VOL 02 WINTER 2023/24 CHAMPAGNE INDEX GMUCI_02_00_G&M INDEX_COV..._13075222.indd 1GMUCI_02_00_G&M INDEX_COV..._13075222.indd 122/11/2023 09:1022/11/2023 09:10GMUCI_02_00_G&M INDEX_COV..._13075222.indd 2GMUCI_02_00_G&M INDEX_COV..._13075222.indd 222/11/2023 09:1022/11/2023 09:10GAULT&MILLAU UAE CHAMPAGNE INDEX WINTER 2023/24 COMPILED Q4 2023 GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 3GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 322/11/2023 09:1222/11/2023 09:124 GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX ABOUT THE INDEX N ow in its second edition, the Gault&Millau UAE Champagne Index was first published online in November 2022, before a physical version was released in early 2023. As with the first edition, this book's purpose is to bring improved transparency to the pricing and availability of Champagne in the UAE, using the wine lists at 50 of the country’s finest restaurants as the basis. The restaurants included in this research all received one or more toques in the Gault&Millau UAE 2023 guide. One restaurant with a toque, Reif Japanese Kushiyaki in Dubai's Dar Was, is not represented as the venue is unlicensed. However, a new licensed outlet did open in the summer of 2023. In the past year, the appetite for fine dining the country has surged, with the introduction of new restaurants by the likes of acclaimed British chefs Jason Atherton and Heston Blumenthal to Dubai and an influx of award- winning chefs from around the world visiting for guest shifts and collaborations with the culinary stars of the UAE. At the end of 2022, Dubai's authorities also scrapped a 30 percent tax on alcohol sales, which meant venues could purchase alcohol more cheaply than previously. Restaurants and bars were encouraged to pass that saving on to customers, which saw some outlets reduce prices on a selection of their drinks by around five percent at the beginning of 2023. However, most of the prices in this sample set were not affected, with many prices remaining the same as the previous year. The main difference between volumes one and two of the Champagne Index is the increase in the variety of Champagnes available, with the number of champagne houses increasing from 37 to 52, with 19 new makers appearing, and three (Besserat de Bellefon, Deutz and Joseph Perrier) no longer available. All of the Champagne menus that went into this research were requested directly from the restaurants between October and November 2023. Where the restaurants did not provide one, the Gault&Millau team visited the venues to ask for the menus as a paying guest. The contents were then photographed. Every bottle on each of the 50 lists was then logged according to producer and vintage, and ordered according to price. The Index aims to provide diners with access to all of the information from the toque-rated restaurants in one place, allowing them to consider the cost of Champagne as well as food when making a restaurant reservation. To use the list, diners can look through each producer to compare like-for-like prices, or can seek out rare vintages for special occasions. Restaurant managers and sommeliers are also encouraged to get in touch to update us on any additions, as well as changes to pricing and availability. GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 4GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 429/11/2023 19:0929/11/2023 19:09INSIDE THE INDEX PRICE INDEX AND RANKINGS 08 31 11 88 10 58 120 06 14 Q4 2022 findings at a glance Arlaux to Bruno Paillard Best places serving Champagne in Q4 2023 Carbon to Gosset Champagne Index rankings in full Hatt et Söner to Louis Roederer Taittinger to Vilmart & Cie Gault&Millau ratings for featured restaurants Mercier to Salon GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX 5 GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 5GMUCI_02_03-05_G&M REPORT_Title_Intro_contents V2_13092580.indd 522/11/2023 09:1222/11/2023 09:126 GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX LARGEST PRICE