Pop Stars: Six Champagnes For Every Festive Moment
From office parties to NYE fireworks, here are the bottles that deserve pride of place in the ice bucket this season.
3 min
If you are planning to celebrate properly this year, your Champagne list needs to work as hard as your social calendar.
So we asked Tamara Grischy, General Manager at LANGTONS, to curate a line-up of bottles tailored to every key moment of the festive season, from the end-of-year company party to that final New Year’s Eve toast.
Her selection moves from richly styled magnums and Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs to benchmark prestige cuvées, with each Champagne chosen to shine in a specific setting, whether a seafood-laden long lunch, a beach escape, or an evening with a serious wine collector.
All you need to do is pick your occasion, chill the bottle and let the celebrations take care of themselves.
To open at the end of the year work party
GOSSET Grande Reserve Brut, Champagne MV Magnum, $275
Gosset Grande Reserve Brut from magnum makes a celebratory statement at any end-of-year party thanks to its rich winemaking heritage—blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier sourced from premier and grand cru vineyards, and aged for a minimum of four years, all from the oldest winemaking house in Champagne, established in 1584.
With top critic scores (91 Robert Parker, 92 James Suckling, 90 Wine Spectator) and a style that avoids malolactic fermentation to preserve freshness and a racy tension, the team will love the vibrant orchard fruit, subtle pastry notes, and a long, elegant finish in every glass.
To enjoy during a long weekend away at the beach
BLIARD-MORISET Brut Blanc de blancs Grand cru, Champagne NV, $85
Bliard-Moriset Brut Blanc de blancs Grand cru is made entirely from Chardonnay grown in the renowned Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger—a perfect match for seafood or a fresh beach lunch, with elegant balance and lively citrus freshness shaped by over 40% reserve wine and a minimum 24 months’ ageing on lees.
Produced with careful manual harvesting and sustainable, integrated viticulture, this Champagne offers precise orchard fruit and a crisp, lingering finish, making it an uplifting companion to a relaxed coastal escape.
To pair with a fresh seafood platter during summer
VAZART-COQUART & FILS 82/15 Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, $260
Vazart-Coquart & Fils 82/15 Blanc de Blancs, crafted entirely from Grand Cru Chouilly Chardonnay and based on a perpetual reserve dating back to 1982, delivers exceptional
freshness, finesse, and complexity—making it a standout match for a summer seafood platter.
Fine notes of citrus, white flowers, and sea spray, along with an energetic and saline finish, cut perfectly through the richness of shellfish and oysters, celebrating the bounty of the season with precision and style.
To share with loved ones at the Christmas lunch table
KRUG 171st Edition, $471.99
Krug 171st Edition is the choice for Christmas lunch, blending 131 wines from 12 different years, including reserve wines as old as 2000, to deliver a deep and complex Champagne with bright freshness and layers of festive spice, citrus, brioche and toasted almond.
Awarded 99 points by leading critics, its vibrant mousse and long, elegant finish provide the perfect toast to family and togetherness, enhancing every special dish and sparkling conversation at the festive table.
To open with the fellow wine fanatic in your life
JACQUES SELOSSE Champagne Selosse Brut Rosé, $1,600
Jacques Selosse Brut Rosé is the perfect bottle to open with a fellow wine fanatic, offering rare complexity from an artisanal blending of two vintages of Avize Chardonnay with Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, aged in Burgundian barrels and matured for six years on lees before release.
This Champagne, often described as one of the world’s most thrilling rosés, serves up layers of wild strawberry, pomegranate, honey and spice, with electric acidity and a notably long finish—a benchmark grower Champagne that invites discussion and admiration from even the most seasoned enthusiasts.
To pop when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve
TAITTINGER Comtes de Champagne Rosé, Champagne 2011, $579
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé from 2011 is a prestige vintage, made only in exceptional years and comprising Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including a generous proportion of still red wine from Bouzy to achieve a beautiful depth of colour and aromatic intensity.
With layers of wild strawberry, cherry, orange zest, pastry and a fine mineral finish—plus a 96-point rating from James Suckling—its energy, elegance, and celebratory flair make it the ultimate bottle for that first toast of the new year.
From office parties to NYE fireworks, here are the bottles that deserve pride of place in the ice bucket this season.
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Miss Amara’s new Beach Mat Collection turns a simple seaside essential into the ultimate design-led gift for sun lovers, holiday hosts and hard-to-buy-for friends.
2 min
If there’s one thing every stylish Australian needs this summer, it’s a beach mat that looks as good as it performs.
Miss Amara has just launched its all-new Beach Mat Collection, and it’s already shaping up to be the must-have accessory of the season. For the person who has everything, consider this the rare gift that’s both chic and genuinely useful.
Crafted for long days outdoors, these mats strike the sweet spot between practicality and luxury.
Each one is double-sided with exclusive in-house prints, built-in carry handles and a soft 3mm foam interior that delivers a plush feel without the bulk. The water-resistant exterior shakes off sand, dries fast and stands up to the rough-and-tumble of Australian summer living.
The collection spans tonal, elevated colourways – Zama Tonal Chocolate, Cairo Cream and Cocoa, Solari Terracotta, Cream and Sky Blue – giving the humble beach mat a design-forward makeover.
Whether you’re setting up for a beach day, claiming a shady patch at the park or creating a chic picnic moment, each mat instantly upgrades the scene.
Available in two generous sizes – 140cm x 140cm ($109) and 200cm x 200cm ($129) – these mats also arrive beautifully boxed, making them a gifting no-brainer.
Think summer hosts who insist you bring “nothing,” the friend who lives by the beach, the couple who travels every weekend, or the person in your life who is impossible to shop for.
Beyond aesthetics, Miss Amara has built in clever features that make a difference: corner peg loops for windier days, a quick-fold design for easy packing, super lightweight construction and a durable polyester exterior that can be spot-cleaned or rinsed off in seconds.
They’re made for the high-traffic realities of summer – beach runs, backyard hangs, road trips and everything in between.
And with Miss Amara’s Black Friday sale running through December 1, there’s even more reason to snap one up. The brand’s biggest event of the year includes up to 60 per cent off rugs across staggered sale periods, making it the ideal time to stock up for gifting season.
For design lovers, sun seekers and anyone who values a little luxury in the everyday, Miss Amara’s Beach Mat Collection is the summer staple that proves style and function can absolutely coexist
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