Champagne's 2026 Harvest Is the Smallest in Four Decades
The Champagne region has recorded its smallest harvest in 40 years during the 2026 vintage, raising concerns over future supply and pricing across the market.
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A curated journal of champagne news, houses, regions, vintages, and market intelligence.
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Cdiscount offered a brief price reduction on Ruinart Champagne
The French e-commerce retailer Cdiscount ran a short-lived promotional discount on Ruinart Champagne, lasting only a few hours, highlighting competitive pricing strategies in the premium sparkling wine market.
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Global Champagne Shipments Edged Down 2% in 2025
Industry data confirm that worldwide Champagne shipments fell by 2% across 2025, pointing to a measured softening in demand for premium sparkling wine.
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Champagne Producers Set 2026 Harvest Yield Limit at 8,800 Kilograms per Hectare
Champagne producers have established the 2026 harvest yield limit at 8,800 kilograms per hectare, a reduction that reflects the appellation's ongoing commitment to managing production volume and upholding quality standards.
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Climate Change Pushes the 2026 Champagne Harvest Three Weeks Earlier Than Tradition
The 2026 Champagne harvest is beginning three weeks ahead of its traditional date, with climate change identified as the primary driver of this significant shift in regional production practice.
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Perrier-Jouët named official champagne partner of the Metropolitan Opera
The Épernay house Perrier-Jouët has been appointed official champagne partner of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, reinforcing Champagne's enduring presence in luxury arts patronage.
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Champagne Barons de Rothschild hails 2026 harvest as historic and extraordinary
Champagne Barons de Rothschild has reported that its 2026 harvest stands as a landmark moment for the house, distinguished by exceptional earliness and an excellent balance of maturity.
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RARE CHAMPAGNE 2012 awarded a perfect 100-point score by James Suckling
Critic James Suckling has awarded RARE CHAMPAGNE's 2012 vintage a perfect 100-point score, marking one of the most significant critical accolades in recent Champagne history.
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Champagne sets a 250-million-bottle production ceiling for 2026
The Champagne region's governing authority has announced a production limit of 250 million bottles for 2026, a regulatory measure designed to uphold quality standards and manage supply across the appellation.
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Piper-Heidsieck Releases a Limited-Edition Cuvée to Mark Marilyn Monroe's Centennial
The Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck has unveiled a limited-edition Marilyn Monroe Cuvée, announced on 1 June 2026, to commemorate what would have been the icon's hundredth year.
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United States Claims Top Spot in Champagne Exports with 26.4 Million Bottles in 2025
Champagne shipments to the United States reached 26.4 million bottles in 2025, confirming the country as the region's leading export market by volume.
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Champagne Lanson's Hervé Dantan Turns Attention to the 2025 Vintage
Hervé Dantan of Champagne Lanson has offered an early assessment of the 2025 growing season, identifying August as a pivotal month in determining harvest quality.
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Caroline Fiot named chef de caves at Ruinart
Caroline Fiot has been appointed head of cellars at Ruinart, one of Champagne's most established houses, with the announcement made on 2 October 2025.
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Perrier-Jouët Launches Funded Biodiversity Call for Proposals in Champagne
Perrier-Jouët has announced and is financing a call for biodiversity projects within the Champagne region, signalling a concrete commitment to environmental conservation in one of France's most celebrated wine-producing areas.
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Champagne Drappier Poured at the French Presidential Bastille Day Banquet
Champagne Drappier was selected to be served at the French presidential banquet marking Bastille Day on 14 July 2026, affirming the house's standing among France's most distinguished champagne producers.
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The 2026 Champagne Harvest Is the Healthiest in Half a Century
The 2026 harvest in Champagne has been described as the healthiest in 50 years, marking a significant moment for vineyard health and fruit quality across the region.
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Thirty Years in Organic Champagne: Christophe Lefèvre on Pioneering a Path Few Took Seriously
Vigneron Christophe Lefèvre reflects on three decades of organic champagne production in a region where early practitioners were met with widespread scepticism.
