Sparke's Soirees goes out with a "pop" for 2019

In our final Soiree of the year, the wonderful women—who made these events so successful—enjoyed a sensory experience with Ruinart. Held in the glorious Gold Room of the Stillery Bar at the InterContinental Double Bay, guests were surrounded by magnificent floral arrangements while of course, sipping Ruinart expertly paired with tempting canapés. Charity Robinson, International Business Development Manager for Ruinart, started our champagne journey by providing an overview of the house’s history.

Behind the bubbles

Laying claim as the oldest established Champagne house, Ruinart has been exclusively producing champagne since 1729 after an edict by Louis XV in 1728, which authorised wine to be transported in bottles rather than in barrels (as barrels made it impossible to send champagne to distant markets). The Ruinart bottle is inspired by the first champagne bottles of the 18th century. The first delivery of “wine with bubbles” went out in 1730 and Ruinart quickly became an international brand. Australia joined the champagne show in 1858, with the first export arriving into this market, and today, the largest market is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the U.S.

Ruinart has a long-standing relationship with the arts and in 1895 Andre Ruinart asked Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to illustrate a poster of Ruinart—even today Ruinart is closely involved with contemporary art and plays a role in numerous international events.

Sense-satiable

Charity’s introduction was followed by Moet Hennessy Australia’s Senior Brand Manager, Bruce Nancarrow, taking the group through a sensory experience of the tastes and smells that go into a Ruinart champagne—the Blanc de Blancs and the Rosés—both from the unique and aromatic Chardonnay grape. 

Then the fun began and a challenge was set. Guests in teams were given a list of 16 items that could be part of the make-up of the champagne, accompanied by eight bottles of scent. Ladies sniffed and sipped, challenged and chortled over the various aromatic options. The team of Melissa Hoyer, Kerry Pottharst and Amanda Bolger were victorious, guessing eight correct aromas out of the possible eight!

So who is the typical Ruinart drinker…they’re looking for something subtle and classy.

What a way to wrap-up our Soirees for the year. Thank you to all of the ladies who joined each month to share in these special experiences, broaden their networks, and support each other. We couldn’t have done it without you.