The finalists in Harpers Wine & Spirit's inaugural Champagne Awards have been announced with the winners revealed at the title's Champagne Summit at London's Soho Hotel on February 15. The shortlisted finalists have been selected by a panel of industry judges and include:

Best Buying Team/Buyer Off-trade: Majestic, The Sampler, Waitrose

Best Buying Team/Buyer On-trade: Searcys, Bibendum, Texture

Best Independent Champagne Retailer: Barrica Wines, Harrods, Lea & Sandeman, The Sampler

Best Multiple Champagne Retailer: Majestic, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose

Best Online/Direct Sales Champagne Retailer: Champagne Warehouse, everywine.co.uk, Laithwaites, Wine Society

Champage Educator of the Year: Tom Stevenson, Michael Edwards, Richard Bampfield MW.

Main sponsors for the awards and summit include Champagne de Castelnau, Champagne Taittinger, Champagne Lanson and Champagne Perrier-Jouët.

The Champagne Summit will include a day of tastings, masterclasses, panel debates and seminars. Masterclasses will be given by Jamie Goode, Richard Bampfield and Xavier Rousset of Texture restaurant.

The theme of the summit is consumer education and communication and will include talks by Wine Intelligence and the Future Foundation.

It will also now include an extra session looking at new consumer research from DoILikeIt and Robert Joseph. Lanson UK's managing director Paul Beavis will take a fresh look at category management while consultant Andrew Marsden will assess the marketing possibilities for Champagne.

The industry panel includes Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Spar, Champagne Warehouse, Le Bouchon Breton, blogger Rob McIntosh, educator Laura Clay and Françoise Perretti of the CIVC.
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