It was in the late 1950’s when Robert-Jean de Vogüé drove his trusty Citroen 2CV through a river outside of Mendoza, Argentina, because there was no bridge to cross at the time. As then President of Moët & Chandon, he and his companions were on the hunt for a site to build Chandon’s first international sparkling winery. Their desire was to take their centuries of know-how to the far corners of the world, rather than just export Champagne bottles. The goal was to set up a new global division called Chandon to produce local sparkling wine designed to meet the palate preferences of the national population.
“Our desire is to become part of the local tapestry,” explains current Chandon CEO, Sibylle Scherer. “Today we are located in six countries, with 630 employees. We have 16 winemakers of 7 different nationalities, with 24 languages spoken by our multi-cultural Chandon community and counting.”
A German native, Scherer assumed the Chandon CEO position in 2018, bringing 20 years of luxury management and international work experience. “I was intrigued by the diversity of the people,” states Scherer, “and the chance to be part of such a unique global wine brand that enters a country with a desire to grow the market and welcome new sparkling wine consumers.”
Indeed when Chandon’s first winery was established in Argentina in 1959, only the wealthy were drinking imported Champagne, and there were very few local sparkling wine producers. Today Argentina has more than 160 sparkling wine producers, and Chandon Argentina has achieved a positive reputation for its wines. Recently they won Best Argentine Sparkling at the 2020 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships for their Extra-Brut.
After their success in Argentina, the company established Chandon California and Chandon Brazil in 1973. This was followed by Chandon Australia in 1986, Chandon China in 2013, and Chandon India in 2014.
Though the global sparkling market took a hit during Covid, losing 8% in value during 2020, according to IWSR, most Champagne and sparkling wine producers have seen sales rebound in 2021. Indeed, according to Scherer, “Chandon quickly recovered from the decrease suffered in the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic; and 2021 has been exceptional with growth above the sparkling wine category in many of our markets.”
How Chandon Innovates to Create Sparkling Wines to Match Consumer Preferences
“It starts with terroir,” states Scherer. “We look at the specific climate, soil, and culture of a country, and determine which wine grapes will grow best there. For example, in India, it is warmer and more humid, and we find that Shiraz and Chenin Blanc grow well there. So we produce a beautiful sparkling Shiraz and Chenin Blanc, which pair well with the local cuisine.”
At Chandon China, which is located in the Ningxia Wine Region, considered to be one of the best places in China to grow high quality wine grapes, they are producing a sparkling Marselan wine. “The Ningxia wine region is set in the foothills of the Helan Mountains, and is very stunning,” says Scherer, “but it is cold in the winter, so we have to bury the vines.”
In a conversation with Chandon California Director of Winemaking, Pauline Lhote, she describes how Americans differ from other Chandon countries. “Americans prefer a more fruit-forward style, so we use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown in sunny California. Australians, on the other hand, like their sparkling wines to be dry and have bright acidity. In Brazil, consumers prefer a little sweetness, and Chandon Passion, made with Muscat, is one of our biggest sellers there. But in Argentina, they like a little touch of bitterness in their sparkling wines.”
In fact, it is this touch of bitterness that has given birth to Chandon’s first globally distributed sparkler, called Garden Spritz. “We usually never export Chandon from the country in which it is produced,” says Scherer, “but the winemakers in Argentina produced this absolutely delicious sparkling spritz. When we tasted it, we said we need to share this with the rest of the world.”
The Birth and Debut of Chandon Garden Spritz
“A fascinating fact about Argentina, is the local well-known penchant for more bitter flavors such as yerba maté and Fernet” says Scherer. “Argentina is the largest consuming nation in the world of Fernet Branca (a bitter liquor made from 27 herbs, roots, and spices). Therefore the winemakers at Chandon Argentina created this delicious new sparkling wine made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Semillon grapes, and then infused it with orange zest and peels, herbs, and refreshing bitters.”
Garden Spritz is designed to be part of the “ready to drink (RTD)” wine cocktail category. All the consumer needs to do is to add ice cubes, and it is a refreshing summer drink made with all-natural ingredients. The Chandon Argentina winemakers actually spent four years studying different types of oranges and herbs to perfect the drink.
“We launched it in Paris on a rooftop garden this summer,” reports Scherer. “It was the first event after confinement, and very well-attended. We partnered with a local cooking school and matched food with our Garden Spritz. It is a casual, elegant, and a very inclusive brand.”
Since the summer Paris launch, Garden Spritz has been debuted in other countries, and sales have been positive. In Europe alone, they have doubled their sales estimates for the year.
Chandon Efforts to Reduce Carbon Footprint and Give Back to Local Communities
Chandon has been an early leader in adopting sustainability measures in all of the countries in which they operate, with a focus on water management, planting new trees and shrubs to sequester carbon, and reducing their carbon footprint.
“Water is an interesting issue around the world,” states Scherer. “In India and Brazil it is a very wet climate and they often have too much water, whereas Argentina, China, Australia and California must be thoughtful about finding enough water. Because of this we have invested in water conservation efforts. For example, in California we are replanting with succulents on the winery grounds to save water, and in Australia we have invested in the Billabong Project by restoring rare wetlands and planting more than 20,000 indigenous trees and shrubs.”
Chandon is also reducing its carbon footprint by researching ways to produce lighter bottles, which is one of the biggest contributors to wine’s carbon footprint. “With sparkling wine, sustainability is in the packaging,” reports Scherer, “and we have managed to reduce our bottle weight by 25%, as well as produce environmentally friendly labels and corks.”
But Chandon doesn’t stop at just the environment. They have a strong commitment to invest in employees and the local community. In fact they have hired Morgane Pont-Bruyns to be Chandon’s Global Brand Culture Director to focus on local issues within each country.
“Since our inception in the late 50’s, we have invested in local schools and children,” reports Pont-Bruyns. “Not only do we want to protect Mother Nature, but to be part of the community. For fifty years we have focused on growing new markets, providing jobs, and giving back. Chandon hopes to be the pride of the local people.”
Another aspect of diversity worth noting is Chandon’s female leadership at the top of the company and also in the winemaking ranks. “All three of the winemakers on our California team are women,” reports Lhote. “But we are a close-knit global community of all genders and cultures, and I really enjoy our monthly sessions to share best practices amongst all of our international winemakers.”
What’s Next for Chandon?
Chandon identifies its values as courage, curiosity and innovation. Courage to travel to the far reaches of the world to create new sparkling wine markets, curiosity about the local culture and a desire to match consumer needs, resulting in innovative new products.
“It is truly a strategy that requires long-term vision and investment,” remarks Scherer. “Fortunately we are one of 75 houses of LVMH and they believe in our quest to redefine luxury sparkling wine around the world.”
When asked ‘what’s next for Chandon,’ Scherer replied, “More soon! We focus on where the world is going.”
NOTE: This story was originally published on Forbes.Com. Republished with permission.