Tastings, Book Signings & Other Events
Save the date for the 10th anniversary celebration of La Fête du Champagne in New York City!
Building upon the Champagne Masters, the most in-depth certification program on Champagne wines, this 5-day, intensive classroom, field trip and tasting experience will be taught by Champagne wine experts and instructors of the WSG Champagne Masters program, Essi Avellan MW and Peter Liem. For more information, click here.
I’ll be in Riga, Latvia, for an action-packed weekend of champagne events with Riga Wine & Champagne, including dinners, masterclasses, a special Comtes de Champagne vertical tasting, and the annual Bubble Parade and Gala Party.
Welcome to the fifth edition of La Fête du Champagne, to be held in New York City on November 8-10, 2018! The festivities kick off with our Déjeuner Champenois at Racines on Thursday the 8th, featuring Laurent Champs of Vilmart & Cie., Jean-Hervé Chiquet of Jacquesson, Quentin Paillard of Pierre Paillard and Charles Philipponnat of Philipponnat, who will each be pouring three vintages of a selected cuvée. That evening we welcome Rodolphe Péters of Pierre Péters to a dinner at Eleven Madison Park for a once-in-a-lifetime vertical tasting of Les Chêtillons, featuring 12 vintages of this storied wine, all served in magnums sent directly from the estate’s cellars.
On Friday the 9th, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon of Louis Roederer will pour an array of champagnes both young and old at a special dinner at The Pool, showcasing the house’s extraordinary vineyard holdings. Also, Olivier Krug of Champagne Krug will be at The Beekman for a Krug x Vinyl event, pairing the house’s champagnes with music by a live DJ and small bites prepared by Chef Arnaud Lallement of L’Assiette Champenoise in Reims and Chef Tom Colicchio of Temple Court.
I’ll be hosting a seminar on Saturday the 10th with importer Terry Theise and wine writer Jon Bonné, talking about different terroirs of chardonnay in Champagne and pouring a selection of Blanc de Blancs from across the region. Daniel Johnnes will also be leading a seminar with four of NYC’s top sommeliers—Michael Engelmann, Sabra Lewis, John Burns Paterson and Hristo Zisovski—each of whom will choose a champagne to pair with a dish created by Chef Abram Bissell of The Modern.
La Fête du Champagne culminates with the Grand Tasting at Pier 60 on the waterfront, which features 34 of Champagne’s finest houses and grower estates, pouring over 125 different champagnes. As always, each of these producers is represented by a winemaker or principal figure, offering the chance to meet some of the region’s most notable personalities, and service is provided by a team made up of a number of the country’s top sommeliers. My book will also be available for purchase at the tasting, along with new books by our friends Terry Theise, Jon Bonné and Rajat Parr. That evening we host our Gala Dinner, where Chef Arnaud Lallement of L’Assiette Champenoise is joined by our chef d’honneur Daniel Boulud, James Knappett of Kitchen Table in London, Michael White of the Altamarea Group, and Philip DeMaiolo of Pier Sixty and the Lighthouse. In addition to enjoying the special bottles provided by all attending producers, guests are invited to bring bottles of Champagne from their own cellars to share throughout the room.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit our website.
Details coming soon!
I’ll be hosting a series of Champagne seminars in Taiwan in partnership with Domaine Wine Cellars, beginning in Taichung on Friday, October 19th, and continuing in Taipei on Saturday the 20th and Kaohsiung on Sunday the 21st. We’ll also be featuring the wines of Savart at a special dinner in Taipei on the 20th, and showcasing Egly-Ouriet at a dinner in Kaohsiung on the 21st. For more details, please visit Domaine’s website.
For the wine trade: I'll be presenting a Champagne seminar for SommTalks at The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, discussing the concept of terroir in Champagne and illustrating it with a wide selection of wines.
I'll be the keynote speaker at this year's Sparkling Symposium, held at the Northwest Wine Studies Center in Salem, Oregon. For further details, and to register for the event, please visit sparklingsymposium.com.
During the annual Printemps du Champagne, I'll be presenting my book at Grands Champagnes on Saturday the 14th.
For the wine trade: At the annual portfolio tasting of VOS Selections, I'll be conducting a seminar on the terroir of Champagne, illustrated by wines from Benoit Lahaye, Claude Cazals and others. If you are in the New York area, contact your VOS Selections representative for details.
