The legendary region of Champagne, France, was the centrepiece of Atout France‘s Champagne Soirée on Wednesday 18 October. Guests sipped at Piper-Heidsieck while learning about the wonders that can only come from the towns, villages and vineyards of the region, while the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
Upon arrival in the lobby of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, a woman in a crinoline-like skirt holding glasses of champagne invited guests to select a flute. Each had a diamond in the bottom of the glass, but only one was real, worth $5000 from Percy Marks jewellers and won by a guest in attendance.
Guests heard from Patrick Benhamou, Regional Manager at Atout France, and members of the Champagne-Ardenne Tourisme board. A highlight of the evening was the sabrage ceremony, an always-impressive spectacle that sees a bottle of champagne opened with a sabre. The event also included the launch ‘Drinking Stars’ photo exhibition, named in honour of what Dom Pérignon is said to have exclaimed after the first sip of his effervescent accidental creation.
Il n’est Champagne que de la Champagne.
Champagne only comes from Champagne.
