And that “lure” is not only for the wine but for the region as well... Of course the most popular and biggest selling brand in the world is Moët & Chandon. Before I get into my story, I want to set two things straight: One is that any sparkling wine not produced in the Champagne region of France is not called champagne –– it is called sparkling wine. Even the wines produced “Méthode Champenoise” still cannot be called champagne. Second thing: Moët is commonly mispronounced “mo-way.” The correct pronunciation is “mo-wett,” the surname of Claude Moët, an heir of an old Champagne family elevated to the nobility by Charles VII in 1446. The last consonant of a word is silent in normal French pronunciation; however, Moët is spelled with a dieresis (two dots) over the “e,” which requires the “t” to be pronounced, something uncharacteristic of the French language.
Moët & Chandon dates back to 1743 when Claude Moët began transporting wines from the Champagne region of France to Paris. The reign of King Louis XV coincided with an increased demand for sparkling wine. Louis XV’s mistress Madame de Pompadour was quoted saying: “A woman will remain beautiful even after drinking champagne” and she went on ordering around 200 bottles a year for Versailles. By the end of the 18th century, Moët expanded rapidly and was exporting the drink all over Europe and to the United States. Claude’s grandson Jean-Remy Moët brought the house to international prominence by catering to such elite clientele as Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte. Chandon was added to the company name in 1832 when Jean-Remy Moët turned over half of the company to his son Victor Moët and half to his son-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. Chandon initiated the reconstruction of the old Benedictine Abbey of Hautvilllers, not far from Epernay, where the famous monk and cellarer Dom Pierre Pérignon had lived and worked. The company marketed its first vintage in 1842 and its best-selling brand, Brut Imperial, was introduced in the 1860s. Its best-known label is Dom Perignon. Moët & Chandon has about 300 employees in the cellars, 300 in the vineyards and 400 in administration. They merged with Hennessy Cognac in 1971 and with Louis Vuitton in1987 to become LVMH (Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton), the largest luxury group in the world.
Moët & Chandon’s corporate communications and heritage department’s Stanislas Roccofort de Vinniere, himself part of the Chandon family, welcomed us to their offices in Epernay and gave us this brief history. He then toured us through the underground cellars to explain the process of creating champagne. What makes champagne different from other wines is its bubbles. Yeast is added which turns sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. With this process, sedimentation occurs and has to be collected near the cork. The bottles of champagne are placed on riddling racks and “riddlers” turn over 50,000 bottles daily... and very carefully so the pressure won’t make the contents erupt! The sediments are then frozen and in a small time frame, the bottle is opened and rid of all sediments before it is corked.
We then met with winemaker Marc Brevot for a private tasting of the newly released Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2000 and Grand Vintage 2000 Rosé. We were privileged enough to be the first media representatives to discover these latest vintage champagnes. When we asked Marc if it was okay to stir champagne to rid them of some bubbles or add an ice cube (as many Filipinos and some French do), he said drinking champagne was really to-each-his-own enjoyment. He did not say if it was right or wrong but champagne was just meant to be enjoyed. He added that there is a variant of Moët & Chandon only sold in Europe which is called Nectar Imperial, a slightly sweeter version and French clubs have been offering “Nectar on Ice,” a hugely popular drink in Paris which is Nectar Imperial, a slice of lemon and two ice cubes.
Frequent Manila visitor and Moët & Chandon’s business development director Eric Simonet met us for lunch at the Trianon, a mansion surrounded by brilliant formal gardens, formerly the home of the Moët family. The mansion was built in 1807 by Jean-Remy Moët to impress Napoleon. Above the maze of cellars, Jean-Remy built the Hotel Moët, a palatial complex designed by the renowned miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Isabey. The symmetry of the paths, the perfect balance of line and volume, the fountains, the reflecting pool and ornamental gardens create an exquisite perspective. From the two facing residences Trianon and Chandon to the orangerie, the majesty and eloquence of the classical French style inspires visions of a highly refined way of life.
