How to Spot and Avoid Parallel Imported Champagne
Everyone loves a good glass of bubbles - whether it’s a wedding toast, Christmas lunch, birthday celebration or any occasion really! But here’s something most people don’t realise: where and how you buy your Champagne really matters.
Not all bottles are created equal, and not every Champagne that reaches New Zealand has travelled the right way. You might think you are getting a good price on a bottle of Parallel Imported Champagne, but you will be left with a bad taste in your mouth!
In this blog, we’re lifting the lid on Champagne Parallel Importing - explaining what it is, how it can affect the quality of your wine, and how to make sure you’re buying Champagne that’s as fresh, authentic, and vibrant as the day it left France.
When it comes to Champagne, provenance matters. Parallel Imports are purchased from secondary markets, older stocks that are often stored in poor conditions. Then shipped via multiple ports in non-temperature-controlled containers that are exposed to extreme temperature changes as it crosses the equator.
How to tell if a Champagne has been Parallel Imported:
- Look at the back label and see if it has the New Zealand importers details like the examples below. If these are missing, the Champagne has been Parallel Imported.
- Make sure the label has the correct credentials present like the bottle below ie pregnancy warning
- Price - If it seems cheap and a ‘too good to be true’ deal when comparing prices in market. It means it is.
Examples of bottles that have been imported through the correct channels:
How Parallel Importing effects the Quality of your Champagne:
- Champagne of all beverages is very sensitive to time and temperature. Non-vintage Champagnes are disgorged close to the time of shipping from the Champagne house and intended to be consumed within approximately 18-months from that point. Beyond this time, you start to notice the Champagne is tired, lacking the vibrancy, fruit character and even the bubbles have waned.
- You can not expose wine to
significant temperature changes (hot or cold), with Champagne this is even
more important. Parallel Imported stock is not only older stock, regularly
shipped in non-temperature-controlled containers, it also takes a long
time to reach New Zealand. By then, this delicate wine that once sparkled
with life can be fatigued, oxidised, or simply not as good as they should be.
- We have conducted blind
tastings with parallel stock vs fresh stock and we can tell you first hand,
the difference is unquestionable, even to the novice palate. The Parallel
Imported Champagne is very disappointing, leaving you wondering what the
fuss of Champagne is all about. It is one of those cases where the deal
really is too good to be true!
At Fine Wine Delivery, we source direct from the licensed suppliers of these prestigious Champagne Houses, ensuring every bottle travels in temperature-controlled containers straight from France to our cellar, so you taste it exactly as it was intended by the Champagne House.
Champagne is a beautiful and delicate experience that must be served FRESH. All Champagne sold at Fine Wine Delivery, whether imported by us directly, or by our supply partners is always guaranteed FRESH. This means supplied in 2025 (NEW stocks).
We share this as a warning of Buyer Beware for our customers. We have always had access to these same channels to parallel import Champagne. We choose not to as the product you will receive is markedly below par and not what FRESH Champagne tastes like at all.
We’re always reminded of the “Famous & Fabulous” quote from Madame Lily Bollinger whenever we have a glass of Champagne in hand…
“I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it - unless I’m thirsty.”
- Madame Lily Bollinger (1899-1977) Bollinger Champagne
There’s plenty of not so FRESH Champagne out there - so buy from a trustworthy source this Festive Season.
If you are interested in shopping Champagne & Sparkling Products see our range here.