Dressed in shimmering sequins, commercial lawyer turned champagne specialist Natalie Hazel prepares to host another “educational” tasting for her Société de Champagne Sydney social club. “My guests, many from the corporate world, want to sound knowledgeable when ordering champagne,” explains Hazel, who quit law in 2019 to wage a marketing campaign on behalf of her clients, France’s luxury champagne-makers, to convince Australians – especially women – to keep buying their fizz.

Commercial lawyer turned champagne specialist Natalie Hazel. Credit:

After importing a record 10.5 million bottles in 2022, Australia dropped to 7.3 million bottles in 2024 (almost on par with more populous Germany and Italy). The cost of living crisis, cheaper sparkling wines and fluctuating exchange rates have

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