Inside the Singapore Yacht Show with Champagne Collet

It was during the Singapore Yacht Show that we met David Rieu, representative of the French brand Champagne Collet abroad. He shares with us his passion, the history and secrets of the Collet house, official partner of Miss France! ”One of our secrets is the use of premier crus and grand crus grapes. Our second secret is the aging…” Discover more by reading the interview…

Can you briefly introduce yourself to So Chic, about your career and your passion for champagne?My name is David Rieu, I am the export manager of Champagne Collet. I have been in this position for five years now and I have been in the champagne industry for more than twenty years by passion.

You have been part of Champagne Collet for years now, what have you seen evolve? What would you like to see evolve?
We have seen a lot of changes, in three years we have gone from 20 to 45 countries around the world that buy Champagne Collet so the brand is really developing itself. It is a good sign for us, it shows that there is demand in the world!

I would like to see evolve more events like what we are doing today because it is a way for us to promote the brand in a very luxury area and in the most prestigious country in Asia so it is perfect for us. In three years we have gone from 20 to 45 countries around the world that buy Champagne Collet

What is your most beautiful champagne moment?
My most beautiful champagne moment? Probably Champagne Collet 82. Recently tasted! (laughs) It is an old vintage, we have a collection of thirty thousand in France, in Ay, in Champagne, France. It is the most iconic champagne that we have in our collection but we don’t sell it. (laughs)

Do you drink champagne every day?
Not every day but almost, champagne is a wine to share with clients so we taste champagne when people are visiting us.

What would life be without champagne?

It is very difficult to say, I have been in the industry of champagne for years now so I don’t now what my life would be. I think I was born to sell champagne… (laughs) I think I was born to sell champagne!
Is there something special about enjoying a glass of champagne in Champagne?
Yes, because you can feel the atmosphere and the taste could be different, especially with the storytelling because you will see the ‘chef de cave’ and you can understand the region.

Is it your first time in Singapore? What are your impressions?
No, I have been coming here once a year for five years now.It is a very dynamic market for champagne, people have high expectations and it is very interesting for Collet because we can sell not only brut or rosé champagnes but also prestige cuvées, grands crus…

Why is Champagne Collet present today, at the Singapore Yacht Show?

We received the proposal from our local importer, Sparkle, to become the official sponsor. We knew that in the past it was only big champagne houses that can be there so we took this occasion to promote Collet, it is a big exposure for us.

We knew that in the past it was only big champagne houses that can be there so we took this occasion to promote Collet […]
Can you present Champagne Collet in a few words? What are its values? Its style?
Champagne Collet is the oldest champagne cooperative in France, it was born in 1921 so we will celebrate soon its centennial. We use only premiers and grands crus grapes to make our champagne and the value for money is important for us so that our clients can buy a good champagne at a good price. The style of champagne Collet is elegant with the idea that it is for everybody. We want a good balance between acidity and sugar in the champagne because we want to reach a large audience.

If you had to describe Champagne Collet in one word, what would it be?
Gentleman

Is it more a luxury champagne, a champagne for stars or a champagne for experts?
Champagne Collet is a champagne for everybody because it is easy to drink, it is fruity and round. But in our clients, we also have some presidents and we are the official champagne partner of Miss France!

Champagne Collet is a champagne for everybody because it is easy to drink, it is fruity and round.

What are the most Champagne Collet emblematic markets?
In Asia it would be Japan, we entered the market four years ago. Otherwise, we are very strong in the UK and the US

What makes Champagne Collet different from the others?
I would say the style of the wine itself because people want something with new flavours, new packaging. We are the only house with transparent bottle in an art-deco style so we have our own identity. We also have a large range of cuvées: 2 rosés, 2 vintages, some prestige cuvées, blanc de blanc, blanc de noir and we try to have some limited editions.

Can you reveal for us some of Champagne Collet fabrication secrets?
One of our secrets is the use of premier crus and grand crus grapes. Our second secret is the aging, you know the champagne has to age long time in the cellars before being commercialised and all of our champagnes age minimum between three and seven years.

If I were to taste only one of your champagne, which one would you recommend?
It depends on your taste, the style you want but brut art deco champagne is the iconic of the brand so I would recommend it. It is our core product, it is winning awards every year so we are very proud of this product.

How to pair Champagne Collet with?
Champagne is basically a wine, it could be a white or a rosé one so it is not so difficult to match with food. Every year we have a culinary competition and we work closely with ten different chefs in France, Michelin-starred chefs. They make their own recipes and today we have more than 200 unique recipes pairing with Collet champagne. The inspiration comes from the chefs most of the time.

If you had to complete your range of cuvées, what type of champagne would you choose?
What we don’t have today and it might come in the next months so it is a kind of secret… is a grand cru champagne.

Where can we find Champagne Collet in Singapore?
In Singapore, Champagne Collet is imported and distributed by Sparkle, a French company where you can also find spirits.