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A Friday wine tasting at Nine Orchard, NYC, on October 16, 2026, with large-format Champagne, music and small bites. Tickets: $395 plus tax.
Magnums, jeroboams and a six-liter mathusalem will be opened at La Fête du Champagne’s Apéro au Champagne on October 16, 2026. The New York tasting brings a broad selection of houses and growers to Nine Orchard’s Greenhouse, with sommeliers pouring the wines alongside music and small bites.
Exclusive Members Discount
- 18% discount on the New York City Magnum Package, Grand Tasting + Gala Dinner
- Members price: $1,350 + tax (regular package price: $1,650 + tax). Save $300 per package.
- What you get: One ticket to the New York Grand Tasting and one ticket to the Gala Dinner.
- Discount code: PEARL. The booking link includes the code.
- How to book: Book the New York City Magnum Package.
This offer applies to the Grand Tasting + Gala Dinner package. Other events are ticketed separately. Availability and applicable fees are shown at checkout.
The 2026 Apéro au Champagne takes place from 5:30pm to 8:00pm ET on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Nine Orchard Greenhouse, 9 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002. It opens La Fête du Champagne’s New York weekend with Champagnes poured by sommeliers, music, and small bites in a glass-enclosed setting.
An apéro is the French tradition of gathering for a drink before dinner. Here, it becomes an opportunity to share large bottles that can be difficult to open in a smaller group. The announced selection includes mature vintages, rosés, Blanc de Blancs and Pinot Noir- and Meunier-focused wines.
What the Apéro au Champagne is
This is a walkaround Champagne tasting rather than a seated wine dinner. Guests move between pours, choose their own comparisons, and use the sommeliers in the room as guides through producers, base years, dosage choices, and bottle formats. The ticket includes small bites, though anyone wanting a full meal should plan dinner separately after the 8:00pm finish.
The Greenhouse at Nine Orchard provides a setting for both tasting and conversation. Guests can move between wines and compare impressions with friends, without following a fixed seminar or a sequence of dinner courses.
A magnum holds 1.5 liters, the equivalent of two standard 750ml bottles. A Champagne jeroboam holds 3 liters, or four standard bottles, and a mathusalem holds 6 liters, or eight. Opening several such bottles in one evening is a chance to enjoy formats often saved for celebrations.
What makes the wine selection special
The selection includes both established houses and grower-producers. For Blanc de Blancs, compare Billecart-Salmon, Laherte Frères, Eric Rodez and Pierre Péters. For Pinot Noir, look for Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs 2018 in jeroboam, Geoffroy Empreinte 2015 in magnum and Pierre Paillard Bouzy 2021.
The mature bottles give the event its collector appeal. Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2004 appears in jeroboam. Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2006 Edition Vinothèque will be poured from magnum. Lanson Clos Lanson 2010 and Vilmart & Cie Cœur de Cuvée 2013 also bring older-vintage context, while Rare Millésime 2012 and Bollinger La Grande Année 2014 offer another view of recent mature releases from major houses.
Krug Grande Cuvée 170ème Edition, Jacquesson Cuvée 748 and Louis Roederer Collection 244 MV also invite a comparison of blending approaches. Each brings together wines from more than one harvest. Tasting them alongside the vintage releases is a useful way to explore how producers work with both individual years and reserve wines.
Large-format highlights
- Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2004 in jeroboam
- Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs 2018 in jeroboam
- Pierre Péters Réserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2018 in mathusalem
- Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2006 Edition Vinothèque in magnum
- Lanson Clos Lanson 2010 in magnum
The broader lineup includes Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Meunier, rosé, non-vintage, multi-vintage, and mature vintage releases. Most of the wines will be served from magnum, with Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017 and Pierre Paillard Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs 2021 listed without a large-format designation.
The announced wine list
Exact wines and vintages are subject to change.
- Bérêche & Fils, Reflet d’Antan NV en magnum; A. Bergère, OEnothèque 2008 en magnum; Billecart-Salmon, Le Blanc de Blancs en magnum, base 2019; Bollinger, La Grande Année 2014 en magnum.
- La Caravelle, TBC; Chartogne-Taillet, TBC; Delamotte, Brut NV en magnum; Dom Pérignon, Vintage 2017; Drappier, Millésime Exception 2016 en magnum.
- Fleur de Miraval, Petite Fleur en magnum, base 2019; Geoffroy, Empreinte 1er Cru Extra Brut Pinot Noir 2015 en magnum; Pierre Gerbais, Champ Viole 2011-2021 en magnum; Henriot, L’Inattendue 2016 en magnum.
