We all have different interests. You, for example, may be incredibly interested and fascinated by space and the future, whereas your best friend may be more inclined to research historical events and where we as a species have come from. It’s perfectly normal, and to say you’re not interested in the same subjects as your friends, in no way makes you ‘wrong’. But have you ever wondered why you’re naturally able to place more of your attention and focus – and even have a greater emotional response – to topics and hobbies that you are interested in?Perhaps unsurprisingly, it all comes down to what happens in your brain, and the signals it sends to your body, to give you that heightened emotional response. More specifically, it’s all to do with the release of dopamine. Dopamine is what is known as a neurotransmitter – or perhaps even more specifically, according to Andrew Huberman at least, a neuromodulator – and, as we likely already know, is referred to as a chemical of pleasure, because it feels fantastic when it’s released by the brain.Certain drugs, for example, are known to dramatically increase the levels of dopamine released by the brain, making us feel like we’re on top of the world, or have increased levels of confidence, when we take them. Although, if we take too much of these drugs, which in turn releases even greater quantities of dopamine, we can go past the point of pleasure and start to suffer from heightened anxiety. This can also lead to a disconnection from reality, where we question what is or isn’t real. However, the use of drugs also inhibits your body’s natural ability to produce dopamine, so the levels eventually become depleted, which can make you feel like you have no energy – otherwise known as the ‘come down.’But, back to the topic at hand, why is it that we feel an increased focus when we’re interested in something? Andrew Huberman, Ph.D, a neuroscience professor at Stanford, has the answer. During a recent episode of his podcast, Andrew speaks about people who have ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) – informing us as to why people with ADHD can focus very intensely on things they enjoy and are curious – but adds that the same principles can be applied to those who don’t have it.

How to increase your mental focus

He adds that “enjoyment and curiosity” are psychological terms, or rather “the way we describe our human experience.” But, “from a neurobiological perspective, they have a very clear identity and signature, and that’s dopamine.”Furthering the specificity of what dopamine does in our brain on top of the above, Andrew says dopamine is a neuromodulator, which “changes the activity of the circuits in the brain, such that certain circuits are more active than others.”

“In particular, dopamine creates a heightened state of focus. It tends to contract our visual world and it tends to make us pay attention to things that are outside and beyond the confides of our skin.”

“Dopamine is largely responsible for our ability and drive to pursue information in our outside world.”He expands on this by saying that dopamine “turns on signals in our brain that narrow our visual focus and our auditory focus.” By contrast, when our brain isn’t releasing dopamine, we are less perceptive to specific things happening in our outside world. We are susceptible to a variety of different senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, for example, but “we only perceive some of them, because [we’re] only paying attention to some of them.”As a real world example, wherever you’re reading this article, you’re exposed to an entire world of sensory information. You’re feeling clothes on your skin, you’re taking in words by sight, and there might be external sounds around you. But you’re only paying attention to some of these, which (hopefully) will be the taking in of words via your sight. As Andrew says, “the ones you’re paying attention to, are your perceptions.” Your body will still be sensing the other senses, but you’re not perceiving them.Applying this to people with ADHD, Andrew adds that while it may be true that they can have difficulty paying attention to things, they also have the ability to have a “hyper focus” on things they really enjoy. “People with ADHD have the capacity to attend, but they can’t engage that attention for things that they don’t really, really want to do.” And it’s this ideology that can be applied even to those without ADHD, i.e., if we’re not interested in something, we’re not going to give it our attention, but vice versa, if we are interested in something, our attention will become incredibly focused.So, the secret to increasing your mental focus? Find subjects, people or hobbies that you’re genuinely interested in. And how do you know what you are or aren’t interested in? You’ll notice a difference in the way your brain responds to the various stimuli, either with sincere pleasure, or a complete lack of.

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The post How To Sharpen Your Mental Focus, According To A Neuroscience Professor appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There's one thing you need to watch out for when dining out in France: your ego. Be careful not to trip over it.

Don't despair though: the short shrift you get in France from wait staff (compared to say England, Australia or America) is actually a bit of a relief – a much-needed ego check, even.

