Dame Chevalier Sara Underdown reports from Champagne and Adelaide: "a very special and proud moment"
A year after becoming Star Wine List’s Champagne Ambassador, Australian wine writer, presenter and educator Sara Underdown becomes a Dame Chevalier – and adds her hometown of Adelaide to her role.
In September this year, Sara Underdown was made a Dame Chevalier by the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, a prestigious award recognising many years’ work promoting the region’s wines. Her induction ceremony was held at the Automobile Club de France in Paris and attended by over 200 international guests from the world of wine and gastronomy, in addition to 15 Champagne houses showcasing their most prized cuvées during a gala dinner.
The Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne (OCC) is France’s oldest bacchic guild, dating back to the court of Louis XIV. Originally founded in 1656, the society was revived in 1956. Prospective members must be nominated by a primary sponsor, which is usually a maison represented by the OCC, and then seconded.
“I was honoured to receive the nomination from Benjamin Fourmon, Chairman and CEO of Champagne Joseph Perrier,” says Sara. “To be inducted was a very special and proud moment for me after so many years of following my passion for the most magical of all wines, and working hard to promote them in Australia and further afield.”
That passion led Sara to create the Champagne-focused magazine VINE & BUBBLE in 2018, also offering events and travel assistance. A podcast followed in 2023.
“Champagne is my second home,” she says. “I should buy a house there! Generally, I'll return three times a year for a few weeks at a time, to collect material for articles and podcasts. April is best for tasting vins clairs and enjoying what's known as 'Le Printemps des Champagnes' (essentially grower Champagne week); in June I normally take a small group of wine lovers over to experience a more exclusive side to Champagne with special experiences; and then in September it's harvest. For me, harvest is the very best time to go from a learning perspective, though not so convenient to get an appointment during this busy time.”
As she updates our guide to Champagne, Sara also becomes our Adelaide Ambassador, having lived in the city since 2009. She takes over this mantle from sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj, who remains a part of the Star Wine List team by now covering the UAE following his relocation to Dubai and, before that, Liinaa Berry, now our Melbourne Ambassador.
We asked Sara a few questions about her territories in both France and Australia. Take a look at the guides.
Congratulations on adding Adelaide to your role. Tell us, what is the food and wine scene there like at the moment?
“Adelaide's dining and bar scene is fantastic at the moment, but I can also say the same for South Australia as a whole. In the last few years, it's been exciting to see the opening of excellent regional restaurants by some of our state's best hospitality operators and wineries. Adelaide restaurants have always been great at bringing a sense of 'paddock to plate' to the local dining scene but with more regional options in places like McLaren Vale, the Barossa, and the Adelaide Hills, there's an even stronger sense of provenance engaging wine lovers with food and wine in South Australia. There are many opportunities for 'immersive' food and wine experiences that are wonderfully creative, fun, and delicious.”
How does Adelaide compare to other regions in Australia?
“If you're a food and wine lover, Adelaide is a unique proposition. Where else in Australia can you experience a city life whilst accessing some of the country's iconic wine regions just 30-60 minutes away by car? The accessibility means that restaurants and bars have excellent relationships with local wine producers and can offer a dynamic and creative wine program to patrons. So, the food and wine scene is always changing and makes it a really exciting proposition for lovers of gastronomy.”
What are the biggest trends you've noticed recently?
“Creativity and collaboration. Creative flavours, venues, philosophies (and people) are everywhere across the Adelaide and South Australia food and wine landscape. Collaborations between producers and venues sharing similar visions are being served up all the time, not only in our restaurants, but also as 'pop up' experiences, at festivals and bespoke events. It shows the maturity of Adelaide and South Australia to bring together world-class food and wine with elevated consumer experiences.”
Do you have any particular favourites among your selection?
“I selected the venues because I like them all for one reason or another. But for something truly special, you cannot surpass Restaurant Botanic. The journey of the food and wine pairing menus (though it does require marathon-like resilience) is world class.”
And over in Champagne, what's the latest? How has harvest been?
“I was in Champagne for most of harvest and, whilst it was another challenging year, the quality was very high. My very early impression is that it will be a classically structured year. 2024 was characterised by very low yields and non-homogenous maturity. So it was a long harvest as people had to wait for the ripeness, especially Chardonnay, which was the last to be harvested (generally speaking).
“Overall, it was a pretty cool and wet year, some areas (especially in the Côte des Bar) suffered most when it came to frost and downy mildew. Some producers lost everything. But the ones that had a crop, waited, and sorted, will have beautiful wines, especially Pinots!”
What’s new on Champagne's restaurant and wine bar scene? Has there been much change in the past year?
“Since my first review of Champagne's food and wine scene, last year, there have been a few more venues opening. The most exciting has been Philippe Mille's Arbane in Reims. Generally speaking, I've noticed more collaborations now between maisons, venues and guest chefs – particularly leading chefs from Paris. It seems to coincide with the rising interest in Champagne as an oenotourism destination. For example, maisons like G.H. Mumm have opened their own restaurant, La Table des Chefs, where a new guest chef is at the helm every three months, with a menu carte blanche created exclusively for G.H. Mumm Champagnes.”
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