Adrian
Champagne luxury – House of Champagne
May 26, 2021
House of Champagne (Poland) is part of the House of Champagne project, with global aspirations, built on 10 years of experience in the Polish market. It is based on a rich, exceptional offering of champagnes and sparkling wines, as well as a selection of still wines from around the world. The company, after Moët Hennessy Polska and Wyborowa SA – Pernod Ricard, is the third largest importer and distributor of champagne in Poland, operating in the wholesale (HoReCa), retail (through its own stores), and training markets, sharing its champagne knowledge during training sessions, tastings, and dinners hosted by sommeliers, restaurants, and individuals.
Beata Puziow talks to Eugenia Havryk, Retail Development Manager at House of Champagne (Poland).
How many champagnes does House of Champagne offer?
HoC (our company's short name) offers over 350 carefully selected champagnes – single-varietal Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noir, 100% Pinot Meunier , and every other cuvée imaginable. Vintages, rosés, organics, Brut Natures (those without dosage, meaning in everyday life we simply say they have no sugar), those produced according to the phases of the moon, in various sizes from 200ml to 9L, from major Champagne Houses, as well as medium-sized, small, and niche wines, which I'd like to discuss most, as these wines possess soul, tradition, and elegance.
However, House of Champagne isn't just about champagne, as you might think; it also offers excellent sparkling wines and still wines from all corners of the world. We love bubbles and specialize in them. Prosecco, Cavas, Corpinatas, red sparkling wines, and even Pét-Nats are also no strangers to us; each wine is unique, and we love it for that.
We truly have everything our customers need, in various price and flavor categories. Everyone has a personality, and every wine will find its own taste, whether sweet or very dry – "something for everyone," and we have it all. It's the vast selection of labels from small, family-owned Champagne houses, though recognized and adored worldwide, that constitutes the greatest value of House of Champagne's offerings and accounts for its immense diversity in the wine market.
What, apart from size of course, is the difference between a small Champagne House and a large one?
Annual production by small, independent producers ranges from 30,000 to 100,000 bottles per vineyard. These are truly micro-entrepreneurs, often employing just a few people. On the other side of the barricade stand the world-famous labels mass-produced by corporations such as the aforementioned Moet Hennessy and Pernod Ricard, where the annual production of just one of their many brands exceeds 25 million bottles.
Small producers, called Recultant Manipulant, who produce champagne based on long-standing, and often even eternal, family traditions, demonstrate enormous care for the natural environment and every detail of production.
Starting from planting vines on our own land, through harvesting the grapes ourselves, producing wine exclusively from our own grapes and within our own vineyard, and ending with our own sale.
For an artisan, no stage of production can take place outside their own vineyard; it is these rigorous rules that distinguish boutique production from mass production.
In many so-called artisanal Champagne Houses that can boast the name Recultant Manipulant, every bottle released on the market passes through the hands of the owners themselves, who, often by signing their champagnes with their own names for generations, feel a great responsibility for their quality.
The Grand Mesons, or Great Champagne Houses, purchase grapes from all over Champagne, and to keep up with the multi-million dollar production demands, they are also unable to carry out the entire production process in-house, and a number of processes have been automated over the years.
Do small producers have to fight for a place in the market?
It's an unequal battle. Small champagne houses don't have sufficient resources for international marketing, and usually don't even have the people to handle it. Some of them have recently started using email, whereas just a few years ago, we communicated exclusively by fax with some producers. But getting back to the point, these small producers generally prefer to invest primarily in quality, not PR and marketing campaigns. Grand Mesones have advertising budgets in the millions, even billions. Small producers, on the other hand, defend their incredible quality and diversity, which are indispensable, as well as recognition from the world's best sommeliers and critics, places on the menus of the best starred restaurants, and prestigious positions in the world's most important rankings. They also establish associations, clubs, and organizations of independent producers to work together to improve and promote their champagnes and the culture of drinking champagne.
However, for the end customer to be able to learn about such champagne, listen to it, and above all have a choice, places like House of Champagne are very much needed, where we create the so-called "bridge" between Polish consumers and these boutique wines.
You mentioned Clubs, what do their activities involve?
Independent boutique producers, not affiliated with large alcohol corporations, account for only 30% of Champagne's production and 10% of its annual exports.
In order to protect their own interests, maintain valuable traditions and promote an approach to viticulture based on the highest quality standards, associations of independent Champagne winemakers were established.
Founded in 1971, Club Trésors de Champagnes was the first organization of its kind and the only one with such stringent membership conditions.
Initially comprised of 14 small but renowned producers, today, on its 50th anniversary, the Club boasts 28 Champagne Houses from the finest Champagne regions, each proudly representing the unique champagne style of its region/terroir.