A video has recently emerged on Instagram capturing this difference with mirth. Posted by bilingual comedian Tatty Macleod (@tatty_macleod), it's worth a watch.

Watch Tatty Macleod show the difference between French and English waiters in the video below

 

The video shows Tatty pretending to be an English waiter apologising profusely to guests, saying: "sorry to keep you waiting" and asking: "how are we?"

It then cuts to a French waiter (also Tatty) in a similar scenario, yelling at guests: "yes yes, I'm on my way, madam. I've seen you."

Then she imitates a French waiter responding to a complaint about a pizza.

"What do you mean it's burnt?"

"It's not burnt. It's homemade artisanal dough cooked the Italian way and this is how it comes out. It comes out charred. What do you want me to say. It's like that."

RELATED: Paris Local Reveals The Secret To Drinking Your Coffee The True French Way

Another follow up video explores a few more funny themes.

Some great quotes include a French waiter telling diners "no, no sorry madam, the terrace is full – for two – next to the toilets."

Another comes when a French waiter is asked what's in the salad.

"It's a salad – whatever's in a salad."

She then mimics the response a tourist might get when they complain that a restaurant is out of steak or souffle.

"You shouldn't come at the end of lunch service."

As for vegans, the attitude is very Bourdain-esque.

"If you enjoy eating grass the champ de mars is opposite."

Commenters appeared to love it, writing remarks like: "hahahaha so true" and "this truly killed me."

Though Tatty didn't post this necessarily with the view of saying French hospitality workers are better (it was more to poke fun at both sides of the channel), we reckon it illustrates an important point.

Though many tourists find the French style of customer service abrasive, others love how it keeps things ~real~.

Who wants to live in a fake world where the customer is always right, anyway? Unless you're someone who needs their ego massaged at every turn, it's a strange thing to wish for.

Food for thought.

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The post The Rude Shock Every Tourist Needs To Prepare For Before Dining In France appeared first on DMARGE.

Are you someone who loves to devour some double cream brie cheese, yearns for yoghurt, or eats butter by the bucketload? Chances are you’ve been told you’re on a one-way trip to a heart attack. It’s common opinion that foods high in fat will eventually lead to clogged arteries, or various other cardiovascular diseases, and, while that may be true for foods high in saturated fats – although there is some evidence to suggest this could be more myth than fact – it’s a whole other ballgame for foods with high levels of dairy fat.In fact, foods high in dairy fat could actually be good for you (or not as bad as you thought). At least, that’s according to a recent study published in the PLOS Medicine journal. Wanting to find out the correlation between dairy fat and cardiovascular disease, a team of researchers studied a sample of 4,150 participants in Sweden, with a median age of 60.5-years old. The research team specifically chose Sweden, because it’s a country that has a high production output of dairy products, along with a high consumption rate.The study honed in on a particular fatty acid – 15.0 – and how much of it was present in the blood of the participants. The study ran for an average of 16 years, and wanted to see how many suffered from heart attacks, strokes, or worse, died. While 578 participants suffered from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 676 died, the researchers accounted for contributing factors that can lead to CVD – such as age and other dietary habits – the study ultimately found “higher 15:0” – higher levels of the fatty acid consumed via dairy products – “was associated with lower incident CVD risk”In short: the idea that fatty dairy products can lead to heart attacks, could be a myth.But, don’t just go and assume the Swedes are a lucky bunch, as the researchers combined their findings with those from 17 other studies looking into similar effects – with participants coming from countries including the USA, UK and Denmark, according to CNN – which confirmed similar results. CNN adds that lead researcher Kathy Trieu made a statement on the findings, saying “Our study suggests that cutting down on dairy fat or avoiding dairy altogether might not be the best choice for heart health.”RELATED: Scientists Discover Bizarre Benefit To Dairy Rich Diet“It is important to remember that although dairy foods can be rich in saturated fat, they are also rich in many other nutrients and can be a part of a healthy diet.”She further admitted that while these findings suggest dairy fats aren’t necessarily so bad for us after all, they do still pale in comparison to ‘healthy’ fats found in other foods: “However, other fats like those found in seafood, nuts, and non-tropical vegetable oils can have greater health benefits than dairy fats.”The research team added their study presented “increasing evidence that the health impact of dairy foods is more dependent on the type (e.g., cheese, yoghurt, milk, and butter) rather than the fat content, which has raised doubts if avoidance of dairy fats is beneficial for cardiovascular health.”

