Membres
December is coming. Are you ready to sell Champagne, not just taste it?
FTCC member can access a 10% discount on the training.
In a few weeks, everyone will want Champagne.
Guests will ask for recommendations, buyers will compare cuvées, and your customers will want something special. December is when your Champagne knowledge actually gets tested, and the time to prepare is now.
CHAMPAGNE SPECIALIST: UNDERSTANDING AND RECOMMENDING CHAMPAGNE
Three Mondays in Bangkok: 16, 23 and 30 November 2026
THIS IS NOT A “PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE” COURSE
We won’t read you a list of facts and pour wine while you take notes. This course trains the skills you use with real guests and customers:
- Listen to what the customer wants, including occasion, budget and taste.
- Recommend a Champagne with confidence, and offer a range of options that fit.
- Pitch it in a way that sells.
- Pair it with food and explain why the pairing works.
- Serve it properly, from glassware and opening the bottle to storage.
You will practise all of this in hands-on workshops, including role-plays where you play both the professional and the customer. In the Wine Merchant workshop, you recommend a Champagne to a customer, and your sales pitch and pairing are also part of the practical exam. By the end, you will have done it enough times to do it naturally.
THE WINES: GROWERS, HOUSES AND COOPERATIVES
Champagne is not one style. You will taste the full range, from the great houses to small growers to the cooperatives behind so much of the region’s wine, across the key sub-regions, styles and types.
Growers and small estates
- Jeaunaux-Robin “Fil de Brume” N.V. Brut Nature (80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir)
- Lagille “La Garenne” 2020 Nature (100% Meunier)
- Parmantier Frère & Sœur “Les Drés-le Moutier” 1er Cru Rosé de Saignée 2019 Zéro Dosage (100% Meunier)
- Amaury Beaufort “Le Jardinot” 2021 Zéro Dosage (100% Pinot Noir)
- Henri Giraud “Cuvée Fût de Chêne” MV20, Aÿ Grand Cru, N.V. Extra Brut (80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay)
- Jacques Lassaigne “Les Vignes de Montgueux” Blanc de Blancs N.V. Extra Brut (100% Chardonnay)
Houses
- Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial N.V. Demi-Sec
- Drappier “Grande Sendrée” 2012 Brut (55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay)
- Veuve Clicquot 2015 Brut (50% Pinot Noir, 30% Meunier, 20% Chardonnay)
- Krug Grande Cuvée N.V. Extra Brut
- Bollinger PN VZ19 2019 Extra Brut (100% Pinot Noir)
Cooperatives
- Mailly Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs N.V. Brut (100% Pinot Noir)
- Le Mesnil Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs N.V. Brut (100% Chardonnay)
- Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs 2012 Brut (100% Chardonnay)
Along the way you will cover Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs, Meunier, rosé, vintage and non-vintage, and everything from Nature and Zéro Dosage to Demi-Sec. (Wines may be replaced with similar quality and style where required.)
WHY MONDAYS?
We welcome enthusiasts, but we built the schedule for people in the trade. Mondays are typically the day off for hospitality and drinks professionals, so you can attend without leaving your team short-staffed.
THE DETAILS
- Dates: Monday 16, 23 and 30 November 2026
- Format: 14 hours face-to-face, including the exam. In person only.
- Venue: i-Yara Building, 9th floor, Chan Road, Sathon, Bangkok
- Fee: 29,900 THB
- Certification: Champagne Specialist certificate, created and managed by the Comité Champagne
- Instructor: Chris Mercier, DipWSET
- Background: a WSET Level 2 background is not a requirement, but it is appreciated.
- Preparation: about 7 hours of online learning before class. When you book, you will automatically receive an email guiding you to the Comité Champagne education website, where the e-learning course is waiting for you. With a 16 November start, register soon so you have time to complete it.
Part of the profit from this first promotion in Bangkok will be donated to the Bangkok Community Help Foundation, to support victims of the recent floods.
