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INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
Champagne-maker Taittinger has
teamed up with wine agents
Hatch Mansfield to produce
premium sparkling English wine from
a vineyard in the Kent countryside
By Jill Insley
grape
expectations
W
hen it comes to
the world of
wine, there are
few names as
prestigious as
that of Taittinger; so the announcement
that the champagne house has joined
forces with wine agents Hatch Mansfield
to produce English sparkling wine has
been a cause for celebration.
The companies, together with private
investors, have bought 69 hectares of
land near Canterbury in Kent, on
which they will plant a vineyard of
chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot
meunier grapes – the classic
combination used to make champagne.
The sparkling wine will be called
Domaine Evremond – named after the
essayist and soldier credited with
popularising champagne in London in
the 17th century – and will come with
a champagne-style price tag of about
£30 a bottle.
The project has come about as a result
of climate change – and the chalky soil
that has made Kent an ideal place to
produce sparkling wines – as well as
years of planning and discussions
between Patrick McGrath, Chief
Executive of Hatch Mansfield, and
Pierre-EmmanuelTaittinger, President
of ChampagneTaittinger. Hatch
Mansfield has beenTaittinger’s agent
in the UK for many years, so to develop
that relationship further represented a
natural progression.
‘Since 2003, changes in climate and
the introduction of pinot noir and
chardonnay vines have led to a dramatic
improvement in English sparkling wine,’
says McGrath.‘We started talking about
the venture three years ago.Taittinger
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