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The post ‘Butter Me Up’: Study Finds Dairy Reduces Your Risk Of Heart Disease appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Hunter Lawrence is living a pretty charmed life.The 22-year-old Australian motocross star, along with his brother Jett, have been dominating the motocross world, winning races left right and centre. The boys are on a high after becoming the first brothers to finish in the top three of the US motocross championship standings, with Hunter coming third in the American Motorcycle Association Pro Motocross 250MX Championship and Jett coming first.Younger brother Jett might be having a bit more success on the track as of late but Hunter’s been making some friends in high places – namely Formula One champ Daniel Ricciardo. He’s also been amassing one of the best watch collections in Australia, putting his prize money to good use.

Check out Hunter Lawrence’s impressive watch collection below

For such a young gun, he’s got exceptionally good taste in timepieces. He’s consistent, too: they’re all sporty, stainless steel and versatile. We’re a big fan of his most lavish piece, his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph. Wish we had one of those at 22…RELATED: Conor McGregor Does The One Thing You Should Never Do With A Luxury WatchLawrence’s favourite watch, however, seems to be his Panerai Luminor, which he’s been spotted wearing in a number of interviews off the track over the last few years. He loves swapping different straps onto the watch, too – swapping out the standard brown leather one for red, white and black rubber straps on various occasions.The Lawrence family, originally from the Sunshine Coast packed up their belongings and moved to Europe at the end of 2015 to pursue the brothers’ motocross dreams, later moving to the United States in 2018 when the boys got signed by Honda. It’s probably why F1 star Ricciardo struck up a friendship with Hunter – Ricciardo having had a similar experience of relocating to Europe from Perth at a young age to pursue his racing career.We love to see Aussies taking it to the rest of the world.

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The post Meet Hunter Lawrence, The 22-Year-Old Australian Motocross Star With A Baller Watch Collection appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

When it comes to decking out your pad (bachelor or otherwise) with some new furniture, you could be a conformist and visit stores such as IKEA or AMart Furniture.

But we here at DMARGE know you’re better than that. We know you’re in need of the best furniture stores Melbourne has to offer. Whether its for outright coolness, durability and longevity, we implore you to seek out these independent designer furniture stores for all your essential needs.

Melbourne, being an incredibly cultured city, knows a thing or two about art and design, and it’s with that in mind that several designer furniture shops have opened their doors to sell you their interpretations of sofas, beds, chairs, coffee tables and all manner of other essentials.

If you’re someone who’s looking to redo their home, has moved into somewhere new or simply thinks their living room could do with one more piece, then you’ll want to check out this list of the best furniture stores in Melbourne.

Jardan

Jardan furniture is designed and manufactured in Victoria and sold in stores in each of the major Australian cities. Their Victoria-based store, then, could be considered the flagship, and it’s here you’ll find the company’s incredibly well-made, sustainablee offerings. Furniture is made both from sustainable materials and put together by sustainable means and encompasses chairs, beds, desks, storage and outdoor pieces, alongside rugs, homewares and lighting.

Address: 522 Church Street, Richmond, 3121

Phone: 03 8581 4988

Fanuli Furniture

Fanuli Furniture is a family-owned company that first set up shop in Sydney in 1976 before opening its Melbourne store in 2015. Specialising in Italian designs, both as a distributor for third-party brands and as a maker of its own range, Fanuli can be called upon to deliver high-quality pieces to deck out your living room, dining room, bedroom, as well as any outdoor space you may have.

Address: 681 Chapel Street, South Yarra, 3141

Phone: 03 9826 8777

Cult

Cult is a must-visit store for a wide selection of designer furniture brands under one roof. Whether you’re in the market for something minimalist from Scandinavia, contemporary designs from Italy, or even something quintessentially Australian, you can find it all at Cult. Not only does the store act as a distributor for global brands, but it has its own brand: nau, responsible for an eclectic range of Australian-made and designed pieces.

