Clovis Taittinger is the Export Director of Champagne Taittinger, the internationally renowned champagne house based in Reims. In this short interview he opens up about what its like to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfaher, as well as his top tip for the best British food and champagne pairing. Charge your glass with bubbly and relax whilst Clovis tells us what is what in Champagne!

 

;

The interview with Clivis Taittinger was filmed at the 35th London Wine Fair, 2015. #LWF

Clovis Taittinger - Man on a Mission – Interview transcript

[Clovis taittinger] My name is Clovis, Clovis Taittinger, and I'm from Taittinger, Champagne. What makes me work for Taittinger, and what makes me manage Taittinger today, you know, is mostly the friendship I have for my father, and also the respect I have for my grandfather. You know, I'm a man on a mission, you know, and whatever I like it or not, you know, I'm proud and passionate to continue the history.

Not to make it, not for the past history, but also for the history to come. And this is, for me, the main thing. I'm a man on a mission, for my family, and for my customers.

It's like being French and playing for the national team, you know. I mean, whatever the role you play, you're happy to be part of the team, part of the pride. And I'm not doing it for my ego, but really to continue the story, to be faithful to what I am due to do, and that's all.

Maybe we are a global brand, but we are also a very small company with a very human size. Maybe we are a company of craftsmen, and so you can be a global brand, but at the end it's you and I, you know. Or me and someone else, you know.

Champagne is a social thing, you know, it's a bottle thing, you know. It's not you click the button, you know, and then everything goes into the roof, you know. It's hard work.

I don't see a specific trend, you know. I mean, Champagne is doing well, Prosecco is doing very well, Caval as well. But what I see is a growing love, it's a growing love for all kinds of sparkling wines today, from all over the world.

I mean, wherever the sparkling wines are coming from, whatever the appellations, sparklings are doing well. And Champagne, you know, it's only a small part of the sparkling wines world. It's the crème de la crème, you know.

Maybe the home, the soul, and the symbol. Because Champagne is a symbol of happiness, a symbol of love. And once you are about to tell your love to someone and so on, you know, Champagne is Champagne.

In the magic of the night, you know. We produce roughly six million bottles today. I'm talking unit-wise.

And we have the chance to own the second or the third largest vineyards of Champagne, you know. So at least half of our production is coming from our own supplies, our own soils. And we purchase the second half through growers, you know, through sometimes cooperatives, you know.

With which we have a long-term friendship, long-term contract, long-term visibility. Let's say on the quality procedures, the quality standards and so on, you know. So basically, you know, we are all working in the same direction.

Vintage Brass telescope – Carl Zeiss - Hatchwell Antiques London

[Secret Sommelier]

And does that help, because half of your grapes are coming from your own vineyards, does that help?

[Clovis Taittinger]

I mean, every year you get a little bit of variability because it's nature, but you have a style. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's certainly, I mean, it gives us, first of all, a great independence.

But it gives us, it allows us a great consistency, a great stability in the taste, a great stability in the quality and so on. And it's a fantastic, I would say, cushion. For me, it's very simple, you know.

I look for pleasure, freshness, lightness and harmony. I want things to be soft, harmonious, you know, in your mouth, you know, to get the pleasure. I want the wines to look like a beautiful lady or a beautiful painting.

I like beauty. And for me, a wine should not hurt you. I mean, to me, the main purpose of my work is to make you look more beautiful.

And this is something I expect from a wine. The main challenge is, you know, the Champagne Taittinger brand is very well recognised. I mean, the wines are better than ever.

The thing, you know, is always, you know, to conquer new fans, you know, to create more loyalty and story around the brand, you know, to make things always better, you know. And to understand that maybe more specifically, you know, to understand how to play with the new communication tools that are at our disposal today. You know, how to make them converging together, matching together, you know, in a very, I would say, let's say, in a very appropriate way, you know, in a very, something also that you master as well.

Today, I have no Facebook account, I have no Instagram, I have no Twitter and so on. I'm not afraid to get them tomorrow or to have them tomorrow. I'm afraid about my capacity to handle them, to play with them.

I don't understand them. My main challenges are more people challenges, you know, to get a better team, you know, who understand, who is quite sharp into understanding all the challenges, you know, in distribution, in communication, in winemaking as well, you know. So, to keep a high level of understanding, to keep a high level of intelligence into my company.

Antique Longcase Clocks for sale UK

This is my main problematic for now and onwards. People, people is the main thing, by far. Something I love, you know, we are in England, something I love this, I love above everything, beyond everything is fish and chips with champagne.

I could die for it. It's really to keep on moving, to keep on rejuvenating things, you know, keeping the magic, keeping the dream, keeping the passion, keeping the glamour around the wines, the brands, you know, and not to become too stiff or too boring. No excitement, but deep wishes.

I'm travelling a lot, yes, normally. But, you know, there are differences between people talks and realities. Sometimes we all have the impression that things are this way.

China will be a great country of champagne, it's becoming a great country of champagne, but, I mean, we need time, we need education, and things will come when it will come. There is no rush. When our culture will match, the world will be a sparkling world.

Cheers, to you. Cheers, to you.