Twelve observations on Champagne style and quality from the chair of The Champagne Masters

What happened

Patrick Schmitt MW has published twelve observations on the current style and quality of Champagne, drawing on his experience as chair of The Champagne Masters. The annual blind-tasting competition, which has run continuously since 2011, is recognised as the most comprehensive Champagne-only tasting of its kind in the United Kingdom. Schmitt's analysis, released in May 2026, offers a considered assessment of where the region's wines stand today.

Why it matters

Few vantage points afford a more systematic view of Champagne's evolution than the chair's seat at a rigorous, large-scale blind tasting conducted year after year. Because the competition admits no labels, no reputations, and no prices into the judging room, the conclusions that emerge carry a particular weight. Over fifteen years at the helm of The Champagne Masters, Schmitt has accumulated a body of comparative experience that is difficult to replicate through any other means. His twelve observations therefore represent something more than personal opinion: they constitute a structured record of how the region's wines have shifted in character and calibre across successive vintages and releases. For consumers navigating an increasingly varied Champagne market, and for trade professionals seeking to understand broader stylistic currents, this kind of authoritative, evidence-based commentary is genuinely useful.

Context

The Champagne Masters has operated as an annual fixture in the British wine calendar since 2011, with Patrick Schmitt MW presiding over each edition. Its remit is deliberately narrow — Champagne and Champagne alone — which allows for the depth of focus that broader sparkling-wine competitions cannot always provide. The United Kingdom remains one of Champagne's most significant export markets, and the competition's longevity means it has tracked the region through a period of considerable change, encompassing shifts in dosage philosophy, growing interest in single-site and single-variety expressions, and the increasing prominence of grower producers alongside the established grandes maisons. Schmitt's observations, grounded in that unbroken run of blind assessment, offer a rare longitudinal perspective on a region that continues to redefine itself.