THE COMITÉ CHAMPAGNE’S LONDON TASTING GETS NEW NAME AND NEW VENUE

Françoise Peretti, Director of the UK Champagne Bureau has confirm that the Annual Champagne Tasting has now been rebranded as “The Official #Champagne Experience Day.”  The event is officially planned for March 29 and will be held at the art and design college Central Saint Martins in King’s Cross.

The venue has good natural light with massive space, covering more than 800m2.

As for the content of the newly-rebranded event, Peretti said that the Comité Champagne would be introducing three tutored masterclasses to run alongside the tasting, and would be expanding the themed central tasting table to reflect the major stylistic trends of Champagne.

As well, there will be a free-pour tasting area that will increase to cover three types of Champagne, with vintage and rosé both confirmed, although the third theme is yet to be decided.

Central to the event, like previous Comité Champagne tastings in London, will be over sixty tables for the major brands to showcase their latest releases.

In terms of target audience, Peretti said that the day would be designed to attract buyers from the off- and on-trade, as well as media from trade and consumer press, along with those from both digital and printed publications.

According to Peretti, a particular focus this year will be writers from lifestyle, travel and environmental media following the acceleration in wine tourism and sustainable viticulture in Champagne prompted by the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing for the region, which was achieved in July 2015.

She also announced that the Comité Champagne was planning a “stand alone” event specifically for wine educators, which she said was necessary to meet their particular needs.

Here is an overview of the changes:

  • The Annual Champagne Tasting has been rebranded as The Official #Champagne Experience Day;
  • While it will retain its slot in the month of March, it will be held on 29 March – two weeks later than its usual timing;
  • The Official #Champagne Experience Day will be held at art and design college Central Saint Martins in King’s Cross;
  • The event will keep the individual brand tables, but will introduce three themed central tables reflecting the key styles of Champagne in growth, including vintage and rosé;
  • The revamped tasting will include more content, such as three tutored Champagne masterclasses, with space for up to 40 attendees at each one; and
  • The Comité Champagne is planning a standalone event to address the specific needs of wine educators.

COMITÉ CHAMPAGNE CANCELS LONDON TASTING

5f91de7d-0df7-4c5c-b594-5b1d64f773fe_three_eightyThe Comité Champagne announced this past week that it won’t be holding its Annual Champagne Tasting in London 2017 after over 20 years staging the event.

Françoise Peretti, who heads up the Champagne Bureau in London, wrote, “The Comité Champagne has been reviewing the annual tastings around the world and it was decided to pause the activity in the UK for the time being.”

“The event, which has been running since 1994, has been very successful, but we feel it is time to review it. Should the Comité Champagne decide to maintain the event, it is unlikely that it would take place before 2018.”

She told Drinks Business that the decision to end the Annual Champagne Tasting was “not a question of slashed budgets; not a question of the UK becoming less important, and not a question of Brexit,” but a result of “a change” in the way the Comité was approaching the marketing of Champagne after more than 20 years hosting the event in London.

Adding “After 20 years, it is time to explore other opportunities.”… “We feel that it is time to look at how we can reinvent the tasting… why do the same thing over and over again?”

While she said that it was “most unlikely” there would be a tasting next year, she said, “be assured, there will be activities”.

Looking ahead, she said that the Champagne Bureau would be spending the second half of this year “canvassing agents, the media, the trade and educators” before deciding how best to promote Champagne in the UK.

Concluding, she said, “I like to see it evolving and everything is possible, we are looking at a big event, or other smaller events, and something digital.”

Nevertheless, she stressed, whatever the approach, “education is number one on the Comité Champagne list”.

The Comité Champagne, formerly known as the CIVC (which stands for Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne), is a trade association representing Champagne’s producers and houses. It is tasked with promoting the region’s wines through R&D, as well as marketing and protecting the Champagne appellation.

The generic body was established in 1941 and has held a tasting in London since 1994, which, for the past two years, was held at One Great George Street.

SOURCES:

Champagne Bureau UK

Drinks Business UK