Future #1: Champagne by any other name: Commodity

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The exhibit before you is the scent of champagne created by perfume house Demeter. The champagne region in France has grown grapes for over 60 million years according to a fossilised vine leaf dating back to the Palaeocene epoch. However during the 2020’s heatwaves started to see changes take place in the growth and development of the grapes authorised to be used in the creation of Champagne.

 

Initially the warming climate provided a boon for champagne makers as grapes ripened earlier allowing for more harvest time, a sweeter taste and higher alcohol content and the lack of rain reduced instances of mildew. However on June 27, 2026 a devastating wildfire broke out in the region. The world watched in horror as over 5 weeks 90% of the vineyards in the region were razed to the ground.

 

Having decimated production, debate raged on whether the National Wine Authority (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine) would redefine the grapes that could grow in the region and be called champagne. They held firm, and a race to buy the remaining ‘true champagne’ bottles gripped the world. In 2027 a new commodity index was created to track the rise and fall of champagne prices and many were bought by hedge funds and venture capitalists. The scent of champagne seen here was created from grapes grown in the year 2025, and chemically synthesised. It is part of a range of ‘extinct’ or ‘endangered’ scents that have become popular to wear as a perfume

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Future #2: Champagne by any other name: Coalition

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The exhibit before you is the scent of champagne created by perfume house Demeter to celebrate the new champagne definition. The champagne region in France has grown grapes for over 60 million years according to a fossilised vine leaf dating back to the Palaeocene epoch. However during the 2020’s heatwaves started to see changes take place in the growth and development of the grapes authorised to be used in the creation of Champagne.

 

Initially the warming climate provided a boon for champagne makers as grapes ripened earlier allowing for more harvest time, a sweeter taste and higher alcohol content and the lack of rain reduced instances of mildew. However on June 27, 2026 a devastating wildfire broke out in the region. The world watched in horror as over 5 weeks 90% of the vineyards in the region were razed to the ground.

 

Having decimated production, debate raged on whether the National Wine Authority (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine) would redefine the grapes that could grow in the region and be called champagne. In a move that shocked many in the wine industry opened up the definition of champagne to include any of the seven grape types grown anywhere in the world the climate suited using the production method - méthode traditionalle. 

 

New champagne growing regions popped up around the world with the master vintners lending their expertise to fledgling wineries. In 2028 the National Wine Authority announced a new naming system. All wines would be labelled with two names, the origin of the grapes and their growing location. This year was also the year the first phénix wine came to market. A wine grown in the champagne region but using a different blend of grapes - like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

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