News
The MICHELIN Guide to Unveil Its First Champagne Grapes Selection in February 2027
The MICHELIN Guide has announced it will launch its first dedicated MICHELIN grapes selection for Champagne on 4 February 2027, extending a wine-rating initiative previously applied to Burgundy and Bordeaux.
What happened
The MICHELIN Guide has confirmed it will publish its first MICHELIN grapes selection dedicated to Champagne on 4 February 2027. The announcement marks the arrival of the Guide's wine-rating framework in one of France's most celebrated and closely watched viticultural regions.
Why it matters
The decision to bring the MICHELIN grapes selection to Champagne is significant for several reasons. The initiative has already been applied to Burgundy and Bordeaux — two regions long regarded as the twin pillars of French fine wine — and its extension to Champagne signals a broadening of scope that reflects the region's standing within France's viticultural identity. Champagne is recognised as one of the great wine-producing regions that shapes that identity, and its inclusion in the MICHELIN grapes framework places it alongside those storied appellations in a formal evaluative context.
For producers, négociants, and growers alike, the arrival of a structured MICHELIN assessment introduces a new point of reference in a region where reputation has historically been shaped by a combination of house prestige, vintage recognition, and specialist critical opinion. A MICHELIN grapes selection dedicated solely to Champagne has the potential to draw fresh attention to the region's richness and diversity, reaching audiences already familiar with the Guide's authority in gastronomy and, increasingly, in wine.
Context
The MICHELIN grapes initiative represents part of the Guide's broader strategy to extend its evaluative reach across France's principal wine regions. Having established selections in Burgundy and Bordeaux, the move into Champagne follows a logical geographic and reputational progression. Champagne occupies a singular position in the world of wine: its method of production, its appellations, and the diversity of styles it encompasses set it apart from still-wine regions, making the construction of a dedicated selection a considered undertaking. The February 2027 unveiling will be the first opportunity to see how the MICHELIN grapes framework is applied to a region defined as much by its effervescence as by its terroir.