Livre des champagnes: the 2025 edition is in bookshops
If you love bubbles, don't miss the most sparkling of all Gault&Millau guides: the Livre des champagnes. In bookshops this Thursday, November 21, 2024.
Le Livre des champagnes Gault&Millau hits bookstores this Thursday, November 21, 2024, and it promises to revolutionize the way we understand the king of wines. More than just a guide, this book invites us on a true journey to the heart of the Champagne terroirs, from blending techniques to ageing secrets, to understand everything about this exceptional elixir.
"What if we relearned how to drink champagne? How about a reset of preconceived ideas that are still all too widespread?" writes Stéphane Bréhier, Editorial Director, in his editorial. These pages shake things up, reminding us that champagne deserves much more than a flute or a hasty tasting.
A book of discoveries
As the pages turn, the book dwells on unexpected pairings. "No, champagne is not just an aperitif or party wine. It's a gastronomic wine that can be enjoyed throughout a meal: with foie gras, artichokes, shellfish, or even game accompanied by rosé champagne. Every page is an ode to its complexity, its vintages, and its intimate link with time: "Champagne is like all wines, time is its best friend."
For party lovers, the book also features an elegant selection of champagne buckets, ideal for keeping the bubbles at the ideal temperature and dazzling your guests on New Year's Eve.in this new edition, you'll also find our selection of 1466 cuvées from 312 different estates. Each bottle has been tasted, commented and rated.
Le Livre des champagnes is available in bookshops and on the Gault&Millau e-boutique.
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Should we trust the medals on the bottles?
On a supermarket shelf, similar-looking bottles of wine are lined up at slightly contrasting prices. Without a salesperson, in a time-constrained food shopping area, a sticker placed like a jewel cuts through the act of purchasing. Gold, silver or bronze medals flash more brightly than a label that's not always easy to decipher. Award-winning wine, featured wine An award-winning wine is one that has been presented by the winery at one of the 127 competitions that award these precious badges (in 2024, according to the DGCCRF). The famous Concours Général Agricole, founded in 1870, the world's best Chardonnay or Sauvignon competitions, the Brittany or Mâcon wine competitions, the Millésime Bio challenge... There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, with no limit on participation, but not without a heavy hand in the wallet. For each cuvée entered, you'll need to pay between 10 and 150 euros, depending on the competition, not including postage and packaging costs and the purchase of macaroons in the event of victory. Attractive spin-offs A potentially interesting calculation, given the commercial visibility these awards bring. In the year following the award, sales of the vintage tend to increase by between 20% and 40%. A boon for the estate, event organizers and supermarkets alike. All the more so as the medals are pouring in. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, of the 12129 wines entered, 3361 were awarded medals, almost half of them gold. French legislation prohibits the awarding of more than a third of the samples presented. A quota with which most competitions flirt. Amateur jury Who awards these accolades? A volunteer jury, at their own expense. Mostly amateurs. The great need for people leaves little room for rigor or traceability. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, over 7,000 people were needed to taste charcuterie, cheeses, jams and wines. At this year's Chardonnay du Monde competition, more than 300 jurors took part, with a limit of 20 samples per person. The most famous estates, which don't need to boost their sales, tend to neglect these competitions. Artisanal wineries, on the other hand, may shy away from these competitions as a matter of distinction, since the shiny stickers are associated with supermarkets. A place where it takes the place of good professional advice. A wine merchant, for example, capable of selling the uniqueness of a cuvée he has followed over the years.Our partners
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