Champagne Academy News & Blog

Prologue - Carl Evans After months of anticipation, the Champagne Academy adventure was finally underway. Our journey began bright and early at Searcys Champagne Bar in St Pancras, where Rob welcomed us from the Champagne Academy Committee. We were greeted with pastries and a Magnum of G.H. Mumm to kick things off in style. Vice Chairman Rob talked us through what to expect in the week ahead, answered our questions, and set the tone for what promised to be an unforgettable e

From Left to Right - Craig Bonner - Chairman 2025 & 2026, Kayleigh Vidler - Student of 2025, Louise Grillet - Wine Maker Veuve Clicquot Before arriving for the Champagne Academy in 2025, I thought I understood Champagne. But this week showed me that Champagne is so much more than a wine region - it’s history, culture, hospitality, and people. The lectures, the tastings, the cellar visits, the chalk cellars and crayeres, the incredible hospitality, the endless generosity shown

On Tuesday 26 May 2026, Champagne Lanson, as the incoming Vice-Presidential House, presented a remarkable and memorable wine at the London Champagne Academy dinner: Lanson Vintage Collection 1989 Demi Sec, served en magnum. The presentation opened with a striking observation that immediately engaged the room. It is not often that one tastes a Champagne and realises that it was not actually meant for the audience enjoying it. This magnum is precisely such a cuvée, where a litt

Ahead of our annual Champagne Academy dinner in London, we are delighted to reveal the wines that will be served at this special event. As is tradition, the Champagnes will be selected from the outgoing presidential house, Veuve Clicquot, the current presidential house Krug, and the incoming presidential house, Lanson. Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Edition The most generous expression of Champagne Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is the House’s emblematic multi-vintage blend, craf

The harvest season in Champagne is always a critical moment that shapes the quality and character of the sparkling wines produced. Last year's harvest brought a mix of challenges and opportunities, as reported by the 16 Grandes Marques Champagne houses. Their collective insights reveal how weather patterns, vineyard management, and grape quality influenced the vintage. This article explores these perspectives to provide a clear understanding of recent trends and what they mea

With less than four months to go until this year’s course, I’m delighted to announce our 2026 students. A huge thank you to all the Houses who participated in the selection process. This year we received more applications than ever before, making the decision incredibly difficult — a true testament to the passion and talent within our industry. Back in 2017, when I was fortunate enough to take part in the course myself, it was quite simply the best week of my entire hospitali

The diary of the 2025 Champagne Academy course as told by our academicians. If you would like to apply for 2027, follow the link to our applications page. Prologue - Min Yee TSEU Our travel day to The Champagne Academy started off with a pop (!) at 10am at the Searcy’s Champagne Bar at St Pancras - what a fantastic way to begin. Having learnt a bit about what was in store for us from Rob, Marcus and Martin, off they sent us on the Eurostar with a takeaway magnum of Veuve Clic

The Vintage Tasting is about more than just Champagne — it’s about time. Unlike non-vintage Champagne, which blends multiple years for consistency, each bottle at this event represents a single harvest, a single growing season, and a unique set of conditions that can never be repeated. Weather, ripeness, decisions in the vineyard and cellar — all of it is captured in the glass. Vintage Champagne is only declared in exceptional years, when the producers believe the fruit expre

Rooted in Scotland’s rich culinary heritage, The Culinarians are dedicated to creating refined dining experiences that balance...

Sinead Mccarthy, Owner of Fíon Eile - Dublin 2025 final course day was greeted by incredible sunshine and the warmth we had been...