Peter Liem, Daniel Johnnes & Laurent Champs: On La Fête du Champagne 2026 | Part 1

For years, Champagne's great houses and its small growers didn't share a room. Then La Fête du Champagne put Olivier Krug and Raphaël Bérêche side by side, and both of them were a little nervous. Co-founders Peter Liem and Daniel Johnnes talk with Matt Weiss about how the festival began over dinner between two friends, the Burgundy tradition of La Paulée behind it, and how 35 producers are chosen each year from a much longer list. Then Laurent Champs of Vilmart & Cie tells the story of his father, a carpenter who bought an oak cask when everyone else wanted steel, explains how Vilmart blocks malolactic fermentation, and remembers the night two 1988 magnums reached him 12 seconds apart. Peter Liem is the James Beard Award-winning author of Champagne and the writer behind ChampagneGuide.net. Daniel Johnnes founded La Paulée in the United States and is Wine Director for Daniel Boulud's Dinex Group. Vilmart & Cie was founded in 1890 in Rilly-la-Montagne on the Montagne de Reims. Laurent Champs is the fifth generation, and his son Thomas joined in 2020. La Fête du Champagne returns to New York City October 14 to 17, 2026, with producer dinners, masterclasses, the Apéro au Champagne, and the Grand Tasting and Gala Dinner on Saturday, October 17. The Wine Centric Show is a proud media partner of La Fête du Champagne. GET YOUR TICKETS La Fête du Champagne returns to New York City, October 14 to 17. Meet the families and winemakers behind the world's great Champagnes, in person. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-fete-... THE WINE CENTRIC SHOW IS PRESENTED BY INVINTORY InVintory scans a wine label, pulls up the bottle's details and shows you exactly where it sits in your cellar in 3D. Code WINECENTRIC takes 25% off one year of InVintory Premium. https://invintory.com WHAT COMES UP How a dinner between two friends became La Fête du Champagne La Paulée de Meursault, the 1923 Burgundy tradition behind the festival The first La Fête, when Olivier Krug and Raphaël Bérêche shared a room Invitation only: the rule that a principal pours Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill vertical and the 2026 chef dinners Champagne as a wine for the table, not only for toasts Laurent Champs on his father, oak barrels and no malolactic fermentation Two 1988 magnums, 12 seconds apart CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open: Krug and the growers in one room 0:37 Welcome and introductions 3:32 How La Fête du Champagne began 6:09 La Paulée: the Burgundy feast behind La Fête 8:56 When houses and growers kept apart 11:11 Invitation only: a principal must pour 14:18 Choosing 35 producers from 150 17:33 The 2026 program: the Churchill vertical and the chef dinners 21:39 New faces and the 2022 vintage 23:38 Champagne is for food, not ship hulls 25:32 Laurent Champs of Vilmart & Cie 27:39 The carpenter who chose oak 31:11 Chardonnay in Pinot country and blocking malolactic 35:31 Meeting Peter and Daniel 37:12 Œnothèque magnums and the joy of sharing 39:18 Thomas Champs and his first cuvée 42:14 Two 1988 magnums, 12 seconds apart 43:28 Vilmart at La Fête 2026 46:50 Wrap-up and Part 2 preview LINKS La Fête du Champagne tickets: https://www.lafeteduchampagne.com La Fête du Champagne on Instagram:   / lafetenyc   Vilmart & Cie: https://www.champagnevilmart.fr Vilmart on Instagram:   / champagnevilmart   Peter Liem's ChampagneGuide: https://www.champagneguide.net The Wine Centric Show: https://winecentricshow.com #LaFeteDuChampagne #Champagne #GrowerChampagne #PeterLiem #DanielJohnnes #Vilmart #WineCentricShow