Address: 680 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, 3000

Phone: 03 9066 1177

Apato

Japanese furniture more up your street? You’ll want to head to Apato. The store specialises in stocking a broad range of Japanese brands, ticking off pieces including seating and tables, which, owing to their typical Japanese style, make heavy use of wood. Collections come from both world-renowned designers alongside up and coming talents, meaning you could potentially score yourself something that will prove to be utterly timeless.

Address: 421-423 Swan Street, Richmond, 3121

Phone: 03 9912 7250

Curious Grace

With a mission statement promising to help customers “create beautiful spaces”, Curious Grace is just that, curious. The retailer stocks collections from designers from both Europe and Australia, with an emphasis being placed on contemporary pieces that will perfectly complement modern Australian homes.

All collections comprise entirely original designs, which predominantly cover the living room, dining room and bedroom. Expect high-quality fabrics, solid wood and some of the finest armchair designs around.

Address: 1 Parslow Street, Clifton Hill, 3068

Phone: 03 9481 3488

Pad Furniture

Pad Furniture brings together an impeccable range of European designers – including Rolf Benz, Bonaldo and Hulsta – alongside some of the finest offerings from Australia such as David Emery.

A visit to Pad’s showroom will not only have you leaving satisfied with the exemplary customer service, but you’ll likely want to take a van to load up with pieces you’ll inevitably end up buying.

Address: 630 Church Street, Cremorne, 3121

Phone: 03 9421 6655

Huset

Think of Huset as an upmarket alternative to IKEA. The furniture store specialises in handcrafted European pieces from an extensive range of well-known designers and presents it alongside its own range of Australian-made designs.

One of Huset’s biggest draws, however, is that whatever piece or pieces you want to buy, you’re highly likely to find them in stock, meaning you can say goodbye to long wait times.

Address: 236 Centre Dandenong Road, Cheltenham, 3192

Phone: 03 8609 1443

Living Edge

Living Edge is the leader in authentic and sustainable furniture and lighting from the most talented designers and iconic brands. It’s highly celebrated by the country’s finest architects, interior designers, design enthusiasts and those who have refined taste.

Here, you’ll find a wide selection of timeless designs to contemporary, distinctive furniture from world-class, forward-thinking luxury brands.

Address: 650 Church St, Richmond VIC 3121

Phone: 1300 132 154

James Said

James Said positions itself at the higher-end of the luxury furniture scale, with its collections consisting of hand-selected pieces from some of the world’s top designers. The retailer founded its first store in Perth but has since expanded to Sydney and Melbourne (and closed the Perth store in the process), offering Australians on the east coast the chance to, in their words, “Create beautiful” in the home.

Address: 926-930 High Street, Armadale, 3143

Phone: 1800 077 704

Great Dane

Great Dane was founded in 2002 and started out with owner Anton Assaad selling secondhand vintage Danish furniture to the Australian public. Anton found quick success, so much so that he was able to proposition retired furniture maker Arne Vodder with reviving some of his old works. Arne agreed and Great Dane grew exponentially. Anton has since worked with other famed designers such as Kai Kristiansen and Mads Johansen, to continue to offer a high-quality range of Scandinavian style pieces.

Address: 175 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, 3065

Phone: 03 9417 5599

Space

Space is a world-leading contemporary furniture store that launched its first showroom in Sydney in 1993, setting up the gold standard for design retailing in Australia. The company has also become South-East Asia’s largest and most progressive retailer of contemporary design. This luxury furniture brand is known for its modern pieces supplied by local and international designers that will help you cultivate your signature aesthetic. Check out their range as they have a massive selection of authentic, quality tables, chairs, stools, benches and much more!

Address: 629 Church St, Richmond, 3121

Phone: 03 9426 3000

Poliform

Poliform represents Italy’s most luxurious furniture brands, including Arflex and Bocci. Poliform Australia began in Sydney during the mid-nineties and has since opened stores in Melbourne and operates from Space Furniture showrooms in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. This brand’s collection is synonymous with beauty, harmony and elegance, as its impressive furniture continuously fuses excellent design and innovative craftsmanship, working with wood that captures the true style of the Brianza region in Italy.

