The story behind The Champagne Companion
Champagne has always fascinated me. For most people it begins with a celebration. The cork comes out, the glasses are raised, and for a moment the world feels a little lighter. I believe that's exactly as it should be. Champagne should be joyful.
During my years in retail operations at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, I had a front row seat to the Champagne world and its great houses. Yet I became increasingly curious about the bottles I wasn't seeing.
Who were the families farming a handful of hectares? Who were the growers quietly making remarkable wines that might never appear on an airport shelf?
Across Champagne there are hundreds of independent growers, many working vineyards that have been in their families for generations. Their production may be small and their names unfamiliar, but their wines tell stories of particular villages, vineyards and the people who farm them.
These are the hidden gems.
This isn't about suggesting growers are better than the grandes maisons. Both belong in Champagne's story. It's about giving these smaller producers a little more of the spotlight and celebrating the extraordinary variety that exists beyond the familiar labels.
That curiosity became The Champagne Companion.
Ask the Sommelier
Discovering hundreds of growers can quickly become overwhelming, so Ask the Sommelier was created to make it simple.
Ask about a village, a grape, a style of Champagne, or simply tell it what you already enjoy. Behind it is a growing database of Champagne producers, built to help you discover new wines and the people behind them.
Now Drinking
And then there are the bottles I actually open.
Now Drinking is simply my impression of what's in the glass. No scores, no complicated jargon and no pretending that every bottle has to be extraordinary.
If I love it, I'll tell you why. If I don't, I'll tell you that too.
Just an honest opinion from someone who enjoys Champagne and remains curious about what the next bottle might bring.
You don't need to be an expert to enjoy any of this.
Just bring your curiosity.
No paid placements, sponsored listings, or affiliate relationships influence the content of this platform. Every producer, hotel, and recommendation featured here is included on editorial merit alone. That independence is not incidental to what this platform is. It is the point.
