On Champagne Diplomacy
Even muddy waters have a few safe lanes.
If you’ve been following me on instagram lately you may have seen a little more glitz-and-glam than usual.
Dom Pérignon invited me to Venice for what was predominantly an Italian trade launch of the 2009 Rosé. There were some international journalists there too; one other from the UK, some from France and the US and some sommeliers from Scandinavia.
This was a press trip, with Moët Hennessy paying for our flights and one night in a hotel. And, yes, the water taxi from the airport. Much as I love Champagne, it was undeniably rather nice to go somewhere else, if only for 24 hours. I went straight out to Champagne afterwards.
Was this a good press trip to go on? Let’s take a look:
FOR
Decanter asked me to go because they would like one of the first reviews of the wine. It’s an important release, and getting reviews out early helps readers make choices on buying decisions when the offers come in.
It will be fun.
That’s it really
AGAINST
I could feel like I have to write the wine up well to get invited on the next trip.
Trying to take a selfie in a speedboat exposed my receding hairline
Launching the cuvée in Venice gives the impression of not being very eco-friendly and a bit unnecessary. (I was concerned about this, but the event turned out to be largely for Italians - so not so bad).
I have turned down press trips for Champagnes I know I don’t rate highly. I have also turned down press trips for Champagnes I don’t know at all (could get awks, as they say), or ones where I wouldn’t taste or learn anything new. Dom Pérignon is not one of those - I know previous vintages, I know the winemaker, I have a feeling about where it’s going to be (and it was pretty much there). On balance it was worth it, I got to know the wine pretty well as well as see some interesting insights into the blending process.
Some of Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon’s blending notes.
Early Doors
It can be easy to be influenced by ‘buzz’ around a wine, so it’s helpful to taste as early as possible. Quite a few of my scores and ratings are submitted before any others are published (even if, by the time they’re published, other have published too) - this was the case lately for Decanter ratings for Billecart-Salmon Nicolas-Francois 2008, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015, Charles Heidsieck 2013 vintage, the new Grand Siècle from Laurent-Perrier. It’s quite fun seeing the others come in, and seeing who you agree with (and who you don’t).
On the glitz and glam - the truth of it is that, whatever instagram would appear to show, it’s fleeting fun at best. It’s Champagne; a first taste of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009 is not going to happen in jeans and trainers, spitting into a pile of sawdust. Yes, I’m happiest zipping about in my own car, staying with my friends in Reims and organising my own trips; in fact I’ve only spent four nights on press trips in the last 18 months. But it’s impossible to cover everything this way. Plus, with two young children and a wife with an eminently-sensible job at home, every trip has to be worth it professionally - not just as a jolly.
What if I don’t rate the wine? I don’t mind if major house chooses not to engage any more, in truth. Some already are - and that’s ok. I don’t mind if I don’t go back to Venice, or sneak a few hours in a 5* hotel, or drop off a PR company list. There’s plenty of champagne out there. And, thanks to this Substack, I can do a little bit extra - such as take a day out from Decanter schedules to learn all about the Argonne forest:
On Trunk Terroir
Decanter’s August magazine issue will feature an article on oak in Champagne. Look out for a history of barrel usage, insight from some of the most experienced hands in the region and a selection of twenty wines to taste. As part of the research for this piece I spoke to Sebastian Le Golvet of Champagne Henri Giraud in Aÿ. A few weeks later I found myse…
Or, spend far too long writing a (free) guide to pruning methods:
How To Tame A Grapevine
Give me a grapevine and I’ll make it teas and tinctures, seal its pruning wounds, respect its sap flow, attest to its every nutritional need. Give me a houseplant (or indeed any number of non fruit-bearing garden plants) and I’m the Angel of Death, though. I killed a cactus last week. My indoor palm is very, very sick. I’m pretty the folks in the local …
Or, indeed, write up five pieces on everything I tasted at Printemps this year:
Printemps 5 - Les Mains du Terroir | Epicurwine
Welcome, bubbleheads. It has been an intense week, with Champagne judging for the Decanter World Wine Awards, launches and plenty of tasting and interviewing. After the public-service Printemps coverage is done, it’s back to normal for this Substack, too (plus getting on with the audio versions of posts for paid subscribers).
It is easy, though, to lose track on what politicians would call ‘the optics’. It would be pretty pompous to certify oneself absolutely unimpeachable; doing so would be a prime example of the very lack of self-awareness that leads to unreliable judgements. When you rate wine, you rate yourself, at that moment in time - and if you’re any good at it, you should be a tough critic.