Royal Champagne Road: Chapter XIV - The Modern Pinnacle
360 million glasses of champagne are consumed on New Year's Eve alone.
360 million glasses of champagne are consumed on New Year's Eve alone. This chapter traces champagne to its modern pinnacles: Emirates First Class at 40,000 feet (Concorde's spiritual heir), Les Caves Augé in Paris (where Proust shopped, now ground zero for grower champagne), the 98-meter champagne bar at St Pancras, Dubai's Burj Al Arab at 200 meters, Noma's 5x World's Best Restaurant pairing, zero gravity champagne at the edge of space, and the global midnight wave from Sydney to New York.
A Wine Memories curated trail · winememories.fi
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- 1🍷
Emirates First Class: Champagne at 40,000 Feet
Emirates First Class is Concorde's spiritual heir - Dom Pérignon at 40,000 feet, private suites with closing doors, onboard showers. The champagne is served in Lalique crystal glasses designed for the altitude (lower cabin pressure alters taste perception). Flying has never been more decadent.
cultural $$$$ - 2🍷
Les Caves Augé: Paris's Oldest Wine Shop
Since 1850, Les Caves Augé has sold wine to Parisians - Marcel Proust was a regular customer. The décor of antique tiles, original mouldings, and panelling is unchanged. Today it's ground zero for the grower champagne revolution, stocking small producers who make champagne the way it was made before corporations took over.
tasting $$ - 3🍷
St Pancras Champagne Bar: Europe's Longest
At 98 meters, the Searcys Champagne Bar at St Pancras is Europe's longest champagne bar. It opened in 2007 with the Eurostar terminal, featuring "Press for Champagne" buttons at every booth. Under Tracy Emin's neon artwork "I want my time with you," travellers toast departures and arrivals beneath Victorian ironwork.
tasting $$$ - 4🍷
Burj Al Arab Skyview Bar: Champagne at 200 Meters
The Skyview Bar sits 200 meters above the Arabian Gulf on the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab, cantilevered 27 meters beyond the tower's edge. The glass-walled lounge is engineered to evoke flight. Champagne cocktails like the Burj Royale (champagne with rose elixir and saffron) cost what a meal costs elsewhere.
tasting $$$$ - 5🍷
Noma Copenhagen: The Champagne Menu
Noma has been named World's Best Restaurant 5 times. René Redzepi's Nordic cuisine pairs with a champagne program that treats bubbles as seriously as any wine region. Grower champagnes meet fermented sea buckthorn, wild herbs, and ingredients most people have never heard of. This is where fine dining meets the champagne revolution.
dining $$$$ - 6⛰️
Zero Gravity Champagne: The Edge of Space
Space tourists return to Earth to champagne celebrations. Virgin Galactic flights from Spaceport America end with toasts at the terminal. Zero-G flights offer weightlessness and champagne floating in mid-air. Maison Mumm even designed a champagne bottle for zero gravity (Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar). The final frontier now includes bubbles.
adventure $$$$ - 7🎪
New Year's Eve: 360 Million Glasses of Champagne
360 million glasses of champagne are consumed on New Year's Eve alone. Sydney's harbour fireworks start the global wave. Paris toasts at the Arc de Triomphe. Over 1 million people pack Times Square as 1 billion watch on TV. For 24 hours, the planet pops corks from timezone to timezone.
festival $$
Plan the trip
Insider tip. Les Caves Augé is the sleeper hit - Marcel Proust's wine shop now stocks the best grower champagnes in Paris. St Pancras champagne bar has "Press for Champagne" buttons in the booths. Zero-G flights are $8,200 vs $450,000 for Virgin Galactic.
Getting there and around
- Car required
- No
- Parking
- No car needed at any destination.
- Nearest airport
- Multiple global destinations
- Drinking and driving
- Modern champagne bars emphasize grower champagne - ask for recommendations.
- Without a car
- Flights between cities. Excellent public transport at each destination.
Where to stay
- Base yourself in
- Move between destinations
- Why there
- Global journey - select experiences based on your route.
- Booking tip
- New Year's Eve books 6-12 months ahead at premium prices.
- Nightly range
- €100-1000/night (varies dramatically)
Recommended stays
- Budget
- Generator hostels in Paris/London
- Luxury
- Emirates First Class, Burj Al Arab, or NYE packages
- Mid-range
- Boutique hotels in each city
What it costs
- Includes
- Varies enormously by choices
- Meals
- Wide range - €20-400+
- Per person
- €500-10,000+ (depends on experiences selected)
- Ways to spend less
-
- Les Caves Augé is affordable - grower champagne from €25/bottle
- St Pancras bar is accessible - glass of champagne from £15
- Spaceport tour is $75 vs $450,000 for actual space flight
- Home celebration with grower champagne is the ultimate budget option
- Tasting fees
- St Pancras £15-20/glass, Burj Al Arab AED 100+, Caves Augé varies
Booking and timing
- Lead time
- Noma: book exactly when reservations open. NYE: 6+ months. Burj: 1-2 weeks.
- Closed days
- Les Caves Augé closed Sunday. Others vary.
- Peak season
- New Year's Eve is the peak moment for this chapter.
- Best time of day
- Burj Al Arab: sunset. St Pancras: Eurostar departure buzz.
Where to eat
- Lunch
-
- Near Les Caves Augé: Café de la Paix or local brasserie
- St Pancras: Searcys Brasserie
- Dinner
-
- Noma (Copenhagen) - €400+ tasting menu
- At.mosphere (Burj Khalifa, Dubai) - €200+
- Various NYE réveillon dinners - €150-500
If your time is short
- Do not miss
- If you only have one day
- exp-royal-ch-043-les-caves-auge - Accessible, affordable, and tells the grower champagne story.
- If it rains
- All experiences are indoor or weatherproof.
- Skip if time is short
Mistakes to avoid
-
- Don't skip Les Caves Augé - it's the hidden gem of modern champagne
- Don't attempt Noma without booking exactly when reservations open
- Don't book NYE last minute - 6+ months lead time for major cities
- Don't confuse price with quality - grower champagne beats corporate brands
Worth stopping for
-
- St Pancras: the Tracy Emin neon with the Victorian roof
- Burj Al Arab: sunset from Skyview Bar
- NYE: midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour/Eiffel Tower/Times Square