A Beginner's Guide to Collecting Champagne

Buying and cellaring champagne for future pleasure or investment, needn’t just be for the elite, astute investor or academic wine lover. Irrespective of your intentions, you can easily begin your very own collection following some discerning thoughts. Marcell Kustos PhD, Director of Future Cellars, offers us an expert’s guide to beginning your champagne collection.

Is there a difference between buying and collecting champagne? Ultimately, the goal is to find an exceptional drinking experience. The difference is when to pop that cork! Consumption-driven purchases tend to be for short to medium-term cellaring, while the purpose of collecting is investment diversification through alternative assets. Hence, collectable champagne is expected to improve in quality and value over time. You might wonder what makes champagne collectible?

Champagne (similarly to Port) rates the quality of the growing season by declaring a vintage year. The more Houses that release vintage bottlings, the more confidence the market has, and the more the prices increase. Vintage champagne has more stringent aging requirements than non-vintages - at least 36 months versus 15 months respectively. The end goal is flavour development and complexity; therefore, only the best quality grapes qualify to make vintage releases.

So, if we assume that vintage champagne is collectible, we are on the right track. Although exceptions make the rule. Think Krug Grande Cuvée or Selosse's Initial, both are regarded to improve with time. While vintage champagne is known to come with a price tag, it doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank!

Grower champagne is usually more affordable than well-known Grand Marques. Somewhat contradicting is that, due to grower champagne’s single vineyard focus, the production is very limited. And one of the properties of collectibles is scarcity. Do you see where this is going? It won’t be a surprise to find growers making 1200 bottles per cuvée yet we're paying less than $150 AUD per bottle. Examples include Hubert Soreau’s Clos l’Abbé and Emmanuel Brochet’s Le Mont Benoit. Both are vintage champagnes and highly coveted on the secondary market.

It’s worth mentioning that many growers advocate for a fresher style and purity with shorter bottle aging than required for vintage champagne (e.g. 20 months instead of 36 months). What it really means is that some producers offer vintage champagne quality at NV prices! Benoît Déhu’s unofficially vintaged single vineyard and single parcel releases are some of the best value meunier out there. At the top end of this philosophy is the imitable Cédric Bouchard.

Consider also looking into lesser-known vintages from prestigious Houses. These bottles often fly under the radar, offering great value for money. Chardonnay, in particular, tends to be less sensitive to vintage conditions than pinot noir or meunier. For example, a vintage blanc de blancs (such as Taittinger's Comtes de Champagne, Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs or Louis Roederer's Blanc de Blancs) from a less heralded year such as 2006, 2007, 2010 or 2017 can provide a fantastic drinking experience and appreciate over time.

For those with a higher budget, collecting prestige cuvées, limited releases and rare vintages is where champagne truly becomes an investment. Bottles like Dom Pérignon, Krug Vintage, Louis Roederer's Cristal and Salon are icons in the champagne world, known for their track record of exceptional quality and aging potential. These wines often increase in value over time, particularly those from exceptional vintages.

However, high-end collecting doesn’t mean you must spend a fortune. Treasures can be found at auctions or from reputable retailers who offer well-stored older vintages. And remember, the most expensive bottle isn’t always the best. If you purchase to open that bottle in the future, personal preference and enjoyment should guide your decisions.

Champagne is known to command premium prices, yet value can be found at all levels. Lesser-known producers and lesser vintages can create unique buying opportunities, but so can auction houses and collections from trusted resellers. It’s a journey worth exploring!

The Most Collectible Champagne

Off the back of the hugely successful Sotheby’s rare champagne auction, held in Paris in June 2024, these champagnes demonstrated the collectability of the ultra-luxe category of prestige champagnes.

• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1990 | 3 Magnums | Sold for €25,000 ($26,850) | Estimate: €9,500-13,000 
• Dom Pérignon, P3 1966 | 1 Magnum | Sold for €23,750 | Estimate: €7,500-9,500 
• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1988 | 3 Magnums | Sold for €22,500 | Estimate: €10,000-13,000
• Krug Collection 1985 | 6 Magnums | Sold for €21,250 | Estimate: €11,000-14,000
• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1983 | 3 Magnums | Sold for €21,250 | Estimate: €9,000-12,000 
• Dom Pérignon, P3 1982 | 6 bottles | Sold for €20,000 | Estimate: €15,000-20,000 
• Dom Pérignon Rosé, P3 1988 | 3 Magnums | Sold for €18,750 | Estimate: €14,000-18,000 
• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1996 | 12 bottles | Sold for €17,500 | Estimate: €12,000-15,000 
• Dom Pérignon Rosé, P3 1988 | 3 Magnums | Sold for €17,500 | Estimate: €14,000-18,000 
• Krug, Clos d’Ambonnay 1996 | 6 bottles | Sold for €16,250 | Estimate: €13,000-18,000 

Words by Marcell Kustos PhD, Director of Future Cellars, a comprehensive cellar management service for fine wine collectors
Photography supplied by Sara Underdown and Stock Images