gandon
Letter to the editor!
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 26 (2010)
In defense of ageing gracefully.
The House that Jacques Built
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 21 (2008)
An attempt to be objective about Selosse
Panel Tasting: Franciacorta de Meglio in Meglio
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 20 (2008)
WFW’s first comprehensive look at Franciacorta with tasting notes from Margaret Rand, Franco Ziliani & Tom Stevenson.
For Better or Worse: Clos des Goisses 1951-1998
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 20 (2008)
Based on a Christie’s Masterclass at which Clos des Goisses 1951-2001 featured, plus notes of other vintages for completeness.
The House of Trimbach
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 18 (2007)
Where dry means dry!
Twelve Bits of Dirt
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 16 (2007)
How G.H. Mumm lost its way and found it again