We recently helped plan the Insead MBA’s Integration weekend tasting with Small Producers in Champagne. What a better way for 12 or so students who had practically just met to get to know each other than over a few glasses of bubbly in a beautiful hilly region in France? We took out two huge vans, had 2 chauffeurs and 2 guides and filled the day with regional food, Chateaus and yummy award winning small producer Champagne tasting!
It was a great trip and the group was very luck to have come to the region at the perfect time! It was the week of the harvest, the special 10 or so days a year when the grapes are picked, loaded into trucks and quickly brought to the pressoir to be ever so gently pressed. We saw the pressoir at work, talked with various small champagne producer owners and drank lots and lots of extra brut, brut, rose an vintage champagnes.
We are looking forward to helping Insead students plan events in the future!
We are looking forward to helping Insead students plan events in the future!
The schedule looked like as follows:
1 Day Trip
9:00 Insead School Pickup in Fontainebleau
11:30 Champagne tasting with 1st Small Producer
This producer operates 7 hectares on the left side of the Marne. He owns.
Madame Veuve Clicqouts old Chateau/ hunting lodge and produces a nice, fresh
and clean Champagne with notes of Green Apple.
13h Regional Michelin Star Lunch at La Briqueterie or Brasserie Lunch at
Le Progres in the quant town of Epernay
14h30 Champagne Tasting with 2 Award Winning Small
Producer
Led by a brother and sister, this house has 7 hectares and is located on the hills south of Epernay. They produce 40,000 bottles/ year. Their Champagne has won top regional awards and 3 stars in the Guide Hachette de Vin. Champagne is dominated by black grapes (80%). You will taste a fine and persistent bubble and fruits (exotics, kiwi’s, plums accompanied with brioche)
15h45 Champagne Tasting with 3rd Small Producer
This house was founded in 1768 in Pierry a small town near Epernay, and is still
family run to this day, passed down from generation to generation. They use a high
percentage of Chardonnay in their Champagne. You will notice grilled flavors
(almonds, hazelnut). These are accompanied by fruity notes (yellow fruit) which
leaves a nice round mouth. This champagne is powerful and balanced.
17h45 Dropoff at Insead/ End of Tour
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| The Grapes coming in to be pressed |
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| The trip was the same week as the harvest so students got to see lots of action. Here the press is gently pressing the grapes and the employee is scarping away the sediment/skin which rests |
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| The press |
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| Anne Marie explaining to the group about the triple fermentation process in Champagne |
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| Insead Group Photo |
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| Herve showing the group how the vines are worked in the fields |
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| Tractor transporting the grapes after the manual harvest |
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