Geneviève Jamin, you're the author and publisher, why did you take on a book about Champagne cellar managers?
I created my publishing house with my husband Daniel Rey, in 2013.My husband specializes in architecture and has a passion for interior design, and I worked for many years in the world of luxury goods, particularly in Champagne.We combined our skills to talk about wine in a different way, by creating a setting and a context around a product and a label.Who are the people who make it?In what context?What family history lies behind it?We began producing books about the interiors of winegrowing residences, to give us a glimpse into the heart and intimacy of the Châteaux of Cognac, and then of Bordeaux in general.As time went on, we became more and more interested in the people who lived in these residences.So we wrote our first book on the Maîtres de chai in Cognac. And then, as someone who owes so much to the people of Champagne - they taught me everything I know about wine, among other things - I wanted to do something about the cellar masters in Champagne.
What is the role of the chef de cave?
What I find very interesting is that, in the end, he always has the same role, but is at the same time very different depending on the House he embodies, his style, his relationship with the director or the president. There are as many possible portraits as there are ways of carrying out the job of cellar master.In the major LVMH houses, as at Moët & Chandon,Krugor Veuve Clicquot, for example, the cellar master is a true ambassador for the brand.We can show the multiplicity of the champagne world through this key figure, who remains the cornerstone of each House.
What is his function?
He's the one who practices the art of blending, and elaborates the wines.He's the guardian of a House's time and style.In Champagne, the challenge each year is to make the same champagne, and remain faithful to the spirit of the brand.The cellar master has to put himself in the shoes of a House, serve it completely, and then have a wider creative scope if he has to design a new cuvée.
These are professions that induce a different notion of time than for most of us?
What I like about these cellar master characters is that we live in an instantaneous, often fickle age, and it's fabulous and courageous that these men and women, who often start young, stay with the same House for 30 or 40 years.I've often heard it said that it takes 10 years to fully understand a House, 10 years in which they have fully mastered their craft and 10 years which they devote to passing it on.These are people who don't have the same perception of time as we do. Some of them won't be able to taste the fruit of their fully-finished work themselves.
There are very few female cellar " chefs" in the book. Is this a fact or just a publishing fluke?
There are three women in the book, Caroline Latrive at Ayala, Nathalie Laplaige at Joseph Perrier and Julie Cavil atKrug.It's still not very common.The profession is becoming more and more feminine, but we're starting off a long way behind.We haven't made any friends by putting a woman on the cover, for example.Plus, Caroline Latrive wears heels.We put a lot of thought into that.It's a cover, and we wanted it to be symbolic; we're well aware that she doesn't work like that in the cellar. Incidentally, all the cellar masters in the book have also dressed up for the photos and don't necessarily work in suits in the cellar, but on the cover, high heels are still a real crowd-pleaser!
Are there any other books in the pipeline?
We're planning a sequel to "Chefs de caves de Champagne" for Christmas 2021.We haven't got everyone, and there are still some lovely portraits to be made of Champagne cellar managers.To be continued!
