Jiles's Blog

In Champagne more and more small producers are coming to the conclusion that a good way to add value and to differentiate themselves from each other, and from the big brands, is to emphasise their terroir. What better way to do this, according to these producers, than to put the name of the village of origin prominently the label?

However INAO (the French National Institute for Appellations d’Origines) is opposed to this, to the extent, if my understanding is correct, that they forbid the practice. The UMC (Union des Maisons de Champagne) which is the association for the larger brands, is also opposed.

If you like discovering tiny champagne makers of good quality that very few people know about , then you'll enjoy Champagne Christian Briard.

Christian's Cuvée Ambre 2005 is featured in the latest edition of Luxurious magazine. Great exposure for Christian, but in some ways the article doesn’t do full justice to his story, so perhaps I can fill in a few gaps.

You could say that this is the story of the prodigal son. Christian’s father wasn’t a champagne maker or vigneron, and there was no obvious reason for Christian to enter the world of champagne. Instead he followed a quite different career path and spent the majority of his career - until a few years ago - in the high tech industry of smart cards; an industry that has nothing to do with wine, apart perhaps, from drinking it.

However Christian’s grandfather WAS a vigneron and it seems that the pull of the family terroir proved irresistible to Christian, lead him to turn his back on the world of chip and PIN and brought him back to his tiny home village of Jaulgonne, quite a way down the Marne River valley westwards from Epernay.

This is the heart of Pinot Meunier country and it’s only natural therefore that Meunier features strongly in all the Christian Briard blends. Consequently they're fruity and soft on the palate, but they nevertheless have an elegance that will come as a pleasant surprise to those who feel that Pinot Meunier can be a little 'rustic'.

So far there are only three champagnes in the range:

Cuvée Ambre Vintage 2005 – the one that was featured in Luxurious magazine

Cuvée Maurice Romelot named after Christian’s grandfather and

Cuvée Rubis, a rosé

Each champagne is beautifully presented in a bottle hand-decorated using a design created by a famous Vietnamese artist.

Why Vietnamese you might wonder.

Well, this is another interesting and unique feature of Champagne Christian Briard. Over the years Christian has spent many months in Vietnam where he not only acquired an appreciation for the country’s culture and cuisine, but where he also met his wife. So,a little oriental touch on the bottle seems only natural. 

You can find out more about Champagne Christian Briard here where you’ll also discover some fascinating food and champagne matching recipes that are refreshingly original compared what is on offer on many other sites. 

A small champagne producer that is well worth getting to know

Christmas and New Year wouldn’t be the same without a few bottles of champagne to share with your friends and family, but to add that little bit of extra sparkle and style to your celebrations here are a few tips taken from the famous Château de Saran, in the heart of Champagne, that are really simple and make you look and feel like a real connoisseur.

LA COTE DES BARS – Coming into its own

As we come up to the end of the year when more champagne is drunk than at other times of the year, some of you may reach for one of the well-known brands that are available almost all over the planet and some of you may be tempted to seek out something a bit different. If you’re in the second group don’t overlook champagnes from an all-too-often overlooked region of Champagne called la Côte des Bars.

Here are a few reasons why you would do well to widen your horizons beyond the more famous vineyards around Reims and Epernay.