A drink with... vincent chaperon

2 min read

UNCORKED

Four years since taking over as cellar master at Dom Pérignon, Vincent Chaperon is putting his stamp on the global Champagne brand

‘Taking over as cellar master is a complex and introspective journey. You must find the balance between respecting the heritage and bringing your own touch. In order to push the boundaries, to help the brand expand and develop, you must first have a deep understanding of Dom Pérignon and how far it has come.

‘I entered into this universe through agronomy. For me, having contact and interaction with nature is important. We are turning a page in Champagne towards new viticulture, and I’m very at ease with that. I spend as much time as I can in the vineyards.

‘As we face bigger challenges through climate change, we are in a state of transition, and I try to develop what we are doing in the vineyard to accelerate that transition. We’ve stopped using herbicides; we work on cover cropping; our canopy managent is changing, as is the height of the training systems; we’re implementing polyculture.

‘At age 20 or 21, I hesitated to choose between the sea and wine. Both of my grandfathers were in the French marines, so I am a sailor. I love the sea. My family has always been based between the Mediterranean and Bordeaux, so both the sea and wine are part of my background, my heritage, my culture.

‘For 10 years I worked with Richard Geoffroy, previous cellar master, so when I eventually took over, there wasn’t much that surprised me. But something I wasn’t anticipating was the big difference in being the person making the final decisions at the end of the day. When you are not the one making the final decisions, you are in a situation of comfort, almost of relief. Once the responsibility is solely yours, you move out of this comfort zone. This changes the way you look at things, and helps you improve even quicker.

‘I love sport, and I do a lot of it, especially running. It’s something my family has always been into because it’s easy, cheap, and you can do it anywhere. It’s the most fantastic form of exercise. A lot of people really dislike it. But when you are used to it, it’s so practical. I play a lot of tennis, too, I do triathlons, and I love skiing, windsurfing and cycling.’

To read the full interview by Natalie Earl, see decanter.com