- Jacquesson, Cuvée 748 en magnum; Krug, Grande Cuvée 170ème Edition en magnum; Laherte Frères, Blanc de Blancs Nature NV en magnum; A. Lamblot, Mouvance 2021 en magnum.
- Lanson, Clos Lanson 2010 en magnum; Larmandier-Bernier, Rosé 2019 en magnum; Leclerc-Briant, Abyss Blanc 2020 en magnum; A. Margaine, Brut NV en magnum.
- Marie-Courtin, Efflorescence 2019 en magnum; Moët & Chandon, Grand Vintage 2004 en jeroboam; Famille Moussé, Eugène Base 2022 en magnum; Pierre Paillard, Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs 2021.
- Joseph Perrier, Cuvée Royale Vintage 2018 en magnum; Pierre Péters, Réserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2018 en mathusalem; Philipponnat, Blanc de Noirs 2018 en jeroboam; Piper-Heidsieck, Vintage 2018 en magnum.
- Pol Roger, Brut Vintage 2006 Edition Vinothèque en magnum; Rare, Millésime 2012 en magnum; Eric Rodez, Blanc de Blancs 32ème Edition en magnum; Louis Roederer, Collection 244 MV en magnum.
- Savart, Ecueil Trépail NV en magnum; JM Sélèque, Soliste Meunier 2019 en magnum; Tarlant, ZERO - 6 Cépages - Brut Nature NV en magnum, base 2017; Vilmart & Cie, Cœur de Cuvée 2013 en magnum.
How to approach the tasting
For a Chardonnay comparison, look for Billecart-Salmon Le Blanc de Blancs, Laherte Frères Blanc de Blancs Nature NV and Pierre Péters Réserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2018. Notice the differences in texture and finish as you move between producers.
For Pinot Noir, look at Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs 2018 in jeroboam, Geoffroy Empreinte 1er Cru Extra Brut Pinot Noir 2015, and Pierre Paillard Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs 2021. Blanc de Noirs means a white Champagne made from black grapes, typically Pinot Noir and/or Meunier. Bollinger La Grande Année 2014 also belongs in the broader Pinot conversation, though it is a blended vintage cuvée rather than a Blanc de Noirs.
Meunier also has a strong showing, including JM Sélèque Soliste Meunier 2019 and Famille Moussé Eugène Base 2022. Tarlant ZERO, 6 Cépages, Brut Nature NV, based on 2017, offers another comparison through its six-grape blend. It is made without added sugar at disgorgement.
For older vintages, look for Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2004 in jeroboam and Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2006 Edition Vinothèque in magnum. Lanson Clos Lanson 2010, Rare Millésime 2012 and Vilmart Cœur de Cuvée 2013 will also be poured from magnum. These are useful bottles to compare if you are interested in cellaring Champagne.
Tickets, timing, and the Pearl package offer
The Apéro au Champagne runs from 5:30pm to 8:00pm ET on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Nine Orchard Greenhouse, 9 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002. Tickets for this individual Apéro cost $395 plus tax through the official event listing.
This is an evening apéritif with small bites rather than a full wine dinner. If you want to continue after the tasting, plan a separate dinner on the Lower East Side or nearby after the 8:00pm finish.
Large bottles make sense when there are enough people to enjoy them. The Apéro brings mature Champagne, sommeliers and music into Nine Orchard’s Greenhouse for two and a half hours of large-format pours before dinner.
Apéro au Champagne tickets are on Eventbrite.
Members attending both the Grand Tasting and Gala Dinner: Book the New York City Magnum Package for $1,350 + tax with code PEARL, saving $300 (18%) on the regular $1,650 package price.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Apéro au Champagne at Nine Orchard in 2026?
The Apéro au Champagne runs from 5:30pm to 8:00pm ET on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Nine Orchard Greenhouse, 9 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002.
How much are tickets for the Apéro au Champagne?
Tickets for the individual Apéro au Champagne cost $395 plus tax through the event’s booking page.
What kind of Champagne will be poured?
The program focuses on large-format Champagne, including magnums, jeroboams, and one mathusalem, with announced producers such as Bérêche & Fils, Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger, Krug, Pierre Péters, Philipponnat, Pol Roger, Tarlant, and Vilmart & Cie.
Is the Apéro au Champagne a seated dinner?
No. It is a walkaround evening apéritif with Champagne poured by sommeliers, music, and small bites. Guests should plan dinner separately if they want a full meal afterward.
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