The Champagne Academy Dinner, Scotland 2026
What a treat! I was invited to attend the Champagne Academy Scottish Dinner, hosted at Merchants Hall, Edinburgh. A grand, formal black tie affair with the most incredible galaxy of sparkling stars from the Grande Marque Houses of Champagne.
I arrived at Merchants Hall and was invited upstairs to the opulent Crush Hall and Court Room where a Champagne reception like no other was taking place. Around the room were stations, each station representing one of the Grande Marque Champagne houses. Each station had ice buckets filled with bottles of Champagne, the twist - each bottle was carefully disguised in black to conceal the contents! We were blind tasting of the very best from Champagne - but tasting with no preconceived notions. It was a revelation! Tasting blind showcased the different styles and character Champagne is capable of. As we sipped Champagne, I had the opportunity to meet Olivier Krug, Director of the House of Krug and brushed shoulders with Champagnes biggest names.
Following the blind tasting, we were invited downstairs to the Hall for dinner. The meal was catered by Culinarians a creative husband and wife partnership; Blyth and Nico are passionate about their craft and it shows in every detail! The Master of Ceremonies and Chairman of the Academy, Craig Bonner had selected a special Champagne to pair with each of the four courses.
The menu:
Starter:
Duck liver parfait, buttermilk, black cherry, stem ginger & toasted brioche paired with Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2018.
Intermediate:
Scallop, Cauliflower, lime, puffed rice, almond & curry spices paired with Krug Grande Cuvee 173éme Edition
Main:
Guinea fowl breast & leg, bread sauce, nacho pear & truffle paired with Krug Vintage 2011
Dessert:
Baked apple, hazelnut mousse, cinnamon & sherry Lanson Le Vintage Collection 1989 Demi Sec En Magnum
Each course was beautifully presented and perfectly paired! The Grande Dame 2018 was perfect with the duck liver parfait. For me, the most memorable pairing was the dessert, the Lanson Vintage Collection 1989 Magnum Demi Sec was incredible and the story of the lost Magnums was captivating.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to Ross Kennedy from Lanson who had arranged for this special wine to conclude the meal.
Ross told us the 1989 vintage magnums were due to be shipped to overseas in time to celebrate the millennium. A storm delayed delivery so the magnums were carefully cellared..... The millennium celebrations came and went and the decades passed.
Thank you so much to Chairman Craig Bonner and the Academy for inviting me to attend the dinner this year, it was an incredible event!