My Top Five Beach Champagnes

I live at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, where we have some of the most amazing beaches in the world.

There are so many champagnes that pair perfectly with the beach, the hardest part is picking just five but I have narrowed it down for you following many years of practice.

Beach champagnes are summer champagnes but there is a champagne for every season and occasion. If you aren’t in a beach mood right now, check out my…

• My Top Five Spring Rosé Champagnes

• My Top Five Autumn Champagnes (2021)

• My top five winter champagnes

• Top Five Champagnes For A Summer Long Weekend (2021)

My Top Five Beach Champagnes

When you are drinking a beach champagne you want to have fun in the sun and keep cool so chardonnay will lead the blend but the beach life is chilled and low-key. You don’t want to break the bank or have to order in a special limited edition, so my list mostly contains easily accessible champagne. The exception is if you’re going away on a high-end beach holiday for a special occasion, then you might want something a little more special so I have included a couple of options for in my list that you can still find online or in a specialty wine shop.

All of the champagnes in this list fall into the Bubble & Flute Champagne Style*  Style of Fresh & Crisp. 

HOT TIP 

An important tip for champagne on the beach is beware drinking champagne from plastic glasses! Plastic glasses totally kill the taste of champagne. That’s not bulls&%^ wine-wanker speak or champagne snobbery… it is the honest truth shared from the heart of one champagne lover to another. Even champagne house-branded glasses… they look cool but use them as water glasses. Drink from plastic and you might as well be drinking prosecco. So if you are on the beach (and it’s legal and safe to do so, of course) take any old glasses along with you to drink from. I know I said you don’t need to overthink beach champagnes, but you still want to taste champagne!

1. Taittinger Brut Réserve Champagne NV

This bottle was actually consumed on location beach-side in Hawaii!

Beach mood – In the beach bar  

Taittinger is a house known for a big chardie style. And every time I drink a bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve, a Jack Johnson tune just starts playing in my head. There’s something about the laid-back simplicity of acoustic music that matches the pure, clean, fresh style of Taittinger that just gives off that chilled-out upbeat beach vibe.

You can usually find the Taittinger Brut Réserve in most wine retailers for about $75.

The Technical Details

The Blend

40% Chardonnay

35% Pinot Noir

25% Meunier

Blended from 30 – 45 crus (including 20% grand crus) 

Dosage – 8-9 g/l 

Aged – for a minimum of 3 years on lees

Reserve wines – 30% reserve wines

Total annual production – total house production is 6.5 million bottles 

Bubble & Flute Champagne Style* – Fresh & Crisp 

Read the full review of the Taittinger Brut Réserve here. 

2. Jacquart Brut Mosaïque

On the beach on the Gold Coast… while my man flies his kite in the background

Beach mood – Lying on the beach reading a book, or just watching the waves crash (or maybe watching your lover fly a kite)

I regularly include the Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaïque in my tasting events to showcase the classic chardonnay-driven champagnes.

It’s really easy drinking – approachable and enjoyable. It has all the beach champagne hallmarks… subtle citrus acidity but fresh and clean and you can enjoy it without food or it goes a treat with everything from seafood to cheese. 

And it’s great value. You can often buy the Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaïque from Vintage Cellars in a 2 for $100 bundle or simply on sale for around $50 making it exceptional value. Stock up when it’s on sale. 

The Technical Details

The Blend

40% Chardonnay

35% Pinot Noir

25% Meunier

A blend of 60 villages with a focus on the grand crus of the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims

Dosage – 9 g/l 

Aged – for a minimum of 3 years on lees

Reserve wines – 25 – 35% reserve wines

Total annual production – total house production is 1.2 million bottles 

Bubble & Flute Champagne Style* – Fresh & Crisp 

Read the full review of the Jacquart Brut Mosaïque here. 

3. Champagne Brimoncourt Brut Regence NV

From @brimoncourt_australia instagram account

Beach mood – Beach party to a soundtrack of Hilltop Hoods

A newer brand in Australia, Brimoncourt has fast become one of my fave summer champs.

