Why champagne is becoming the drink of the moment in Singapore

With whisky, wine and sake festivals popping up all over Singapore’s lifestyle calendar, it was a matter of time that one dedicated to champagne would happen. 

Wine concierge service Clink Clink held a three-day festival in March 2025 featuring 30 producers from the French region of Champagne, over 100 labels, master classes and a sit-down dinner by Marina Bay.

On Nov 8 and Nov 9, champagne festival Champagniac launches its inaugural edition at Changi Experience Studio at Jewel Changi Airport, with over 100 labels from maisons and grower champagne brands.

Aimed to be a fun experience for the man-in-the-street and connoisseurs alike, it is styled like a carnival with raffle games, food by The Cicheti Group and oyster, truffle and caviar carts. There is a flat entry fee with the option to purchase tokens for tasting rare and prestige cuvees such as M. Hostomme H09, Hautbois Haut’rigine 2015 and Moutard Fine de Champagne XO en Dame Jeanne.

There will also be sommelier-guided tasting trails led by professionals such as Gerald Lu, two-time National Sommelier Champion and current President of the Sommelier Association of Singapore, and Celine Jung, who was the Singapore National Sommelier Champion in 2023.

EAGER EXPLORERS

Yeo Xi Yang, co-founder of Champagniac and owner of Singapore’s first champagne bar Convivial, says that he had always wanted champagne to be seen as an accessible drink that can be enjoyed on all occasions. Recent champagne consumption trends also point to an increasingly adventurous market.

He shared: “Local wine distributors have been intentionally adding more champagnes to their portfolios and are going to Champagne to hunt for wineries that are not yet represented in Singapore. 

“When my wine-drinking friends post photos of their bottle line-ups at dinners in popular Cantonese restaurants, it is no longer just one bottle of champagne to ‘start the evening’, but increasingly three to four bottles in the line-up.”

Since Convivial’s opening in September 2023, other similar concepts have bubbled up. On the wine menu of Amara Singapore’s Lobby Bar, which opened in March 2024,  is Singapore’s most extensive collection of Louis Roederer, one of the oldest family-run Champagne houses. Champagne lounge The Champagnery at Amoy Street opened in October 2025 as the evening alternative to Mamma Mia Focaccia. Among the exclusives on Champagnery’s menu are a Brut Vintage Late Release 1999 and a Brut Rose Late Release 1999 from Louis Roederer.

Natasha Fathin, co-director of the Two S Creatives group behind Mamma Mia Focaccia and The Champagnery, shared: “There is a significant shift in champagne consumption, revealing a robust market potential. Firstly, there is an increasing preference for quality over quantity, with consumers gravitating towards premium and boutique champagnes. This reflects a growing appreciation for craftsmanship and the unique stories behind each bottle. The younger generation is also embracing champagne as a lifestyle choice, integrating it into casual dining and social gatherings rather than reserving it solely for special occasions. This shift aligns with a broader trend of experiential living, where consumers seek unique and memorable experiences.

At private members’ club 67 Pall Mall Singapore, senior sommelier New Zhen Jie observes two distinct groups of champagne drinkers: one that favours the consistency and familiarity of established maisons, such as Laurent-Perrier, while the other seeks the individuality and discovery offered by grower champagnes. The club caters to both by offering 10 to 12 different by-the-glass options and introducing lesser-known grapes such as Pinot Blanc to help members discover the region’s diversity. 

He said: “Interestingly, there’s very little overlap between the two camps. Those who lean toward maisons often value reliability over narrative, while grower Champagne enthusiasts tend to be more curious about the stories behind the labels and producers.”

Despite the distinction, the palette of both groups are sophisticated. New explained: “Champagne drinkers today are more informed and adventurous: they no longer insist on flutes, and some even request their champagne to be decanted. It’s a sign of how far champagne culture has evolved, and how deeply it’s taken root among serious wine lovers in Singapore.”

The grower champagne market is on the rise, even as production remains relatively stable, given that the majority are family-run wineries. Ian Lim, co-founder of online wine shop Raw Wine and Revolution wine bistro, finds that the appetite for grower champagnes has increased over the past few years as consumers eschew branded products for “champagne made authentically by real growers”. Pinot Meunier, once a forgotten grape in champagne production, is also popping up among requests for specific vintages.

According to data from Union Des Maisons de Champagne, Singapore imported 1.5 million bottles of champagne in 2024. In comparison, Japan sipped 12.45 million bottles while Australia chugged 30 million. Yet the tiny city state is “one of the most informed and technically curious champagne audiences in the world”, said Lucy Edwards, founder of Champagne Every Day, who will be showcasing several labels at Champagniac.

“You can find end consumers (not industry professionals) who can taste five different disgorgements of the same wine and pinpoint differences in plot selection, grape variety and dosage, and they’re not doing it for status. They’re doing it because they care deeply about what’s in the glass. The level of palate sophistication, intellectual engagement, and thirst for exploration is extraordinary.”

This in turn fuels the confidence of distributors to take a chance even with unfamiliar champagne labels. Edwards shared: “In many countries, about 85 to 90 per cent of champagne consumed is non‑vintage. In Singapore, by contrast, you see a far broader spread over different categories: extra brut, vintage, rose, prestige, etc.

“First, they buy non-vintages from the big houses. Then they explore rose, vintage, single village and vineyard cuvees and eventually move into grower territory. The interesting thing is that all levels of this progression are thriving simultaneously. That’s a sign of market health. Most countries are stuck at step one, Singapore is already on step four, and climbing.”

She believes that festivals like Champagniac and Uncorked provide an important platform for adventurous drinkers to explore and grow the market. She said:  “They don’t just grow sales; they grow understanding and understanding is what drives loyalty. Not just to a brand, but to the whole region of champagne.”