La Madame Meunier in Zurich

A Meunier Masterclass with Jelena van Eerdenburg DipWSET, Weinakademiker, and Peter Jauch

Meunier has always played an important role in Champagne, yet its true potential remained something of an industry secret for many years. Rarely named prominently on a label and often viewed primarily as part of a blend, the variety seldom received the recognition it deserved.

This masterclass is about to challenge that perception.

Some still question Meunier’s pedigree, particularly its ability to produce complex and age-worthy Champagne as a stand-alone variety. On Friday, 28 August 2026, Jelena van Eerdenburg DipWSET, Weinakademiker, known as La Madame Meunier, and Champagne expert and author Peter Jauch will set out to break that paradigm.

Jelena has developed a particular expertise in this long-underestimated grape variety. Her Diploma research paper, Meunier as Solo Artist in Champagne, explores the many expressions of Meunier and examines how origin, vinification, vintage and maturation influence its character.

Together with Peter Jauch, host of the evening, she will guide guests through a carefully curated series of comparative flights. Different terroirs, producers, winemaking approaches and stages of maturity will be brought together in the glass, revealing a grape variety with far greater depth, precision and ageing potential than its reputation might suggest.

The tasting opens with two contrasting Champagnes: Herbert & Co. Pinot Noir and Éric Taillet Le Bois de Binson 18–19. From there, the evening moves through parcel-specific wines, solera-based cuvées and mature vintage Champagnes.

Five comparative flights will lead to a final wine presented on its own: Collard-Picard Racines, offering one last distinctive expression of Meunier.

The Wines

Flight 1
Herbert & Co. Pinot Noir
versus
Éric Taillet Le Bois de Binson 18–19

Flight 2
Champagne Ullens L.P.M.
versus
Egly-Ouriet Les Vignes de Vrigny

Flight 3
Gounel-Lassalle Les Noues
versus
A. & J. Demière La Part des Anges Solera

Flight 4
A. & J. Demière 2019
versus
Agrapart Ameunia

Flight 5
A. & J. Demière Œnothèque 2009
versus
Tarlant La Vigne d’Or 2006

Final Wine
Collard-Picard Racines

wineBANK Zurich provides the perfect setting for an evening dedicated to discovery, comparison and a deeper understanding of one of Champagne’s most fascinating grape varieties.

Date: Friday, 28 August 2026
Arrival: 6.30 pm
Venue: wineBANK Zurich
Price: CHF 95 per person
Included: all Champagnes and a selection of accompanying bites

Places are limited.