The UK’s Definitive Champagne Tasting returns to London in April
After a successful event last year, the UK’s Definitive Champagne Tasting is back in 2026, with a new date, different venue, and masterclasses too – db can exclusively report.
Launched last year by the UK’s Champagne Shippers’ Association, The Definitive Champagne Tasting marked the first dedicated Champagne trade tasting in London for almost a decade.
Taking place in 2025 on 1 April at the Tate Modern in Bankside, it featured as many as 57 producers and drew in around 600 visitors, from retail buyers to press and sommeliers.
The format for this year is much the same with around 60 producers set to attend – including houses, cooperatives and growers – with a maximum of four Champagnes per producer, as well as two self-pour tables featuring the latest releases of non-vintage and vintage expressions.
However, for 2026, the date is slightly later, with the tasting due to open doors on Wednesday 22 April, while the location has changed, with this year’s event held at The View within the Royal College of Surgeons, which can be found at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE (see below for the key details about the tasting).
Champagne Bureau presence
Also, for the first time this year, there will be representatives from the Champagne Bureau – the official UK voice of the Comité Champagne – who are expected to run masterclasses focused on the advancements in the sustainable production of Champagne, and the impact of climate change on the region, as well as present the latest figures on Champagne shipments, by country.
Partner Content
Commenting on The Definitive Champagne Tasting, chair of the UK’s Champagne Shippers’ Association, James Simpson MW – who is also managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio – told db that the event was designed to be educational, as well as to highlight the quality and diversity of Champagne being made today.
He also said that the positive feedback from last year’s tasting had included a “strong feeling” from the UK trade that The Definitive Champagne Tasting should be an annual event.
More broadly, he said that the tasting “seems to have restored confidence” in the Champagne trade, whether it was among the UK agents, or those selling Champagne to consumers, as well as those writing about the category for a range of audiences.
He also noted that the event had drawn attention to the value on offer within Champagne – be it in Non-Vintage, Vintage or even Prestige Cuvée – while generally commenting that such a tasting had highlighted that Champagne “is still a relevant category within the UK market”.
Finally, he said that the year-end figures for Champagne sales in the UK for 2025 should show “a significant rebound”, and should take “this key market” close in scale to Champagne’s biggest export nation: the US.
The Definitive Champagne Tasting: the facts
- Timings: Wednesday 22 April 2026, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Location: The View, Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE.
- How to register your attendance: Trade RSVPs to events@premiercrew.net and press RSVPs to champagnebureau@sekoyacommunications.co.uk
- What to expect: 50 tables and circa 60 producers, with a maximum of 4 Champagnes per producers.
- The tasting will include houses, growers and co-operatives.
- It will also include a Champagne Bureau table along with masterclasses during the day covering the latest in terms of sustainability and the effect of climate change on Champagne.
- The Drinks Business annual Champagne Report will available free of charge for those attending on the day.
Related news
The UK’s Definitive Champagne Tasting to feature 60 producers