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Clément Ganier appointed head of premium experiences at Perrier-Jouët
Perrier-Jouët has appointed Clément Ganier to lead its premium experiences division, a move announced on 10 June 2025 that underscores the Champagne house's commitment to high-end consumer engagement.
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Rosé Impérial: How Moët & Chandon Pursues a Distinctive Path in Rosé Champagne
Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial achieves its fruity, low-tannin character through a meunier-forward red component and the use of thermovinification.
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Quill & Pad Reviews Louis Roederer Cristal 2013 and Cristal Rosé 2012
Quill & Pad published tasting notes for Louis Roederer's Cristal 2013 and Cristal Rosé 2012, positioning both releases as exemplary expressions of Champagne's most celebrated prestige cuvée.
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Champagne Bureau launches education prize to bring early-career professionals to the region
The Champagne Bureau has introduced a new prize programme designed to give early-career wine professionals direct, hands-on experience of Champagne production at its source.
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Ruinart brings Tables Singulières to the Champagne region on 6 and 7 June 2025
Ruinart is staging its curated Tables Singulières gastronomic events across two days in June 2025, uniting fine dining and champagne in an immersive setting within the Champagne region.
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Taittinger extends its role as official champagne supplier to the FIFA World Cup
The Champagne house Taittinger has renewed its partnership with FIFA, continuing as the official champagne supplier for the World Cup and securing one of sport's most prominent global marketing platforms.
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Champagne's 2026 Harvest Sets an Unwanted Record as Sugar Levels Alarm the Region
The 2026 Champagne harvest began on 6 August, the earliest start date ever recorded in the region, with exceptionally high sugar content observed across all grape varieties and terroirs.
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L'Union brings the 2026 Champagne harvest to screens with live coverage from Rilly-la-Montagne
The regional newspaper L'Union broadcast live video footage of the 2026 vendanges from Rilly-la-Montagne, offering viewers real-time access to one of Champagne's most important annual events.
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Pan Pacific London Joins Forces with Champagne Taittinger in Luxury Hospitality Partnership
Pan Pacific London has announced a partnership with Champagne Taittinger, uniting two prestigious names to deliver a refined luxury hospitality experience in the British capital.
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2026 Champagne Harvest: Smaller Grapes and Elevated Sugar Levels Signal a Distinctive Vintage
The 2026 Champagne harvest is under way earlier than usual, with grapes notably smaller than typical and carrying high sugar content, conditions that will define the character of the vintage.
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Cristal at 150 Years: How a Tsarist Commission Became Champagne's Defining Terroir Statement
Louis Roederer's Cristal, created in 1876 at the behest of the Russian Tsar, continues to set the standard for terroir-driven champagne under cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon.
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Taittinger Launches 'L'Instant Famille', a Champagne Experience Designed for Families
Taittinger has introduced 'L'Instant Famille', a new experience conceived to help families discover champagne together, with children welcome.
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Champagne Cowgirl brings small French growers to American tables
Monica Riebli, a former nonprofit fundraiser, has launched Champagne Cowgirl, a club designed to connect United States consumers directly with small Champagne producers and reframe sparkling wine as an everyday pleasure.
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Ruinart to Centre Its 2026 Sommelier Challenge on Rosé Champagne
Ruinart has announced that its 2026 Sommelier Challenge will focus on rosé champagne, turning industry attention towards one of the appellation's most significant style categories.
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After a Catastrophic 2019, an Aube Producer Turns to Organic Vegetable Farming
A champagne producer in the Aube has moved into organic vegetable farming following the catastrophic 2019 vintage, signalling a broader shift in how growers are adapting to vineyard adversity.
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Taittinger Opens Its Cellars to Families in a New Kind of Champagne Experience
Maison Taittinger has launched a cellar visit designed for multigenerational visitors, marking a deliberate shift in how champagne tourism presents itself to a broader public.
