, Champagne Palmer ‘not in cruise control mode’, says MD

In this exclusive interview with Champagne Palmer & Co’s managing director and oenologist Rémi Vervier, he attributes the house’s strong position to its focus on growth. Mid-July in Champagne is a time of waiting. Waiting for the quality of the growing season to show itself and yet more waiting for the year’s maximum permitted yields to be set. It’s a tense time for both winemakers and company executives… so what is it like for Champagne Palmer & Co’s Rémi Vervier who, unusually, fulfils the dual roles of managing director and oenologist? “Actually, this year is looking good,” he says with a remarkably relaxed smile. “There’s low disease pressure and very good conditions. The volume is there also – the volume is quite high. We keep our fingers crossed…” Production is always a hot topic in Champagne, but recent years have seen the temperature of the debate sizzle, thanks to 2020’s artificially low yield limit – a response to the devastating impact on sales of Covid-19 – and the climatically awful 2021. There was widespread relief at 2022’s bountiful crop, but many houses have faced supply shortages in the face of stronger than expected global demand. “When we look back to the past, for sure you have this level of the crop which follows the direction of the sales,” says Vervier. “It’s gone maybe too much in one direction, and then the other way. It’s better to have something closer to the average for viticulture. But I think it’s a very clever system

This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Champagne

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