Champagne vs Sparkling Masterclass

A truly unforgettable masterclass for Champagne and Sparkling wine lovers, the Champagne vs Sparkling Masterclass is a blind tasting experience that challenges your sensory skills with benchmark wines from Champagne and Australia, including Louis Roederer, Pol Roger, Moët & Chandon, Serveaux Fils Carte D’or, Deviation Road, and House of Arras. Guided by industry icons Kate Laurie, Ed Carr, and Dame Chevalier Kaaren Palmer, this engaging session is enhanced by thoughtfully paired canapé-style bites designed to complement each tasting bracket.

Champagne vs Sparkling Masterclass

Tuesday 16 September 2025
7.00pm - 8.30pm
National Wine Centre
Tickets: $185 + booking fee

Meet the Presenters

Kaaren Palmer is a respected Champagne expert, author of Champagne: A Tasting Journey, and Dame‑Chevalier of the Ordre des Côteaux de Champagne. Formerly a successful Australian business leader, she now educates and writes passionately about Champagne.

Kate Laurie is the winemaking co‑founder of Deviation Road Winery in the Adelaide Hills. A Champagne-trained Sparkling specialist (Lycée Viticole d’Avize), she crafts refined, cool-climate Sparkling and still wines with precision, elegance, and a strong sense of terroir.

Ed Carr’s passion, skill, and vision have positioned Australian Sparkling wine on the global stage through his work with House of Arras. In 2018, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine Championships—the only non-Champenois winemaker to be honoured. 

"Arras is made by a quietly spoken genius, Ed Carr, whose name should be known around the world. He is, by some considerable distance, Australia’s greatest Sparkling winemaker." - James Halliday