Singapore Airlines is adding a third Champagne option in its First Class and Suites cabins next month, with the addition of a 2018 Vintage option from small family-owned independent Champagne house Vilmart & Cie, a boutique producer turning out only 8,500 cases annually.
For the first time, this will see three different Champagnes offered in the carrier’s most exclusive cabin on all flights with First Class or Suites installed from 1st June 2023, even on the short hop to and from Jakarta.
This follows the withdrawal of vintage Dom Perignon Champagne from SIA’s First Class cabins back in November 2022, and since then the carrier has been offering a choice of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and Krug on all routes, both of which will remain.
2018 Vilmart Grand Cellier D’Or
The latest Champagne joining the airline’s First Class lineup is a 2018 Vintage Grand Cellier D’Or, a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir grapes from fifty-year-old vines.
For the Champagne pros, tasting notes are available here.
Here’s how Singapore Airlines describes the Champagne in its menu.
“Managed by owner and Chef de Cave, Laurent Champs, Vilmart & Cie produces its exceptional champagnes with grapes grown in limited quantities each year. This particular cuvée is a unique blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from 50-year-old Premier Cru vines that have been barrel-aged for 10 months before bottling, and subsequently aged for another 42 months. The result is an extraordinary champagne that displays complexity and depth of flavour, while retaining plenty of finesse.”
Singapore Airlines
Vilmart is such a small Champagne house that its 2018 Vintage doesn’t have enough Vivino ratings to generate an average score, but more broadly its Grand Cellier D’Or range picks up 4.2 stars.
Though it’s hard to come by in Singapore, the Champagne retails for around EUR60 (~S$87) in France, which is certainly not on the high side, compared to Krug and Tattinger Comtes.
Champagne quality is a very subjective topic, and doesn’t always correlate with Vivino ratings or retail price, so it will be interesting to see what our readers think of the product in an actual taste test, starting from next month.
Three Champagnes in First Class
Previously when the airline had three different Champagnes in First Class only two of those would be offered on board any individual flight, but for the first time SIA will be offering all three options to passengers from 1st June 2023, according to its inflight menus.
This is a very nice trio to choose from, and as far as we can see will be available on all routes with a First Class or Suites cabin across the network – even on the 90-minute hops to and from Jakarta.
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At this stage we’re not sure whether the new Champagne will also feature in The Private Room at Singapore Changi Airport T3, where Comtes de Champagne is currently poured, nor whether the introduction of this third Champagne option is a permanent or seasonal addition.
We’ll be reaching out to SIA to clarify those points for us and will update this article accordingly once we hear back.
Where is Singapore Airlines flying its First Class and Suites cabins?
14 cities on the network now receive regular Singapore Airlines flights with a First Class and/or Suites cabin on board, including two “fifth freedom” routes (Frankfurt to New York and Tokyo to Los Angeles).
You can see a full list of routes and flight numbers with these products at our dedicated First Class Seats by Route page.
That list is valid for flights until the end of the northern summer season in late October 2023, with the final winter schedule through to late March 2024 yet to be finalised.
Nonetheless, this week SIA confirmed that Auckland will be joining the list of routes with a First Class (Suites) cabin, in the form of a daily Airbus A380 service from 22nd November 2023.
Business Class still gets Charles Heidsieck or Henriot
In case you missed the news, in mid-2022 Singapore Airlines brought back Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve on the majority of its routes in the Business Class cabin.
This is a personal favourite of ours, and rates highly among Business Class Champagnes picking up 4.2 stars on Vivino, so we were thrilled to see it back.
Though it’s getting rarer on the network, vintage Piper-Heidsieck is still making an appearance on some longer flights too, instead of Charles Heidsieck, with these two highly-rated drops now the preserve of the carrier’s longest routes.
Unfortunately in January this year the airline downgraded its Champagne in Business Class on most regional routes to Henriot, which is decidedly average in our opinion.
Summary
Singapore Airlines will be pouring three varieties of Champagne in its First Class and Suites cabins from 1st June 2023, with the addition of a 2018 Vintage label from boutique Champagne house Vilmart & Cie.
This will be an interesting one to try out, given its relative rarity, though when you consider the small output of the producer we do expect this is likely to be a short-term seasonal addition for the airline, rather than a permanent arrangement.
Nonetheless, it looks set to be the first time SIA will offer three different Champagnes in its First Class and Suites cabins on every flight, since previously there were only ever a maximum of two on board.
Have you tried the Vilmart Grand Cellier D’Or Champagne before? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Cover Photo: Vilmart & Cie)