Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
82 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 Telling the Story According to Charriaud, part of the charm of Champagne Collet is its colorful history. "It would be immodest to say that we are the best Champagne, but we can say that we are a unique Champagne with a unique story," Charriaud said during an inter- view at Collet headquarters in Aÿ this June in the midst of a three-day inauguration of its "La Cité du Champagne Collet." "Before me, the emphasis was all on production," Charriaud says. "And so it's up to me to sell it. Now we want to tell our story, and we know that Americans are fascinated by histories. We want to use the strength of the past to build the future." To that end, Charriaud plans to "shift our culture from that of a collective to the culture of a selling company. When the product leaves the bottling line, that is not the end of the job. That is the start of the job." The new "Cité" is an enclave in central Aÿ in the midst of sev - eral better-known Champagne producers. It includes Collet's historic cellars dug into the hillside under the vineyards in 1882– 1883, new tasting facilities, headquarters offices and the begin - nings of a wine museum. To be called the Musée des Métiers du Champagne, the facility, which will also house an auditorium, is slated to open in 2015. The celebration is an example of how Charriaud plans to inculcate excitement into the new culture. The inauguration fea - tured a street fair that echoed the 1920s: men on stilts in period costume hawking the news, straw hats and folding fans as gifts to all comers, vendors providing free food, a hurdy-gurdy player doing music hall tunes, a carousel for kids and adults, carnival games with prizes for the winners and a photographer who invited passersby to dress up in costumes from the twenties and have their portraits taken. The first day of the fair was for the growers—the primary stakeholders in the company; the second day was for townspeople, media and guests; and the final day was for employ - ees and their families. All in all, Champagne Collet's event provided an excite - ment among all its com- munities, giving them an insider's look in a manner not that different from those employed by other modern consumer-goods companies. Becoming an International Brand In addition to Charriaud, the Collet team in Aÿ includes longtime Chef des Caves Sébastien Walasiak, plus new hires Bertrand Glory, Commercial and Marketing Director, and David Rieu, Export Manager. "We want to establish a worldwide premium brand," Glory says, "although not a luxury brand. It's not just a matter of sales, but sales in the right places." The new bottle design reflects the Art Déco panache of the 1920s with a stylized flair—discreet yellow capital lettering against a black-and-gray background. Collet Esprit Couture. The Champagne Collet offices and La Maison CO.GE.VI. in Aÿ. "OUR KEY ASPIRATION IS FOR CHAMPAGNE COLLET TO BE RENOWNED AS A CONNOISSEUR-TO-CONNOISSEUR BRAND."