All over the world, the single word "champagne" sounds like an air of celebration. But yet, its qualities as a great wine remain rather vague for most consumers. In order to reassure them and guide them in their choice of a terroir champagne, the Syndicat Général des Vignerons with its collective banner 'Champagne de Vignerons' [Winegrowers Champagne] has worked on a categorisation built on three main aromatic profiles: Fruit, Soil and Cellar marks that highlight the diversity of the winegrowers' champagnes by inviting wine lovers to discover these multiple cuvees according to their tastes, expectations and pleasures.
This reflection on a new categorisation carried out with the Sowine agency for the purpose of developing the wine growers' market initially pointed out a paradox in the attitude of the champagne lover at the time of his choice.
Though he is seduced by the values of authenticity and craftsmanship carried by the champagnes of the vineyard, he is at the same time overwhelmed by the diversity of the offer. Without more information on the quality of the wine, this multiplicity becomes almost an obstacle to the act of buying: unable to consolidate his choice of a winegrower's champagne, instead the connoisseur will go towards brand cuvees whose notoriety is reassuring.
Moreover, it appears that the categorization of champagne commonly based on the dominant grape varieties (Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs) or on the dosages are only really understood by specialists and above all do not provide any information on the most important consumption criterion: taste and its induced pleasure.
Based on these observations, Champagne de Vignerons and Sowine have worked on three gustatory entry points, three major aromatic families each offering a promise: Fruit for a fruity and gourmet imprint, Soil with bright and mineral notes and Cellar for a profile all about time and maturity.
Each impression is accompanied by a description specifying the aromas, the terroirs of origin and always in connection with the gastronomic sphere to enhance the diversity and typicity of the winegrowers' champagnes.
The objective of this Impression Book is to facilitate the prescription of local champagne by establishing a common language to guide the consumers' choice, reassure him on what each winegrower's champagne can offer and finally educate him about the quality and diversity of the wines made by the vineyard's artisans. It is a question of allowing the wine lover to associate his gustatory enjoyment with a general typicity of cuvee to encourage him to repeat the experience on the same profile or another one.
Complementary to the communication campaign carried out by Syndicat Général des Vignerons to reduce the complexity of champagne consumption, the Fruit, Sol and Cave marks tend to establish a new dialogue with the wine lover by refocusing him on his gustatory enjoyment.
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