Standing in front of hundreds of bottles, I realised the difficult part isn't choosing Champagne. It's believing you know enough to choose well.
Choosing Champagne
Find the right bottle with confidence.
I noticed something...
Most restaurant wine lists feature the same handful of Champagne houses.
Once you know what they are, ordering becomes surprisingly easy.
Here's the guide I wish someone had handed me years ago.
The Champagnes you'll see most often.
The classics
- Moët & Chandon
- Veuve Clicquot
- Piper-Heidsieck
- Pommery
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Richer styles
- Bollinger
- Charles Heidsieck
- Pol Roger
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Elegant & Fresh Styles
- Laurent-Perrier
- Taittinger
- Ruinart
- Louis Roederer
- Lanson
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When you know you're in good hands
One thing I've noticed is that when a restaurant starts offering wines like these, someone has usually put real thought into the Champagne list. They're less common than the classics, but well worth exploring if you see them.
- Billecart-Salmon Rosé — Elegant and refined. Perfect with: tuna tartare, duck, salmon or berry desserts.
- Ruinart Blanc de Blancs — Fresh and Chardonnay-driven. Perfect with: oysters, scallops, crab or sashimi.
- Krug Grande Cuvée — Powerful, layered and incredibly complex. Perfect with: lobster, truffle, roast chicken, aged Comté or even parmesan fries.
- Pol Roger Vintage — Structured and elegant. Perfect with: veal, roast poultry, lobster or mushroom dishes.
The producers Champagne lovers look for
Prestige Cuvées
- Dom Pérignon
- Krug Grande Cuvée
- Louis Roederer Cristal
- Bollinger R.D.
- Bollinger La Grande Année
- Comtes de Champagne
- Belle Époque
- Winston Churchill
- Rare Champagne
- Clos des Goisses
- Salon
If you're sitting in front of a restaurant wine list and don't know where to begin, these are the names you'll encounter again and again. They became famous because they consistently deliver quality and are widely distributed around the world. Once you become familiar with them, ordering Champagne becomes much less intimidating.
I've learnt that whenever I spot one of these names on a wine list, there's usually someone behind the scenes who genuinely loves Champagne.
Producer Badge
Egly-Ouriet. ⭐ Pinot Noir Master
Agrapart ⭐ Chardonnay Specialist
Larmandier-Bernier ⭐ Biodynamic Pioneer
Pierre Péters ⭐ Côte des Blancs Specialist
Jacques Selosse ⭐ Cult Producer
Ulysse Collin ⭐ Micro-Production
Jacques Lassaigne ⭐ Montgueux Chardonnay
Dhondt-Grellet ⭐ Rising Star
Vouette & Sorbée ⭐ Natural Winemaking
Salon ⭐ Legendary Blanc de Blancs
Every Champagne house has a flagship wine. These are known as Prestige Cuvées. They represent the very best fruit, extended ageing and the house's highest expression of quality. They're often the bottles chosen for life's biggest celebrations.