Champagne Bollinger leads The Drinks Business Champagne Report 2026 with “The Big Interview”: a sweeping conversation with managing director Charles-Armand de Belenet as the house approaches its bicentenary in 2029. On the eve of this milestone, De Belenet speaks about investing for the next 200 years, not celebrating the last. The piece covers a wave of transformation underway, from a vast new barrel cellar, to the certification of 115 of its 180 hectares as organic (making Bollinger one of the largest organically farmed estates in Champagne). The release of La Grande Année 2018, launched with a historic private takeover of The Ritz Restaurant (the first brand ever to do so), serves as the public face of this quietly ambitious overhaul.
It is this combination of heritage, vision, and uncompromising standards that makes Bollinger one of the most compelling houses in Champagne. While others in the category navigate market pressures, de Belenet speaks with the authority of a house that has never chased volume, only excellence. “Champagne has always been about celebration,” he tells Schmitt. “But the way people celebrate is evolving.” His answer is a long-term philosophy of stewardship: lighter bottles, deeper reserves, greater precision through oak, and an unwavering focus on Pinot Noir. “The fundamentals are strong,” he concludes. “But we have to keep moving.”
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