By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
Hollywood has always understood the theatre of celebration. A standing ovation, a flash of cameras, a champagne toast raised just high enough for the moment to feel cinematic.
On 15 March 2026, the champagne poured across the evening’s celebrations will once again come from Piper-Heidsieck. The historic French house returns to serve at the Academy Awards, the Governors Ball and the Academy Museum Gala, placing it back at the centre of cinema’s most glamorous gathering.
For a brand that has long moved through the background of film history, the setting feels less like a marketing moment and more like a natural continuation of a relationship that has quietly endured for decades.
The link between Piper-Heidsieck and the movies stretches back to the early years of Hollywood itself. In 1933, the champagne became the first of its kind to appear on screen in Sons of the Desert starring comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (pictured below).
Since then, the House has surfaced in more than 300 films and television productions worldwide, often appearing in scenes that mark triumph, celebration or indulgence. Cinema has always had a way of elevating ordinary gestures into symbols. A champagne toast is one of the oldest.
The Oscars themselves have long embodied that same sense of theatre. Even for those watching from home, the ceremony remains one of the last great spectacles of Hollywood mythology. The gowns, the applause, the speeches that oscillate between rehearsed and unexpectedly heartfelt. Champagne simply belongs in that setting.
A Century of Marilyn Monroe
This year’s return also coincides with a milestone for one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons. 2026 marks the centenary of the birth of Marilyn Monroe, whose luminous screen presence helped define the glamour of mid-century cinema.
Monroe famously expressed her fondness for the House with a simple dedication: “To Piper, my favourite.”
To mark the anniversary, Piper-Heidsieck will participate in several tributes celebrating Monroe’s legacy, including the opening of the Marilyn Monroe Exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. The exhibition runs from 31 May 2026 to 28 February 2027 and revisits the cultural phenomenon that Monroe became during Hollywood’s golden era.
The House will also release a limited-edition Marilyn Monroe cuvée, a collector’s tribute that nods to the enduring connection between French champagne and the icons who shape popular culture.
Celebration as a Craft
Founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck, the House began with an ambition that was both poetic and disarmingly simple: to create wines that smile.
More than two centuries later, Piper-Heidsieck remains one of the most recognised names in champagne, enjoyed in more than 80 countries. Under the direction of chief winemaker Émilien Boutillat, the House continues to balance the traditions of champagne-making with a growing emphasis on sustainability.
Still, the role champagne plays in culture has changed little over time. It remains the drink reserved for moments that deserve punctuation.
The Oscars have always been one of those moments.