Chefs prepared us a sumptuous lunch before we proceeded to our residence in Champagne –– Château de Saran, an old hunting lodge acquired by the family in the late 18th century and being used now for entertainment. The Chateau is not open to the public but we were fortunate enough to be invited to stay in this charming abode. It is surrounded by woods and is situated in the heart of the Moët & Chandon vineyards in Cramant, a Grand Cru district of Champagne. We excitedly explored the chateau and met the chef de cave, Benoit Gouez, who was there for a shoot of the latest Moët & Chandon campaign. Anton San Diego, Maurice Arcache and I spent an entire afternoon taking photos and walking through the vineyards and gardens before meeting Moët & Chandon’s heritage and hospitality director Yuka Lagrange-Gansser and manager of Chateau de Saran Claire Page who both presented us a lavish dinner. Waiters came forth bearing trays of modified, large soup spoons with bent handles that appeared like napkin-holder circles. In the bowls of the big spoons were foie gras, pate and other concoctions. The spoon is called cuillères à manche recourbé and is a very novel way of serving hors d’oeuvres. The Michelin-star chefs of the Chateau prepared very French dishes such as morels, rabbit and mashed potatoes with truffles. After dinner, we headed to the living room for more 1988 vintage Millésime Blanc champagne and Hennessy cognac.
After sleeping like members of the aristocracy in a fabulous chateau, Moët-Hennessy Philippines’ hardworking Olga Azarcon took us back to Paris after breakfast before we headed to the Cognac region, which is another story to be read in this column soon.
For those interested in heading to the Moët & Chandon vineyards, this is what you can expect during the time of your visit. Beginning in March, shoots from the previous year are attached to the wires. After the harvest and until April, the vines are pruned according to strict rules in order to aerate the grapes and restrict the yield. In April, the buds open and the young shoots begin to emerge. An April or May frost can kill them, forcing the vines to send out new, later shoots. From May to June, the most promising shoots are selected and the rest are removed. In June, the vines begin to flower. In August, the grapes take on color and swell with sweetened juice. They continue to ripen in the languorous warmth of the late summer sun until they are deemed ready for harvest.
(Visit www.moet.com)
Beach bodies of the century
Boracay was hotter than hot when Century Tuna held its annual Superbods Beachfest. Hosted by VJ and TV host Iya Villania and actor-model Derek Ramsay, guests and Superbods finalists were flown in to Boracay by SEAIR and were treated to a chill-out gig in Club Paraw. Guests also sampled the zesty delight of the new Century Tuna Hot and Spicy variant, which has 50 percent less fat and less salt.
Century Tuna gave beach bums a blast with free massage, hair braiding and henna tattoos in Pier One. That evening, 30 contestants (22 semi-finalists from Manila and 8 wild card contestants from the go-see held that afternoon) battled it out to become Century Tuna’s next male and female image model. They were Pierre Niccolo Fabi, Jerome Ortiz, Alexander Poe, JC Tiuseco, Jovince Cañisarez, Larry Bril, Raphael Kiefer, Ram Sagad, James Zablan, Mico Lara, Alizon Andres, Athan Collado, Gabriel Garcia, Marc So, Jessie John Cabuang, Mona Lisa Neuboeck, Dominique Dabao, Lotus van Hedeggem, Kristine Pearl Ladera, Jamie Diago, Tricia Velasco, Jam La Migo, Dorothy Aragye, Patty Ortega, Julia Duncan, Mica Tuaño, Gwyneth Albarraccin, Dannielle Go, Ave Ong, and Stephanie Afzelius.
Judges for the event included model Rissa Samson, fashion photographer Raymund Isaac, fashion director Robby Carmona, editor Sari Yap, corporate image maker Joji Dingcong, columnist Maurice Arcache, PC&V Communications’ Ariel Comia and Century Tuna marketing manager Ayet Evangelista. They chose Ram Sagad and Patty Ortega to win the coveted title and an exclusive one-year modeling contract with Century Tuna worth half a million pesos each. First runners-up were Mica Tuaño and JC Tiuseco, while second runners-up were Dorothy Aragye and Ralph Kiefer. Winning the People’s Choice Award were Alizon Andres and Jamie Diago, who got the most number of votes from texters. They went home with P50,000 each.
Guests and visitors who purchased Century Tuna products were also treated to great raffle prizes like Sony PSP, Apple iPod Video, Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS and Nokia N70 mobile phones.
(Email me at [email protected])