Each member can use the Club Tresor logo on all their products, which must be produced in accordance with the organization's strict rules, including the need to have Recultant Manipulant status, impeccable care for the environment, as well as the hygiene of the vineyard and the production process itself.
Additionally, each Club producer subjects the wine from each vintage to a so-called "blind tasting" twice, conducted by a team of renowned oenologists and winemakers.
The first tasting takes place at the stage of still wine after the first fermentation, the second – of the same wine after the second fermentation and three years of aging on the lees.
Only producers who successfully pass both tests are deemed worthy of having their champagne placed in a special "Special Club" bottle.
The introduction of this unique bottle, distinguishing the outstanding vintages of Club Tresors de Champagne members from other producers, was one of the first decisions made after the Club's founding in the 1970s. The vessel is incredibly stylish and evocative of luxury, while simultaneously evoking the traditional bouteille champenoise. Importantly, no one other than Club Tresors members may use this world-renowned bottle, which represents the highest quality of champagne .
When you choose any Club Tresors de Champagne champagne label, you can be sure that it is a top-class product, while each Special Club champagne is a vintage masterpiece worthy of its terroir.
Could you name your favorite champagnes from the Club?
Among Club Tresors champagnes, it's hard to find any weaker ones, but there are some that simply must be tried, like Paul Bara Special Club Rose 2014. Paul Bara is generally my favorite producer at the moment. I think I'll have the opportunity to tell you more about him later.
I would also mention Pierre Gimonnet Blanc de Blancs Spécial Club 2012, Rémy Massin 2012 or Vazart-Coquart Extra Brut, because without them the world of champagne would be completely different.
Where to get champagne?
Our House of Champagne specialist stores offer not only a wide range of Club Tresors de Champagne, but also hundreds of other selected selections from renowned producers, both small and large Champagne Houses, including Ruinart, Bollinger, and Dom Perignon. Furthermore, we offer a selection of dozens of top-quality sparkling wines and hundreds of white and red wines from around the world.
We, a professional team passionate about wine, help our clients choose the best labels. Wine is our passion, and the first and most important requirement for working with us is definitely a love of wine!
Moreover, every day, customers in our stores have the opportunity to taste selected labels, which I believe is crucial for discovering new flavors and developing their taste buds. We take great pleasure in sharing our passion and educating people about the unique culture of drinking wine and champagne.
There is probably nowhere in Poland where we can learn as much about champagne as we do here, a place to which customers return with pleasure.
Speaking of flavors... can you reveal the secret you mentioned recently?
by House of Champagne will launch on Karolkowa Street in Warsaw's Wola district before the summer holidays It will combine a specialist shop, wine bar, and full catering with a seasonal menu, catering to even the most discerning palates.
We won't have a traditional wine list like any other restaurant. You'll be able to order any full bottle from the store shelf at your table, meaning our store area will function as a wine list.
The wine list boasts nearly 200 champagne labels. This will undoubtedly be the only place of its kind in Poland! It also boasts around 300 white and red wine labels and 50 types of sparkling wines.
Of course, there will also be a large selection of wines and champagnes by the glass. The plan is to create a unique wine list by the glass, but we'll reveal the details of this uniqueness later; some mystery should remain.
Already in the holiday calendar, we are planning regular tastings and commentary dinners, where you will be able to learn more about, among other things, the wonderful world of champagne and more.
Restaurants, specialty shops, training courses. Is there anywhere else we can drink your champagnes?
Absolutely, our champagnes are available in many places! The oldest and still strongest branch of the company is its cooperation with the HoReCa , which for 10 years has been taking advantage of the widest and most diverse champagne offering in Poland, namely House of Champagne.
Even the most sophisticated restaurant, hotel, or bar will surely find something interesting for their customers here. We work with hundreds of the most distinguished restaurants, hotels, and bars in Poland and beyond.
Our clients also include individuals, champagne enthusiasts, and collectors, whom we advise on organizing their private or corporate cellars. Our clients also include corporations, law firms, the media, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries, and many others who reward their clients and customers with the finest spirits at reasonable prices.
And remember that you don't need a special occasion to drink champagne, champagne is always and with everything a good companion, as Napoleon Bonaparte used to say: "If you win, you deserve champagne, if you lose, you simply need it."
See you at House of Champagne!
Shop address:
Franciszka Klimczaka Street 17
Warsaw, 02-797,
tel. 600 011 957
e-mail: klimczaka@houseofchampagne.eu
www: House of Champagne!
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HouseofChampagne.Polska/
Instagram: @houseofchampagne_polska