DIFFERENTIALS 2,900 AED 9,000 AED AED 720 AED 2,700 NIRI RESTAURANT & BAR L'ATELIER ROBUCHON HAKKASAN ABU DHABI IL-RISTORANTE - NIKO ROMITO RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS NV PERRIER- JOUËT, BLANC DE BLANCS BELLE ÉPOQUE 2013 AT A GLANCE: Q4 2023 FINDINGS VS TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSES REPRESENTED The most common bottle found in the index is Louis Roederer Cristal Brut, served in 32 restaurants Seven Champagne houses are represented by one variant and only available in a single restaurant 417 RAREST The largest price difference for the same bottle is for Ruinart's non-vintage Blanc de Blancs in Abu Dhabi's Niri Restaurant & Bar and Hakkasan, in Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. In Dubai, the same bottle of Perrier-Jouët will cost more than three times the amount in Il-Ristorante - Niko Romito than L'Atelier Robuchon in DIFC. MOST COMMON 52 VARIETY RISTORANTE L'OLIVO AT AL MAHARA DIFFERENT BOTTLES GMUCI_02_06-07_Infographics_13075224.indd 6GMUCI_02_06-07_Infographics_13075224.indd 629/11/2023 19:1029/11/2023 19:10GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX 7 LARGE FORMATS AVAILABLE HIGHEST PRICED BOTTLE SALON, CUVÉE 'S' BLANC DE BLANCS 1996 OSSIANO, AED48,650 LOWEST PRICED BOTTLE G.H. MUMM, BRUT CUVÉE BB SOCIAL DINING, AED445 OF VENUES INCLUDED IN THE INDEX SERVE TEN OR MORE VARIETIES 0F VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 132 MAGNUMS AED36,500 OLDEST VINTAGE OF VENUES INCLUDED IN THE INDEX SERVE FIVE OR MORE VARIETIES OF VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 54% AL MUNTAHA'S DOM PÉRIGNON, OENOTHÈQUE, 1966 23 JEROBOAMS 0 NEBUCHADNEZZAR GMUCI_02_06-07_Infographics_13075224.indd 7GMUCI_02_06-07_Infographics_13075224.indd 722/11/2023 09:1222/11/2023 09:12 CHIC NONNA Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 36 Number of vintage Champagnes: 19 Number of large formats: 9 LPM RESTAURANT & BAR Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 37 Number of vintage Champagnes: 15 Number of large formats: 1 DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 26 Number of vintage Champagnes: 23 Number of large formats: 0 CITY SOCIAL Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 35 Number of vintage Champagnes: 17 Number of large formats: 9 8 GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX THE 10 BEST PLACES TO DRINK CHAMPAGNE IN THE UAE, Q4 2023 1 2 3 4 I n the second annual Gault&Millau UAE guide, 51 restaurants received between one and four toques. Of those, one – Reif Japanese Kushiyaki – is unlicensed and was not included in our judging. To assess the Champagne offerings of the remaining 50, we looked at the critera from the vintage selection available to the Gault&Millau restaurant rating. However, to determine overall ranking we focused on two key metrics: variety and value. For value, we used the average rankings in each of the tables that follow in this, the second G&M Champagne Index. GMUCI_02_08-09_REPORT_TOP TEN_13075234.indd 8GMUCI_02_08-09_REPORT_TOP TEN_13075234.indd 822/11/2023 12:2322/11/2023 12:23GAULT&MILLAU CHAMPAGNE INDEX 9 PIERRE'S TT Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 26 Number of vintage Champagnes: 23 Number of large formats: 3 TAKAHISA Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 16 Number of vintage Champagnes: 16 Number of large formats: 5 AL MUNTAHA Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 38 Number of vintage Champagnes: 49 Number of large formats: 21 CLAP Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 18 Number of vintage Champagnes: 30 Number of large formats: 13 7 5 8 6 10 OSSIANO Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 40 Number of vintage Champagnes: 22 Number of large formats: 0 RISTORANTE L'OLIVO AT AL MAHARA Number of non-vintage Champagnes: 41 Number of vintage Champagnes: 47 Number of large formats: 22 9 GMUCI_02_08-09_REPORT_TOP TEN_13075234.indd 9GMUCI_02_08-09_REPORT_TOP TEN_13075234.indd 922/11/2023 12:2322/11/2023 12:23Next >