As the year draws to a close, the atmosphere brightens and so do the glasses. Between private soirées, corporate receptions, gastronomic dinners and high end New Year’s Eve celebrations, sparkling wine sales reach their annual peak. Champagne and crémants are no longer simply associated with celebration. For their makers, they embody an art of living, a quest for precision and a growing level of consumer expertise.
Antoine Clasen, Managing Director of Bernard Massard, a Luxembourg flagship and century old family estate, and Arnaud Richard, Marketing and Communication Director at Laurent Perrier share their approaches to elevating the moment.
Bernard Massard is a century-old family house deeply rooted in Luxembourg’s economic and cultural fabric. Describe the estate’s vision.
Antoine Clasen: Our vision is simple: to continue producing high quality sparkling and still wines that meet current expectations, and to strengthen Bernard Massard’s role as a national and international standard bearer for Luxembourg wine. This is accompanied by continual investments in our tools, increased precision in both vineyard and cellar, and measured international growth based on sustainability rather than opportunity.
Consumption of sparkling wines is evolving significantly. How do you interpret this dynamic in your key markets?
We are seeing both a move upmarket and a search for authenticity. Consumers want to understand what they drink, compare and find credible alternatives beyond Champagne. This shift clearly benefits Luxembourg sparkling wines. In export markets, some countries discovered our wines during the pandemic, appreciating their value for money, and continue to buy them.
You have undertaken a premiumisation strategy. Which levers have been most decisive?
The qualitative evolution relies on more precise selection of terroirs, better targeted maturities, greater precision in blending and better controlled ageing. The Clos des Rochers estate plays a key role as a research and experimentation laboratory. This premiumisation has been accompanied by a clarified offer and updated packaging.
How do you enhance the expression of Luxembourg terroir in a market dominated by highly publicised appellations?
The Luxembourg appellation is gaining followers. We promote an elegant style led by natural freshness. In export markets, the challenge is educational: to explain our soils, our history, but above all to encourage tasting. With Clos des Rochers, we go even further, working on a hierarchy founded on terroirs and micro parcel projects.
In export, where do you see the strongest potential and how do you tailor your narrative?
Belgium remains a key market. Canada and Finland are real drivers, while the Nordic countries are sensitive to technical rigour and sustainability. The narrative adapts to each culture while remaining coherent with our identity.
Consumers now seek transparency, sustainability and meaning. How do these expectations influence your decisions?
They influence everything: growth in organic practices in the vineyard, biodiversity preservation, reduction of inputs, energy efficiency in the cellar, lighter bottles and clearer communication.
The festive period is a crucial moment for sparkling wines. How do you prepare for it?
Preparation begins very early. We secure stocks and supplies, adjust disgorgements, strengthen visitor reception at the estate, develop dedicated gift boxes and coordinate promotions with our partners.
Which collaborations are most relevant for strengthening your presence during the festive season?
Gastronomy, hospitality, corporate events and Luxembourg’s fine dining scene. Our import activity, still little known, reinforces our global market understanding. Retail remains a key partner.
Finally, what message best captures your way of celebrating the festive season this year?
Celebrate the essential: conviviality, sharing and all the moments that punctuate life. And remember that life would be very dull without bubbles.
You joined Laurent Perrier ten years ago, at a time when the champagne market was undergoing profound transformation. What have been the major strategic milestones for the house during this period?
Arnaud Richard: There has been no strategic turning point as such, but rather a constant determination to invest in the three pillars of Laurent Perrier: the quality of the wines, because nothing is possible without it; the quality of the women and men who contribute to the success of Laurent Perrier, whether they make the wines, sell them, speak about them or occupy roles that are less visible but essential; and finally the strength of the brand, with increased investment in print and digital communication so that the promise of quality is better known and recognised.
What are the current pillars of Laurent Perrier’s positioning in the prestige champagne segment?
Laurent Perrier stands out for its pioneering character. The House has been innovating since the early 1950s with the ambition of achieving excellence in its wines. Each time, the objective is to craft wines capable of surpassing their competitors in blind tastings. Innovation rests on three unique areas of expertise: the blending of reserve wines, the maceration of pinot noir and non dosage. For Grand Siècle, Laurent Perrier’s prestige cuvée launched in 1959, the approach is based on blending three great years from 11 of Champagne’s 17 Grands Crus in order to recreate what nature cannot provide in a single harvest: the perfect year.
How does the House balance heritage continuity and innovation?
The two terms are not opposed, quite the contrary. Heritage continuity means believing in one’s values, perpetuating them and investing for the long term without giving up, whatever the circumstances. Innovation enables us to remain at the forefront of production techniques in the service of the wine. This continuity reflects a lasting commitment to innovate in order to produce the best Champagnes in the Laurent Perrier style.
What evolutions are you seeing in consumption habits, preferences and volumes during the festive season in your key markets?
After a euphoric period linked to post-Covid revenge buying, the market has been declining for the second consecutive year. Economic and geopolitical uncertainty does not encourage champagne consumption. Buyers are more cautious. The high-end segment, until now preserved, is suffering, but the prestige cuvées of the great houses remain benchmarks. English-speaking countries continue to show favourable momentum despite new customs constraints.
Premium consumers seem more attentive to dosage, to origin and to oenological precision. How does Laurent Perrier support this rise in expertise?
The question of dosage concerns very knowledgeable consumers. Two simple points should be noted: climate change means that champagnes today require less dosage than before, as they are naturally better balanced, and public taste is shifting towards more taut wines. Dosage serves to balance. When a wine is well balanced, the dosage is imperceptible. It is the truth of the wine.
What distinctions do you observe between market dynamics in Europe, Asia and the United States over the next twelve to eighteen months?
Caution is key. The markets are difficult. We do not make eighteen month projections, because no one can predict which economic or political events might impact them positively or negatively.
Laurent Perrier is often described as a pioneering house in expressing a purer style of champagne, notably with Brut Nature. How is innovation structured today within your processes?
Work begins in the vineyard, then continues in the cellar. From what nature provides, Laurent Perrier crafts the best possible wines in its style. The mastery of non dosed wines, acquired over more than forty five years, now allows us to offer two non dosed cuvées: Ultra Brut, a pioneer of the category, and Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature launched in 2019, the only non dosed Blanc de Blancs marketed by a major House. Our knowledge of the Crus of the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims allows us to select wines capable of delivering a Blanc de Blancs without dosage.
The rise of high end hospitality is transforming how champagne is experienced. How does Laurent Perrier build its gastronomic partnerships?
The House has always been close to gastronomy. Bernard de Nonancourt was already collaborating with Michelin-starred chefs in the 1960s. Today, Laurent Perrier continues these relationships in many countries. For example, the House has been a partner of the Taste of Paris festival for ten years and collaborates year round with renowned chefs. Building a partnership requires dialogue and a constant presence alongside sommelier teams.
How important is the service experience in shaping the perception of the House style?
It is extremely important. To reveal a great champagne, all elements must be aligned: appropriate glassware, a serving temperature of 8 to 10 degrees, followed by continuous dialogue with sommeliers so they can explain the wines and suggest the best pairings.
In a context where luxury is refocusing on precision and meaning, what emotion would you like to convey during the festive season?
Champagne is the only wine that unites high quality, celebration and a luxurious image. Laurent Perrier offers a great champagne wine and an emotion that only the Champagne name can provide when the wine meets consumer expectations.
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