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Ruinart brings light art and nocturnal tastings to Reims for the end-of-year season
Ruinart is staging nighttime cellar visits, tastings, and light art installations in Reims as part of its end-of-year experiential programming.
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Pommery Secures Refinancing After Henkell Talks Collapse
Maison Pommery has confirmed alternative refinancing following the breakdown of negotiations with German beverage company Henkell, signalling financial continuity for the Champagne house.
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Record sugar levels recorded in the 2026 Champagne harvest
The 2026 Champagne vendanges have yielded grapes with exceptionally high sugar levels, reaching record degrees and signalling a remarkable growing season across the region.
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Champagne's 2026 Harvest Begins at Record-Early Date as Heat Waves Accelerate Ripening
Heat waves across the Marne have pushed the 2026 Champagne harvest to an unusually early start, upending the schedules of growers and seasonal workers throughout the region.
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Maison Telmont Launches Réserve Rosé, a Zero-Dosage Rosé Champagne in Recycled Glass
Maison Telmont has unveiled its Réserve Rosé, a Brut Nature rosé champagne composed of 88% Chardonnay and presented in green recycled-glass bottles.
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Record-early harvest looms over Champagne as heatwave threatens yields
A French heatwave is pushing Champagne towards its earliest harvest on record, whilst California contends with an unusually early and light 2026 vintage of its own.
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Champagne Tsarine Marks Thirty Years with a Zero-Dosage Limited Edition of 1,800 Bottles
Champagne Tsarine is commemorating its 30th anniversary with a strictly limited zero-dosage cuvée, produced in a run of just 1,800 bottles.
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Eric Lebel to retire after 28 years at Champagne Krug
Eric Lebel is stepping down from Champagne Krug after a 28-year tenure at the prestigious Champagne house, with Sophie Claeys connected to the transition.
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Comité Champagne sets 2026 harvest yield ceiling at 8,800 kilos per hectare
The Comité Champagne has announced that the yield ceiling for the 2026 harvest will be fixed at 8,800 kilograms per hectare, a decision with direct implications for production planning across the appellation.
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Pommery's future in doubt after talks with Henkell collapse
Negotiations between historic Champagne house Pommery and German sparkling wine producer Henkell have broken down, leaving the maison facing an uncertain path forward.
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Krug Opens a Summer Kitchen at the Bristol Paris, with the Carrot at Its Heart
Krug Champagne has established a summer kitchen at the Bristol Paris hotel, presenting a dining experience built around the carrot as its central ingredient.
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Taittinger opens restaurant Polychrome in Reims
The champagne house Taittinger has opened a new restaurant, Polychrome, in Reims on 14 June 2025, marking a significant step into branded hospitality.
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Caroline Brun leaves Champagne Bollinger after fifteen years to pursue art full-time
Caroline Brun has departed Champagne Bollinger after a fifteen-year tenure, turning her attention entirely to a career in art.
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Louis Roederer Opens Its Hôtel Particulier to the Public in an Exceptional One-Off
Louis Roederer has exceptionally opened the doors of its private mansion in the Champagne region of France to the public, offering enthusiasts a rare glimpse inside one of the region's most storied houses.
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Comité Champagne sets 2026 harvest limit at 8,800 kilograms per hectare
The Comité Champagne has announced that growers across the appellation will be permitted to harvest a maximum of 8,800 kilograms per hectare in 2026.
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American Airlines Toasts Its Centenary with Bollinger Champagne Partnership
American Airlines has joined forces with Bollinger to mark the carrier's one-hundredth anniversary, uniting a major transatlantic airline with one of Champagne's most distinguished houses.
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A Louis Roederer Champagne Destined for the Russian Imperial Court Is Tasted 165 Years After Its Shipwreck
A bottle of Louis Roederer champagne, recovered from a historical shipwreck and originally bound for the Russian imperial court, was tasted 165 years after it sank.