Piper-Heidsieck extends its sponsorship of Australian Open

Its first brand ambassador was Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, and a new sponsorship deal with the Australian Open tennis will lift champagne brand Piper-Heidsieck’s visibility.

The Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Bar at the Australian Open. Picture: Regina Karon

The chairman and chief executive of 239-year-old champagne house Piper-Heidsieck is keeping a lid on price rises to narrow the gap between French bubbly and cheaper Australian sparkling wine, amid the cost-of-living crisis that is pushing drinkers to affordable champagne alternatives.

But Damien Lafaurie is confident that despite the economic pressures in Australia, consumers will return to champagne brands such as his as they revert to the recent trend of “trading up” into premium and luxury wines – and reward themselves with a flute of the classic French beverage.

“So the question of the cost of living, of inflation, is the same everywhere. So it’s not specific to the Australian market and we see the same consequences in every market in the world,” Mr Lafaurie told The Australian.

“So it is true that because of this kind of inflation, we had to increase our price because the cost of the grapes has gone up, the cost of dry goods has gone up, and so on. And because of this price increase, some consumers find it a bit too expensive. That’s a reality.

“But if you look at the trend in our industry for the last 30 years, at least, people are always trading up. So we are living in a moment where people are a bit more cautious. We are trying to limit as much as we can the price increase to remain affordable for the other consumer worldwide, specifically in the Australian market.”

Damien Lafaurie, chairman and CEO of champagne house Piper-Heidsieck.

For Piper-Heidsieck, one of the world’s oldest champagne houses and whose first brand ambassador was Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, that challenge is particularly acute in Australia.

Australia is Piper-Heidsieck’s largest export market and traditionally a region where it has recorded above-market growth.

It has chosen to answer that challenge partly by increasing its marketing game in Australia. It has re-signed as the official champagne of the Australian Open in January. After six successful years in partnership, the new deal spans another three summers and ensures Piper-Heidsieck will remain an Australian Open favourite until at least 2027.

Piper-Heidsieck’s ambassador line-up for the Australian Open this year includes Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis and Canadian tennis player Ayan Broomfield.

Mr Lafaurie said 52,000 flutes of Piper-Heidsieck champagne were poured at the 2024 Australian Open, more than doubling the previous mark of 25,000 flutes in 2023, and for the upcoming Open – just weeks away – it was targeting 80,000 flutes.

The Open is the only tennis grand slam event that Piper-Heidsieck is associated with.

“There’s something a bit special about the Australian Open, the kind of uplifting, joyful mindset, which quite resonates with our own values,” Mr Lafaurie said.

“I’m always very impressed with the 1 million fans attending the event, mainly coming from Australia.

“It is our biggest event worldwide for us. It is our biggest sponsorship and the largest event we partner with.”

Actor Olympia Valance at the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Bar at The Australian Open. Picture: Regina Karon

An integral part of the Australian Open is the mix of sports and entertainment, and Piper-Heidsieck will embrace that with a Champagne Bar on Rod Laver Arena Terrace and a Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Kiosk at Garden Square, as well as a members-only venue, Club 1905.

The cost-of-living crisis might be biting many households, but when drinkers turn to celebrations, whether it’s a day at the tennis or a wedding or special birthday, champagne can hold its own against sparkling wine even if it is more expensive.

“And at the end of the day, champagne is champagne,” Mr Lafaurie said. “There is only champagne coming from Champagne (region) and I’m very confident that with what we are doing on improving the quality of our champagne year after year, we don’t take quality for granted.

“We are always trying to improve. I’m very confident that the consumer will understand the difference [from sparkling wine]. So it’s a big challenge, but it’s a positive challenge for us.”

Piper Heidsieck believes drinkers will recognise the allure and special nature of champagne versus sparkling wine. Picture: Regina Karon

However, the challenge is coming from cheaper sparkling wines, especially the quality wines being produced in Australia.

Despite the challenging landscape, Piper-Heidsieck has grown its presence in Australia by 5 per cent in the past 12 months. Australia recently became the sixth-largest champagne market in the world as a record 10.5 million bottles of French bubbly were shipped to Australia in 2022, up 6 per cent. Piper-Heidsieck sits within the top five champagne houses in the Australian market and between 2019 and 2023 it has hit year-on-year average growth of 7.7 per cent in exported volumes to Australia.

What Mr Lafaurie likes to term “unexpected innovation” is at the centre of Piper-Heidsieck’s plans for 2025, and that will include non-sparkling wines.

A Hors Serie collection, which will land in Australia in 2025, will include limited Blanc de Noirs still wines, crafted to highlight two popular terroirs, with white wines from two pinot noir grand cru plots: Chauffour in Aÿ and Les Champs Seaux in Ambonnay. An “Essentiel” range comprising ­Essentiel, Essentiel Blanc de Blancs and Essentiel Blanc de Noirs will also be released in 2025.