Address: 650 Church St, Richmond VIC 3121

Phone: 03 8420 0800

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The post Melbourne Furniture Stores 2022: The Best Furniture Stores In Melbourne For Designer Living appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

This feature has been produced in partnership with Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

Irish whiskey has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, in no small part to the success of Peaky Blinders – the amber liquid being the signature drink of choice for the TV show’s impeccably well-dressed gangsters.

But Irish whiskey isn’t just a rough-and-tumble sort of drink: it’s just as refined and complex as anything out of Scotland or Japan. Indeed, the oldest licenced whiskey distillery in the world comes from Ireland: Bushmills, which was granted its licence to distil back in 1608.

Located on County Antrim’s rugged coastline – just near the famous Giant’s Causeway – Bushmills is an Irish institution and one of the finest whiskey makers on the planet. It’s one of only a handful of distilleries in the world where all of the distillation, maturation, bottling and shipping happens all under one roof, which is emblematic of Bushmills’ pursuit of perfection. Their Master Distiller, Colum Egan, is a custodian of centuries of unique whiskey-making knowledge and tradition – and now, in 2021, they’re gearing up to share more of their rarest treasures.

Teaming up once again with Australia’s largest whisk(e)y subscription service, The Whisky Club, Bushmills is releasing yet another exclusive drop The Causeway Collection: an exclusive series of whiskeys named after the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site situated near the old distillery that pairs Bushmills’ passion for fine Irish single malts and tradition with extremely rare and unique cask finishes.

Their latest creation is the 2011 Banyuls Cask Finish: a cask strength (53.6% ABV), non-chill filtered single malt matured for over six years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, and then finished in rare Banyuls casks for an unprecedented three years. Banyuls is a French AOC-designated dessert wine made from old vines cultivated in terraces on the slopes of the Catalan Pyrenees in the Roussillon county of France. This unique finish lends the whiskey notes of baked peaches, apricots and a hint of anise. The 2011 Banyuls Cask has a long, luscious and warm finish; a truly special and refined whiskey for only the most discerning drinkers.

“At Bushmills, we take our rich history and classic taste and couple it with innovative maturation and finishes to enhance the great flavours that are already there,” Bushmills Master Distiller Colum Egan relates.

“We’re not trying to create a Port, Madeira or a Banyuls, but we are picking up nuances from each of those barrel finishes to bring something new and unusual to our whiskey… Maintaining the unique taste and character is so important, but it’s through innovations in maturation and unique barrel finishes that we can really add some more layers of complexity and nuances to that classic Bushmills taste.”

The 2011 Banyuls Cask is an Australian release made exclusively for The Whisky Club, which has quickly become a must-subscribe service for any Aussie whisk(e)y enthusiast thanks to its unparalleled ability to source rare and exclusive drops from around the globe, especially Ireland.

In 2020, Bushmills launched the global first release from The Causeway Collection through The Whisky Club: the 2006 Marsala Cask. That release has since gone on to become a highly coveted pickup, with bottles now fetching close to AU$2,400 at auction (that’s 20 times the original RRP of AU$120) – indicative of how amazing Bushmills’ Causeway Collection single malts really are.

Join The Whisky Club for free via www.thewhiskyclub.com.au before October 3rd, 2021, to ensure your access to the Bushmills 2011 Banyuls Cask from The Causeway Collection. Your tastebuds will thank you later.

Bushmills encourages you to drink responsibly. The Causeway Collection is only available to whisk(e)y lovers aged 18 years and over. 

