Grand Champagne Helsinki

During the last weekend in April, one city becomes the world’s epicentre of champagne. And it is not in France.

Over three effervescent days, Finland stages Grand Champagne Helsinki, the largest Champagne festival in the world. The event sees cellarmasters and representatives from over 76 Champagne Houses, and over 4000 Champagne media and enthusiasts from over 20 countries descend on the Finnish capital.

The event is held is the historical Old Student House in the city centre, built in 1870 and today one of Helsinki’s most traditional
event venues. Its magnificent ballroom becomes the centre stage, with participating Champagne Houses each taking residence at a
stand on its perimeter. The event began nine years ago and has steadily grown in size and magnitude each year, today organised by founder Taru From and Helsinki local Essi Avellan, a Champagne expert and affectionately referred to by many as the “Queen of Champagne”. The event is a champagne lover’s dream come true, with 384 distinct champagnes available to taste from the stands. It is a pay-as-you-go
system, with attendees paying a notional amount depending on their chosen cuvée. As founder Taru From asks: “What other
restaurant do you know that offers over 350 champagnes by the glass?”

It is also a chance to interact with the cellarmasters (“Chefs de Caves”) and house representatives: an opportunity usually not open to the public, even in Champagne. “Having this many Champenois in the same room? Well this never happens!” exclaims the affable
François Philipponnat, 16th generation of the Philipponnat Champagne.

The Champenois are also involved in presenting Masterclasses featuring their champagnes, and sharing their knowledge and
passion. It’s a rare occasion to learn first-hand from the experts, in an intimate setting. There are 48 classes in total across the weekend and limited tickets made available and snapped up many months’ prior; some are as difficult to secure as tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras
Tour.

Always dreamed of tasting with Bollinger’s Chef de Caves, Denis Bunner? Not only does Helsinki makes this a reality, but just for this weekend Denis has unlocked Bollinger’s hallowed historical cellars and brought with him six vintages of Bollinger’s prestige cuvée La
Grande Année, dating back to 1983. And because bigger is usually better in Champagne, the bottles are six times the usual size:
Jeroboams each holding 6 litres of this liquid gold. A fan of Rosé champagne? Louis Roederer Chef de Caves and Executive Vice President Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon guides you through the house’s most prestigious releases, celebrating 50 years of Cristal Rosé this year at Louis Roederer. A history buff? Let Hubert de Billy, 5th generation owner of the family estate Pol Roger, regal you with stories involving his ancestor and matriarch Odette Pol Roger and history’s most famous champagne drinker, Sir Winston Churchill. All while sipping on
vintages of the legendary and eponomous Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill dating back to 1998 from the Maison’s Vinothèque. And as
Hubert reminds us, 2024 could not be a better time to indulge in this prestige cuvée, marking the 150th anniversary of Churchill’s birth.

Back in the ballroom, the excitement is palpable as attendees consult the official schedule of “Rare & Fine Champagnes”. It is an
encyclopedic list of exclusive bottles scheduled to pop at the exhibition stands at regular 15 minute intervals throughout the weekend. Being at the right stand at the right time requires military precision, but comes with it the rich spoils of tasting a champagne that is either of exceptional quality, acute rareness or, in most cases, both (a glass of Charles Heidsieck “Champagne Charlie”, anyone?).

At one point I find myself caught in a crowd near the Taittinger stand. A fellow champagne connoisseur from Sweden, who I
recognise from previous tastings in Reims, tells me “They are about to open the big one!” as the Taittinger staff place a Nebuchadnezzar
– the largest champagne bottle made at a whopping 15 litres – into a purpose-built holder. It turns out removing a cork from a bottle this
large takes time and multiple experts, and with my next Masterclass about to start I am now out of time. As I reluctantly move away
from the stand with my back turned I suddenly hear a loud cork pop, and the crowd cheers. My first reaction is disappointment for
missing the big reveal by mere seconds, but I quickly console myself that here the next sparkling moment is literally just around the
corner.

If all of this excitement stimulates your appetite, help is close at hand. At the heart of the ballroom is an upmarket food court from
renowned local restaurants, with all offerings designed to complement and enhance the champagne experience. The perfect
pairings on offer include: French cheese, freshly-shucked oysters, salmon sashimi, beef tartar, an asparagus risotto and shrimp
sandwiches with Romanesco. And there are magnificent macarons for those looking to pair a plate with a richer Demi-Sec champagne
(higher sugar content) from one of the stands. Life is sweet indeed. Still not satiated at the end of the day? There is an official after-party
each evening at Helsinki’s new and elegant Champagne & Wine Bar, Minne. Here Helsinki locals rub shoulders, and clink glasses, with
the Champenois into the wee hours. Essi Avellan is the champagne list consultant and has left no chalk unturned in filling the extensive
list with both large houses and independent growers. No champagne palate leaves Minne unsatisfied.

With each sparkling sip at Grand Champagne, fresh lessons are learned, new friendships forged and bubbly memories made. And
the best part? We get to do it all again now for the event’s 10th Anniversary, sure to be its biggest and best yet. In the immortal words of Sir Winston Churchill, “First things first. Get the champagne.”