News
Dom Pérignon 2018 unveiled in Bilbao as Bollinger and Old Vine Conference mark a busy week
A notable week for the fine wine world saw Dom Pérignon present its 2018 vintage in Bilbao, Bollinger hold a major appointment, and the Old Vine Conference launch its inaugural photography competition.
What happened
The week of 12 June 2026 proved a significant one across the fine wine calendar. Dom Pérignon chose Bilbao, in northern Spain, as the setting for the unveiling of its 2018 vintage — a presentation that drew producers, sommeliers and trade figures to the Basque city. Separately, Bollinger held a major appointment during the same period, adding further weight to a week already rich in industry activity. Meanwhile, the Old Vine Conference announced the launch of its inaugural photography competition, inviting the wider wine community to celebrate the visual heritage of ancient vineyards.
Events spanned Champagne, London and Spain, reflecting the increasingly international character of the industry's key moments.
Why it matters
Taken together, these three developments illustrate the breadth of ambition within the premium champagne and fine wine world. The choice of Bilbao as a stage for a Dom Pérignon vintage reveal signals a continued willingness among leading houses to look beyond traditional European capitals when presenting their most significant releases. Bollinger's appointment, meanwhile, reinforces the sense that major houses are investing in sustained engagement with the trade and press.
The Old Vine Conference's photography competition represents something rather different: a deliberate effort to broaden the conversation around heritage viticulture, drawing in voices and perspectives from outside the conventional wine press. That the competition is its first speaks to the organisation's growing confidence and reach.
Collectively, the week underscored the industry's dual commitment — to the prestige of individual house releases and to the collaborative, cross-disciplinary dialogue that increasingly defines fine wine culture.
Context
Dom Pérignon and Bollinger are among the most recognised names in Champagne, each with a long history of vintage releases that attract considerable attention from collectors and the trade alike. The Old Vine Conference, which focuses on the preservation and promotion of old-vine viticulture, has established itself as a meaningful forum for producers, researchers and advocates across multiple wine regions. Its decision to introduce a photography competition reflects a broader trend within the industry towards engaging wider audiences through visual and cultural programming.