“Champagne mon amour”: Italians’ passion for French sparkling wine is timeless

If there is one wine that is a global icon, it is Champagne. It has been this way since its inception; it is one of the few wines in the world credited with having an inventor: the Benedictine abbot Dom Pérignon, in the 17th century at the Abbey of Hautvillers in Épernay, the “capital” of the famous region in eastern France - where Champagne accounts for only 8% of the total vineyard area under Appellation d’origine contrôlée, but 51% of the total value, with 35,000 hectares (which generate the most wealth per hectare in the world), spread across 319 villages (as WineNews reported in a video feature on some of the most famous houses across the Alps, from Joseph Perrier to Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, Ruinart, and Veuve Clicquot, all “jewels” of LVMH, from Perrier-Jouët to Pommery, from Louis Roederer to Deutz) - where wine has been produced since the 13th century, a special terroir that endows the wines with unique qualities, starting with seven authorized grape varieties, three of which are predominant: Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay. And this remains the case today, despite changing consumption patterns and increasingly complex geopolitical scenarios, including for the wine sector, in which exports in 2025 totaled 266 million bottles and 3.68 billion euros, according to data from the Comité Champagne, which, to align supply with current demand, has reduced yields for the 2026 harvest, which has already begun with the record-early start that is common this year across the world’s major wine-producing regions. And while the U.S., despite a decline in volume even in the first months of 2026, remains the top market according to FranceAgrimer figures analyzed by WineNews, perhaps not everyone knows that Italy is the world’s fifth-largest market, with 7.8 million bottles worth 210 million euros in 2025 (alongside Belgium and trailing only other “big players” such as the U.K., Japan, and Germany). This timeless passion is celebrated by the “Champagne Experience” 2026, the ninth edition of Europe’s most important event dedicated to French sparkling wines, organized by Excellence Sidi - a group comprising 21 of Italy’s leading importers and distributors of premium wines and spirits, from Sagna to Gruppo Meregalli, from Cuzziol GrandiVini to Pellegrini, from Balan to Sarzi Amadè, from Vino & Design to Teatro del Vino, from Proposta Vini to Bolis, from Les Caves de Pyrene to Premium Wine Selection Pws, from Ghilardi Selezioni to Visconti43, from Première to Agb Selezione, from Philarmonica to Spirits & Colori, from ViteVini to Apoteca, to Ceretto Terroirs - which confirms BolognaFiere as the venue and an increasingly important “wine hub”, where the event is scheduled for October 4 and 5.
The “Champagne Experience” 2026, thanks to Excellence Sidi, which, led by Luca Cuzziol, has been organizing it since 2017, is the premier European event for industry professionals and enthusiasts, featuring no fewer than 125 maisons and small vignerons in a tasting journey at the tasting stations (with official glasses created in collaboration with Odessa, the exclusive Italian distributor for the Stölzle Lausitz brand) organized by geographic area, corresponding to the various Champagne production regions - Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, and Côte des Bar, while the “classic maisons” are grouped together in a separate area - at BolognaFiere, which reaffirms its role as a premier meeting place for HoReCa industry professionals, importers, distributors, producers, and enthusiasts, dedicating a larger space to the event capable of accommodating the thousands of expected visitors and offering an even more comprehensive and functional experience. At a particularly significant time for Champagne as well, the event, organized by Excellence Sidi, aims to foster networking opportunities and provide concrete ideas for promoting this iconic wine in offerings for industry professionals. At a particularly significant time for Champagne as well, this event, organized by Excellence Sidi, aims to foster networking opportunities and provide concrete ideas for promoting this iconic wine in offerings to industry professionals. In addition, the partnership with Champagne de Vignerons, the association founded in 2001 by the Syndicat Général des vignerons de la Champagne with the goal of promoting the work of small-scale vignerons, has been renewed.
This event (which, of course, Winenews has been covering for years, ed.) effectively makes Bologna, the “City of the Two Towers”, the Italian headquarters of Champagne, offering a unique opportunity to closely observe the evolution of the appellation and gain deeper insight into the changes affecting production, the market, and consumption. A designation that has helped make sparkling wine perhaps the most contemporary, the most “gastronomic”, and the most versatile when it comes to food pairings and occasions for enjoyment, as well as the most beloved by Gen Z. Because the secret of Champagne also lies in its boundless creativity, ranging from exclusive partnerships not only with the restaurant and hospitality industries but also with the most famous celebrities, to cross-pollination with art, fashion, music, sports, cinema, and beyond, all part of a marketing strategy that has set the standard. Even in response to the global decline in consumption, it has raised the bar even higher in terms of communication and investment. After all, as Napoleon, the greatest admirer of French sparkling wine in history, once said, “When you win, you deserve Champagne; when you lose, you need it”.