Champagne tasting might sound like the job of your dreams.
But for Kyla Kirkpatrick, 40 – also known as The Champagne Dame – it’s all part of a day’s work.
Here, the Melbourne-based champagne connoisseur shares her story – which has taken her from a career in finance to the vineyards of France.
Kyla also revealed to FEMAIL the best bottle of bubbles you can buy here in Australia for under $100, and the biggest misconceptions about her industry.
Kyla Kirkpatrick, also known as The Champagne Dame (pictured), spoke to FEMAIL about how she left a promising career in finance to work in the champagne industry
Kyla (pictured) also revealed to FEMAIL the best bottle of bubbles you can buy here in Australia for under $100, and the biggest misconceptions about her industry
While Kyla, 40, first studied for a degree in commerce and Mandarin Chinese, it wasn’t until she read an article about Napoleon Bonaparte and his friendship with Jean Remy Moët that she became interested in champagne as a subject:
‘The article really captured my imagination and soon I had read most books I could find on champagne,’ Kyla told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The one that really piqued my interest was The Art and Business of Champagne by Dan Gisburg. I wrote to him with a series of questions and instead of answering them he invited me to join him in France where he would teach me everything he knew.’
Before she knew it, Kyla had booked a one-way ticket to France, where she spent ‘eight months in the vineyards of Champagne learning my craft’.
Before she knew it, Kyla had booked a one-way ticket to France, where she spent ‘eight months in the vineyards of Champagne learning my craft’ (stock image)
Around a year in to her training, the talented 40-year-old (pictured) was recruited by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy to be an ambassador for their champagne brands
Around a year in to her training, the talented 40-year-old was recruited by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy to be an ambassador for their champagne brands:
‘It was such an indulgent time,’ she said.
‘I was staying in a wonderful chateau, indulging in stunning black tie dinners and walking through the historic cellars of Champagne.
‘I had to pinch myself so many times thinking this could be my new life, and what it could be.’
Kyla later returned to Sydney, where she has since worked in champagne, ‘promoting the brands owned by luxury goods conglomerate, Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon and more’.
She also branched out and launched The Champagne Dame in 2008 – a business which sees her educate, present and work as an ambassador.
Kyla also hosts masterclasses and dinners for her clients.
Kyla later returned to Sydney, where she has worked in champagne, ‘promoting the brands owned by luxury goods conglomerate, Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon etc (stock image)
Speaking about how we at home can identify a good bottle of bubbles, Kyla (pictured) revealed it’s not always about price – she said Australia is the largest-growing market for champagne
Speaking about how mere mortals at home can identify a good bottle of bubbles, Kyla revealed it’s not always about price:
‘It’s very hard to tell what makes a good champagne without trying it, as price is not always an indicator,’ she said.
However, there are plenty of great options for under $100:
‘Australia is the largest-growing market for Champagne in the world, so there is definitely a love for it here,’ Kyla admitted.
‘Champagne can only be produced in France, so my best tip for Champagne that is available for purchase in Australia, under $100, is a Charles Heidsieck Brut Non Vintage.’
The connoisseur explained that this is ‘as good as it gets’ because they have ‘reserve wines of up to 20 years in age, which gives it lots of complexity with notes of caramel, vanilla, toast and almond’.
‘This is vintage quality champagne at an amazing price,’ she added.
Lastly, The Champagne Dame shared the biggest misconceptions in her industry – which range from people thinking it’s all parties and yachts to others thinking it’s overpriced (stock image)
The Charles Heidsieck Brut Non Vintage (pictured) is among the best under $100
Lastly, The Champagne Dame shared the biggest misconceptions in her industry – which range from people thinking it’s all parties, yachts and fancy events to people thinking it’s overpriced:
‘Champagne has the most expensive land in the world, it has one of the most climactically difficult regions on the planet to grow grapes and the production process is more complicated than any other wine – with double fermentation and lots of man handling,’ Kyla said.
‘This is all before it’s aged for anywhere between three and ten years.’
If anything, The Champagne Dame said she believes ‘champagne is too cheap’:
‘The other great misconception about champagne is that it’s all about parties, yachts and fancy events – its’s not.
‘Champagne is really about family and time; you need both of these elements to make an amazing champagne.’
To read more from The Champagne Dame, please visit her website here.