Adding Fizz to Celebrations

The word champagne conjures up magic, both on the palate and in the mind space. Never before has a province in France fired the wine aficionados’ imagination as Champagne has done. Amine Ghanem, Oenologist and Wine Quality manager of moët & chandon, shares with Bishan Kumar his fascinating experience with the world’s largest portfolio of luxury champagnes.

He famously describes champagne as his lifelong romance. According to Amine Ghanem, Oenologist and Wine Quality Manager, Moët & Chandon products are crafted for moments rather than for a specific market. In the Indian context, Moët & Chandon is synonymous with celebrating life at high-end wedding celebrations. Amine has long harboured the dream of being associated with Moët & Chandon. His professional ambition found expression in August 2016, when he landed a job with Moët & Chandon, after a decade of working in the fascinating world of wines. The past two years have been ‘a riveting experience,’ he says with a glint in his eyes. Giving a peep into his job profile with Moët & Chandon, he says, “I work very closely with Chef de Cave (Cellar Master) Benoit Gouez. My primary focus is on communicating the brand’s technical messages regarding wine to markets not only within France but also internationally.” Moët & Chandon, it may be mentioned, has strong presence in over 130 countries.

Behind Impeccable Quality

Delving at length on the quality of wines, Amine shares that Moët & Chandon owns the world’s largest portfolio of luxury champagnes, created from the most representative of each grape variety in each site; historically as well as qualitatively. According to him, “Moët & Chandon owns the largest and the most qualitative vineyards in the grands crus area of Champagne.” The great Sun exposure, he opines, contributes to Moët & Chandon coming up with top quality grapes in the region of Champagne. It must be mentioned that the word Champagne is steeped in history. For the uninitiated, Champagne is named after a province in the north-east of France, widely known as the region producing sparkling wines. “By combining various grape varieties from multiple vineyards, we have been able to come up with consistent, yet widely diverse styles of wines,” he maintains.

Landing Age and Vintage

Landing age and vintage are two important characteristics of Moët & Chandon’s wines. “The signature landing age varies between 24-28 months, which lends bright fruitiness, seductive palate and elegant maturity to the wines, while keeping them fairly young and lively,” points out Amine. “A Moët & Chandon vintage wine is aged for 7 years to have the desired complexity, finesse and structure,” he reveals. Elaborating on the focal point of Moët & Chandon’s marketing strategy, he says. “With Moët & Chandon, products are crafted for moments rather than for a specific market. Whether they be birthdays, anniversaries or weddings, the concept of celebrating with loved ones has a universal appeal. We try to make these milestones truly memorable by developing champagnes for every moment and palate.” “In India too, it is no different. Many wellheeled families pop the bottle to mark a new milestone,” he affirms.

A Growing Market

Amine believes that luxury wines are gaining momentum, and this is is an opportunity for Moët & Chandon to explore aggressively. “There has been extensive growth in the consumption of luxury wines, not only among the affluent class, but also among connoisseurs and the millennials,” he observes. The expert also points out that nowadays an increasing number of young consumers are drinking champagnes to celebrate “their everyday moments.” Thanks to generation next, social drinking has received a huge impetus. “As more consumers are going for fine dining and paired wines, their interest towards champagnes has been growing,” he explains.

The Indian Market

He also discussed Indian consumers’ palate pertaining to champagnes. “In the champagne industry globally, Rose holds a high aspirational profile, and more such products with a sweet, fruity touch are being introduced to suit the Indian consumers’ palate,” he informs. However, though India is a growing market for champagnes, the market itself is very niche and small. “It is imperative for us to train and educate local stakeholders to create desirability for champagne in a growing market like India. I work closely with our local teams and serving partners to educate them about the luxury image and process behind the making of Moët & Chandon products,” says the wine expert, adding, “this goes in tandem with being appraised of the emerging market trends and taking note of the underlying factors which influence champagne consumption, such as habits, traditions and culinary preferences of the target group.”

The Ice Imperial

The growing trend of social drinking has perhaps led Moët & Chandon to come up with an innovative product. “The need to enjoy champagne with friends on a tropical holiday, on a weekend getaway or just on a trip with friends gave birth to our latest innovation — the Ice Imperial,” informs Amine. He goes on to explain that “Ice Imperial is the only luxury champagne in the world especially created to be enjoyed over ice and a garnish; this wine goes very well on a hot day at the beach and can be enjoyed in multiple servings. For those who like their mimosas, the Ice Imperial is a nice, tart alternative,” he explains.

Promising Future

Amine sounded quite enthusiastic about the future prospects of Moët & Chandon. According to him, “Moët & Chandon has pioneered innovation in luxury wine making and we are positive about our future. Our sustained focus on building a luxury image, high qualitative products, and drawing from brand ethos and heritage helps us to remain a leading house of champagne.”