The post Bushmills & The Whisky Club Return With Yet Another ‘Highly Exclusive’ Irish Single Malt appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

High-end watches and sports cars are a match made in heaven, and many of the world’s top luxury watch manufacturers have forged partnerships with performance car makers – IWC Schaffhausen with Mercedes-AMG, Jacob & Co. with Bugatti, TAG Heuer with Porsche, Richard Mille with McLaren, Bremont with Jaguar…Now we can add another partnership to that list: Panerai and Brabus. Brabus, for those that are unaware, is a German luxury engineering brand that’s perhaps best known as one of the best aftermarket tuners for Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach vehicles. They’re to Mercedes what Alpina is to BMW or RUF is to Porsche – or like AMG, but even crazier.Something most revheads might not know is that Brabus tunes watercraft, too. Just as Brabus bless Mercedes vehicles with their Midas touch, Brabus also works with Finnish boatmaker Axopar on a line of Brabus Marine motorboats, which are like supercars for the ocean. And it’s in this context of high-performance watersports that Panerai and Brabus have come together on a seriously exciting new watch.Meet the Panerai Submersible S Brabus Black Ops Edition (ref. PAM01240): a watch that celebrates Brabus’ newest and most exciting motorboat, while also marking a number of technological firsts for Panerai as well.

Named after Brabus Marine’s latest limited-edition speedboat, the Brabus Shadow 900 Black Ops (a 900hp monster with a top speed of over 60 knots), this appropriately stealthy diver’s watch is primarily constructed from Carbotech, a signature Panerai carbon fibre composite material that’s lighter than titanium, tougher than steel and completely scratch-resistant – a similar composite to what’s used in Brabus’ cars and boats.RELATED: Inside Luxury Watchmaker Panerai’s Exclusive Partnership With The America’s Cup’s Coolest TeamBut the technical wizardry doesn’t stop there. The Submersible Brabus Black Ops Edition is also the first-ever Panerai watch with a skeletonised automatic calibre. Normally skeletonised watches look pretty but sacrifice practicality for looks – yet this watch still has a water-resistance rating of 300m and a 3-day power reserve. It also has a novel polarised date window, allowing a view of the date indication only through the opening at 3 o’clock without covering the mechanics of the skeletonised movement.It’s an exceptionally cool watch that’s the perfect companion to a tricked-out, high-performance Brabus boat or car. Like the Black Ops boat, it too is a limited edition: only 100 of these distinctive timepieces will be made, and you can bet they’ll be outta here quicker than a Brabus Rocket.Discover more about this amazing creation at Panerai’s online boutique here.

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The post Panerai Teams Up With Renowned Car Tuner On A 'Tricked-Out' High-Performance Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Champagne has an illustrious reputation. It’s known as being the wine of royalty. The thing you pop to celebrate a milestone. The pinnacle of everything decent and debaucherous.Oh and, as Kyla Kirkpatrick – founder & CEO of Emperor Champagne and The Champagne Dame – recently told DMARGE, that’s just the start.Answering the question “Will consumers ever see sparkling wine from other regions of the world as on par with champagne in terms of ‘classiness’?” Kyla told DMARGE: “Not in our lifetime!”There are, nonetheless, some reasons why Australian producers might start to catch up.Before we get into that though, why is champagne (sparkling wine from France’s Champagne region) so special?“Champagne has had the reputation of being the wine of kings,” Kyla told DMARGE. “The wine that is the pinnacle of all sparkling wines for hundreds of years.”“It was their wine that was used to anoint power and was always associated with royalty, it was drunk by Marie Antionette, Pompadour and the Kings of France. It has an incredible legacy and it is very hard to catch up on that legacy of incredible history.”

Vis a vis the rest of the world, champagne also has unparalleled marketing. Kyla told DMARGE: “Champagne is a region market itself and no other region in the world is doing that. Australia doesn’t do it, Italy does it to a lesser extent but not many regions spend a lot of time, energy or passion marketing the product from a regional perspective, and that’s what gives them the edge.”It’s not just hot air and history either. Kyla explained: “There are also quality standards in Champagne where every champagne producer must meet a minimum quality standard, which includes what grapes are used, where they come from, how long it’s been in the cellar, ageing to gain its complexity.”

“Those strict set of guidelines mean you get consistency across the region, whereas other regions don’t have that which can lead to bad sparkling wines that bring the whole region down.”

“Certain producers have done a reasonable job at marketing themselves,” Kyla added. “The problem is, there’s no consistency and quality is a big issue. It really frustrates me when I hear a vineyard say, ‘I’m going to knock out a sparkling wine next year.’ A truly great wine requires thought and time, and it should spend years in the cellar before it’s released.”

