Helena Nicklin is perhaps best known as one of The Three Drinkers. The Amazon Prime show – which bills itself as ‘the world’s best TV drinks show’ – sees Nicklin and her co-hosts Aidy Smith and Colin Hampden-White (who has recently left the gang) sip their way through Scotland. The show has spawned an online magazine as well as a podcast, both dedicated to all types of wine and spirits from around the world. But it’s Nicklin’s wine know-how that saw her called upon to assist with judging at the IWSC 2021.
During the judging, lucky Nicklin took a position at the Champagne table. And now that the results have been announced, we’re able to share the bottles that most excited her from throughout the blind-tasting process.
Nicklin was impressed with the overall standard of the Champagnes she tried, ‘a mix of well-known names and smaller producers, showing that quality is high across the board,’ she said. ‘It reminds us that brands can’t just rely on long-term reputations and let quality slip. They must always be performing,’ she added.
Rare Brut 2008 was Nicklin’s star performer: scoring 97 points and a Gold medal, the judges all agreed this Champagne shone thanks to its buttered brioche nose, its notes of red fruit and toasted nuts and its delightfully long finish.
Read on to see Helena Nicklin’s top six Champagnes from the IWSC 2021.
Helena Nicklin's six top Champagnes
Rare, Brut 2008
Jacques Picard, Art de Vigne Extra Brut 2007