If Taittinger is like a Jack Johnson tune, Brimoncourt is more like the Hilltop Hoods at a summer music festival. Still 100% summer, but much bolder thanks to its blend of 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot noir. 

You can buy the Champagne Brimoncourt Brut Régence from Emperor Champagne online for $87.99 or selected Vintage Cellars for $85.

The Technical Details

The Blend

80% Chardonnay

20% Pinot Noir

Dosage – 6 g/l 

Aged – for a minimum of 3 – 4 years on lees

Reserve wines – 30% reserve wines

Fermentation – Stainless steel vats 

Total annual production – total house production is about 150,000

Bubble & Flute Champagne Style* – Fresh & Crisp 

You can read more about Champagne Brimoncourt here or catch my full review of the Brut Regence here.

4. Laherte Frères Blanc De Blancs Brut Nature

Beach mood – Beach sunset with fish & chips for a hot date

A few years ago, I wrote a post about my top five fantasy dates for Valentine’s Day and the champagnes we’d pop. I have a bit of a Mick Fanning crush so he was on my list and I paired him with the Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. 

Nothing says beach more than an imaginary date with world-champion surfer Mick Fanning.

I matched him with this brut nature (no sugar added) blanc de blancs (100% chardonnay) because it’s a surfer’s champagne for sure – it’s dry, fresh, and salty.

Even without Mick Fanning, this champagne at sunset on the beach with fish and chips …. GOLD!

You can now find the Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature at  Dan Murphy’s for about $110 a bottle.

The Technical Details

The blend – 100% chardonnay

Reserve wines – 50% 

Terroir – Chavot & Epernay soft clay and chalk

Dosage – 0 g/l

Aged – 2 years on lees 

Fermentation – 100% wild fermented in barrique, foudre and truncated cone vat; hand disgorged; 60% malolactic fermentation. 

Total annual production – 120,000 bottles in total from the producer across all 12 cuvées 

Bubble & Flute Champagne Style* – Fresh & Crisp 

Read the full review of the Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. 

5. Champagne Ayala Blanc De Blancs 2010

Image credit – @champagne_leesh (instagram) Alisia Staltari, republished with permission.

Beach mood – celebrations or milestones

This is where we get a little more special. If you are heading away to the beach to celebrate a birthday or anniversary it deserves a vintage champagne so I recommend taking a bottle of the Champagne Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2014 (the current vintage).

My Instagram buddy Alisia (see picture above) actually had this champagne at the beach for her birthday and gave it rave reviews as a beach bubbly. 

Produced in small quantities and only in exceptional years, the Ayala Blanc de Blancs expresses the unique terroir we know and love from Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.

This is a really delicate and elegant champagne with a lot of complexity, thanks to its long 6 years on lees. Fresh with floral hints with buttery pastry.

All of the Ayala champagnes are chardonnay driven and would make great beach champagnes – read about my visit to Ayala here which includes links to my champagne chat for all their wines.

You can find the Ayala wines from Champagne Gallery or Emperor with the 2014 Blanc de Blancs retailing for about $130.

The Technical Details

The blend – 100% chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.

Terroir – CHOUILLY, CRAMANT, LE MESNIL-SUR-OGER, CUIS, GRAUVES

Dosage – 6 g/l

Aged – 6 years on lees 

Fermentation – stainless steel vats, full malolactic fermentation

Total annual production – 3 – 4 million bottles in total from the producer across all cuvées 

Bubble & Flute Champagne Style* – Fresh & Crisp 

Read the full review of the Champagne Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2014 here. 

Do you have a favourite beach champagne? Next time you’re sipping champs on the beach, make sure you post a pic and tag @bubbleandflute #bubbleandflute #happychamper #champagnefan 

Wine tasting is a subjective and personal experience. What I smell and taste will be different to what you smell and taste. It doesn’t make either of us right or wrong but I enjoy sharing my experience and would love to hear yours. Even if you respectfully disagree.

Prices are a guide at time of writing.