I'll be at Riga Wine & Champagne, where we'll have an action-packed calendar of events, including the annual Bubble Parade and a Gala Dinner with a number of Champenois winemakers, including Laurent Champs of Vilmart & Cie., Adrien Dhondt of Dhondt-Grellet, Christophe Constant of Paul Bara, and Frédéric Panaïotis of Ruinart.
I'll be talking about my new Champagne book with Sam Benrubi of The Grape Nation, on The Heritage Radio Network. Tune in at 6PM EST, or visit thegrapenation.com afterwards to hear it as a podcast.
I'll be hosting a seminar at the Neptune School of Wine in Costa Mesa, pouring a series of champagnes that illustrate various themes of terroir in the region. To reserve a seat, please contact the Neptune School at info@neptunewine.com.
I'll be hosting a seminar for the wine trade, in partnership with the Wine Education Council. We'll be discussing the terroir of Champagne and other contemporary themes featured in my book, and illustrating these with a tasting of selected champagnes. Please note that this is for the wine trade only: for more information, and to reserve a seat, please contact the Wine Education Council here.
I'll be at Lucques in Los Angeles, talking about champagne and signing books. Reservations for dinner can be made throughout the evening: to reserve, please call Lucques at 323-655-6277.
I'll be at Lou Wine Shop in Los Angeles, pouring champagne and signing books. For more info, contact Lou Wine Shop at 323-305-7004.
I'll be signing books and pouring champagne at Pix Pâtisserie, awarded World's Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List for four years in a row by The World of Fine Wine. Call Pix for details at 971-271-7166.
A guided tasting exploring the terroirs of Champagne through the wines of some of the region's most progressive growers and houses. This will be a seated and ticketed event: for more info, and to reserve a seat, please call E&R Wine Shop at 503-246-6101.
Note: The seminar is now sold out, but I'll be at E&R from 5:00 to 6:30 signing books!
I'll be doing a guided tasting in the Cellar Room, discussing ideas of terroir in Champagne and seeing how these are manifested in a series of six highly site-specific wines. The cost of the tasting is $78, including snacks, and seats are limited: to reserve, please email Paul at pgrieco@wineisterroir.com. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. (NOTE: The seminar is now sold out!)
In addition, I'll be at the bar for the rest of the evening, pouring champagne and signing books. Stop by even if you're not sitting down for the tasting!
We're proud to host our first-ever La Fête du Champagne in London! Join me, Daniel Johnnes and 29 of Champagne's finest producers for a Grand Tasting, educational seminars and a Gala Dinner featuring chefs Arnaud Lallement of L'Assiette Champenoise, James Knappet of Kitchen Table, Jonny Lake of The Fat Duck and Isaac McHale of The Clove Club. For more info, and to purchase tickets, please visit lafeteduchampagne.com or call 212-625-2519.
At La Fête du Champagne in London, we have the honor of hosting chef de cave Richard Geoffroy of Dom Pérignon, who will be pouring an array of Dom Pérignon champagnes going back to 1973. For info and tickets, please visit lafeteduchampagne.com or call +1 212-625-2519.
Sherryfest returns to NYC! We'll be hosting an exciting range of seminars, including biological aging with Antonio Flores of González Byass, vintage sherries with Paola Medina of Williams & Humbert, and single-vineyard sherries with Jaime Gil of Valdespino. We'll also feature several terrific sherry dinners, as well as a Grand Tasting of over 150 different sherries. For info, and to purchase tickets, please visit sherryfest.com.
I'll be in Taipei, Taiwan, with Domaine Wine Cellars, presenting a series of masterclasses and champagne dinners. For further information, click here.
I'll be at Flatiron Wines in NYC, signing books and pouring a selection of champagnes from Transatlantic Bubbles. For more info, contact Flatiron Wines at 212-477-1315.
I'll be at The Riddler in San Francisco, pouring a flight of champagnes and signing books. For more info, contact The Riddler at 415-741-1729.
A champagne tasting for members of The Battery, together with Billecart-Salmon and sommelier Christophe Tassan. For info, contact The Battery at 415-230-8000.
I'll be signing books at K&L Wines in San Francisco, CA, and pouring wines from Louis Roederer. For more info, contact K&L at 415-896-1734.
A celebration of champagne with Racines NY and Chambers Street Wines. To reserve, contact Chambers Street Wines at 212-227-1434. [SOLD OUT]
I'll be at Chambers Street Wines signing books and pouring a few champagnes. For more info, contact Chambers Street Wines at 212-227-1434