“Along with quality, marketing is also very important. In order to achieve a certain level of status and reputation the whole region needs to unite in their marketing efforts rather than just one or two independent winery’s.”

Now for the thorny question: will Australian sparkling wine (or sparkling wine from anywhere else in the world) ever catch up with the prestige of champagne?“I don’t think so,” Kyla said. “There might be some consumers that fall in love with a particular region and there is nothing wrong with that, but there’s a lot of work to do for them to catch up with.”

“Champagne has years of history, pedigree and experience, that makes it so poised in people’s minds, that it is a special wine. Even though we drink it more readily, and not just on those special occasions, when you drink a bottle of champagne, there is a magic to it.”

“There’s history in the bottle, there’s 300 years of history in most bottles, whereas most other regions would be lucky to have 20 or 30 years of history and pedigree in each bottle.”

Kyla also related that “the quality of champagne is superior in terms of how it is made and the time it is left in the cellar.”

“No other region ages their sparkling wines as long as the Champagne region.”

“Secondly, it is the history of the families, they have often lived for hundreds of years in the Champagne region passing knowledge from father to son and other members in the family.”“Finally, you have the historical power of the region, and the link between Champagne and key historical events such as war, with kings and queens, religion and nobility. There are such famous characters and figures from Champagne which makes it very hard to topple the connection, the feeling of magic and the joy that champagne brings.”RELATED: Australian Wine Snob Learns Important Lesson After Committing Ultimate Barossa Valley SinKyla also shared with DMARGE that the way people consume champagne is evolving – something which could – perhaps – open the doors to competitors looking to burrow out a niche.“People are drinking champagne more often. It used to be an occasion led drink, you would drink champagne at engagements, birthdays with zeroes and special occasions but now consumers are drinking champagne more readily. We’ve seen massive growth in the Australian and American market place, there are champagne shortages as people who turn to champagne fall in love with it.”“The second major movement is the movement away from big brands towards smaller artisanal producers, someone who’s put their pride and passion and energy into every bottle. Over the last decade champagne has democratised a bit and it is now being enjoyed in bars by people in their 20s, it’s a bit more edgy, it’s a bit more cool and champagne has changed its perception in the market.”We’ll drink to that.

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The post 'Not In Our Lifetime': What Australian Sparkling Wine Producers Need To Do To Rival Champagne appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Indonesia’s minister of Maritime and Investment affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, made waves this month when he said Bali would weed out backpackers and focus on “quality” tourists after its reopening, which is planned for October.“We will filter the tourists who visit,” Pandjaitan told media. “We do not want backpackers, so that Bali remains clean, and the tourists who come here are of quality.”“We’ll aim for quality tourism in Bali, so we won’t allow backpackers to enter once the reopening plan for international travellers is officially put in place in the near future,” Pandjaitan said (these comments reportedly came on September the 10th).The comments went viral, and Pandjaitan’s spokesman then issued an update.The spokesperson said it wouldn’t be backpackers who are not welcome but “visitors who violate health rules and regulations” and well as “laws and immigration regulations” in Indonesia – something Bali has been cracking down on for some time.

Influencers face deportation from Bali after ‘cheeky’ stunt backfires

Bali is not alone in taking the pandemic as a chance to encourage a more profitable kind of tourism. Amsterdam has done it too, as have various other tourism hotspots around the world.Back to Bali though, The Lonely Planet clarifies, “the government spokesperson added that all foreign visitors and tourists can visit Bali, provided they adhere to protocols.”In other news about Bali’s re-opening, the popular island, which is economically highly dependant on tourism, is planning to re-open to international tourists in October (once 70% of the local population has been vaccinated), starting with countries with low rates of COVID-19 and high rates of vaccination.These countries include Japan, Singapore and New Zealand.7news.com.au reports that Pandjaitan has said the addition of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had dropped by 94.5 per cent since a peak in mid-July.As for Australians hoping to once again holiday in Bali, looking to the future, vaccine passports still appear key to rejoining the world.Travel bug activated? Watch expats living in Bali share some of their wildest experiences on the island in the video below.

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