New Age Champagne Champagne Jacquart

New Age Champagne

CHAMPAGNE JACQUART WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1964 WHEN 30 CHARDONNAY GROWERS COLLABORATED TO START A MAISON AND A LABEL. TODAY IT IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS FRESH, ELEGANT AND REFINED STYLE AND FORWARD-THINKING ETHOS. JACQUART’S ASIAN-PACIFIC EXPORT MANAGER AND BRAND AMBASSADOR, SHIN SAITO WAS RECENTLY IN AUSTRALIA PROMOTING THE NEW LABEL OF BRUT MOSAIQUE NV LABEL, PART OF JACQUART’S FLAGSHIP RANGE, TO THE TRADE.

Describe your first experience with champagne?

After I left France, I worked as a bartender in the biggest French venue in Tokyo. It was a huge space with a big brasserie, café, restaurant, bakery, and patisserie and all the French community would come here. I was exposed to champagne every day and every morning. People were drinking it from 11 am to 11 pm. Finally, I was hired by a champagne brand. I worked five years for a main champagne house in Tokyo before I was approached by Champagne Jacquart, who were looking for an Asian-Pacific export manager. Now I come to Australia every year. This is my twelfth visit.

What did you do before you came to Tokyo?

I was at the University of Sorbonne in Paris studying international trade which has been very helpful. Today the European market is too mature, so if you need to develop, you need to go outside of Europe. All the markets are so different from Europe. I am really happy to be in this role.

What is the biggest export market for Jacquart?

The first one is the UK; the second is Europe, in general Germany, Scandinavian countries, Italy, Japan and Australia. Japan is the number three market after the UK/ Europe and the US, and Australia is the fifth for export. I have the chance to deal with two of the top five key markets outside France.

What skills do you need in your role?

All ambassadors are for the house first and then champagne in general. We are not competitors; we are neighbours. Jacquart is located in the heart of Reims ten metres from Louis Roederer. Ten metres on our left is Krug. Just behind us is Veuve Clicquot and next to them is Taittinger and behind Taittinger is Pommery. We are all close. Also, to be an ambassador, you need passion. Also champagne being a technical wine you need to be interested in the way it is produced, the policy of the house, the hand of the cellar master, all the techniques and the dosage, the ageing, the whole process from the harvest to the bottling to the corking. It’s a long process. For us, it’s five years just to make a non-vintage so it is something that you should be interested in.

How long has Champagne Jacquart been in Australia?

Ten years. And we are still growing and developing here.

What do you love about your role?

As a brand ambassador, you are always representing the style of the house and the brand. Drinking champagne is a good part of my day. It is a role that is taking care of all the aspects of exporting champagne. I am an ambassador, but I am also an export manager, so I am tasting with retailers and sommeliers and bartenders. You deal with a lot of people. In Japan, you can be dealing with a really serious sommelier and then a laid back sommelier in New Caledonia. This is the kind of situation that is interesting.

Shin Saito, Jacquart’s Asian-Pacific export manager and brand ambassador

Tell me about this visit to Australia?

I was in Sydney then Melbourne; next is Brisbane and Cairns. After that, I go to South Korea. We just opened the South Korean market and the Taiwanese one. My objective in Australia is to get people more interested in the brand and tasting the product as we are launching the new label. It just arrived.

What is critical to the success of a champagne brand in an export market?

It is such an ultra-competitive market. In Japan, there are more than 600 importers of champagne. For us, the challenge is the same in any market. We are counting on the product quality. We have our own vineyards - 350 hectares dedicated to the brand that allows us to use the very first press of the grapes only, so no second or third press in our NV. And we age for at least five years on lees. We are Chardonnay-driven, so we are mainly grand cru and premier cru. All those technical factors allow us to have a certain quality and balance that is important. Of course, we don’t have the marketing (budgets) of the big market leaders. We are medium in size. We are a young brand with a young team. I am one of the eldest, and I am not that old!

Are you doing a drive to be first pour in on-premise?

Yes, we have Di Stasio in Melbourne on pour. We have the Sheraton in Sydney. It took ten years in Japan to be present in five-star restaurants there, so we are still developing the market here. We are not yet present in big places, but we have the right strategy. The next challenge will be the consumer. We want them to taste the product. That’s why we are grateful to Qantas for being in their business class and lounges so people can taste it on-board. It is a very nice listing for us and helping us a lot.

How would you describe the style of Jacquart?

We are a Chardonnay producer from the beginning so we are definitely looking for freshness on the palate. We are preserving the style of the grand chardonnay. After that, it is about balance and maturity. Beautiful acidity is important, and then there is minerality and a lovely creaminess at the end given by the five years on lees that gives maturity but not too much.