Champagne faces global challengers in blind tasting at 2025 London Wine Fair

The London Wine Fair has announced the theme for its 2025 Icon Tasting: “Battle of the Bubbles.” This year’s event will focus on a double-blind tasting that pits top Champagnes against high-quality sparkling wines from around the world. The tasting will take place on Monday, May 19, at Olympia London, with results revealed on Wednesday, May 21, at 2 p.m. on the event’s Centre Stage.

Following the global attention drawn by last year’s “Judgement of London,” which mirrored the historic 1976 “Judgment of Paris,” organizers aim to once again challenge perceptions in the wine world. The tasting will be curated by Sarah Abbott MW, a wine marketing consultant and co-founder of The Old Vine Conference, and Ronan Sayburn MS, CEO of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Both will oversee wine selection and ensure quality control before the tasting begins.

The format involves 12 pairs of wines, matched by style, grape variety, terroir, age, and production method. These wines will be tasted under strict examination conditions in a private room at Olympia. Each wine will be scored out of 10, with half points allowed. With 20 judges participating, each wine can receive a maximum score of 200 points. Judges include respected figures such as Sam Caporn MW, Giles Fallowfield, Matthieu Longuere MS, and Jane Rakison.

The judging panel is composed of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and experienced wine writers who specialize in Champagne and sparkling wines. Wines will be served by professional sommeliers to ensure consistency and neutrality during the tasting process.

The goal is not only to determine which wines perform best but also to assess whether sparkling wines from outside Champagne can match or surpass their French counterparts in quality and prestige. The final results will include individual scores for each wine as well as an overall comparison between Champagne and other global sparkling wines.

Sarah Abbott noted that while Champagne continues to dominate in terms of prestige, other sparkling wine categories are growing rapidly in both quality and market performance. She pointed out that UK sales data show non-Champagne sparkling wines outperforming Champagne in volume growth.

Ronan Sayburn added that producers from regions such as Spain (Cava Paraje), Germany (VDP Sekt Prestige), and Italy (Prosecco Cartizze) have significantly improved their offerings. He questioned whether these producers can now compete with Champagne on equal footing when judged blind.

Hannah Tovey, head of London Wine Fair, said this year’s tasting is expected to be one of the most talked-about events at the fair. She emphasized that the purpose is to celebrate excellence across all regions producing top-tier sparkling wines.

The Battle of the Bubbles aims to provide insight into how global sparkling wines compare to Champagne when stripped of branding and reputation. While not intended to deliver a final verdict on quality rankings, the tasting is expected to spark discussion within the industry and among consumers about how prestige is assigned in the world of fine wine.

The results will be closely watched by producers, importers, retailers, and wine enthusiasts worldwide when they are announced on May 21 at London Wine Fair.