Baron of the bubbles

Just seven years old, the house of Armand de Brignac is already rated among the world’s best sources of champagne. Fine Champagne magazine picked it as the best in a 2010 blind tasting of more than 1,000 varieties.
Fans of Dom Perignon, Krug and Crista were pleasantly aghast. Brett Berish, president and chief executive of Sovereign Brands, which owns Armand de Brignac, was delighted but not surprised.
Berish, who visited Bangkok recently, is part of the “family trade”. His father and brother are top executives at Jim Beam. His mother’s side sells wine and spirits.
“My brother and I grew up with a passion for the wine business,” says Berish, a Chicago native. “We appreciate the power of creating quality products. Our dad taught us how to run a business. He’s sort of a visionary – he likes to do things differently.”
Setting off on a different course of his own,    Berish combed the vineyards of France’s Champagne region in 1999, looking for partners.
“After visiting 60 per cent of the chateaux in Champagne, we eventually stopped at the home of the Cattier family. Together we set out to create the champagne that became Armand de Brignac. And everything we do is based on family.”
The Cattiers, based in the village of Chigny-les-Roses, have independently cultivated grapes since 1763. Their vineyard staff still numbers fewer than 20, overseen by 12th-generation patriarch Jean-Jacques Cattier.
The clan’s 30 hectares are classified as Premier Cru by professional institutes, a designation granted fewer than 50 of the 300 villages in the region.
“With the Cattiers we see a future of making the best champagne,” Berish says. “We want to produce champagne the way it used to be made – blending grapes of different vintages from vineyards in different areas. Every year a different region can have better grapes.
“And we couple this approach with artisan champagne making – everything is done by hand and all the utensils are handcrafted.” Harvesting by hand is actually a legal requirement in Champagne, ensuring that damaged grapes don’t contaminate the rest.
Berish says about half the grapes they use come from other firms’ vineyards, and that’s one reason the brand has been accepted so well. “It’s not about how much we produce but the quality. The intention is to be a small and bespoke winery.”
The Champagne region produces around 300 million bottles a year, to which Armand de Brignac contributes 5,000 cases annually, a far cry from the half-million cases generated by big champagne houses like Dom Perignon.
But that quality that Berish boasts about has seen Armand de Brignac reaching shops in more than 100 countries, including Thailand, in just five years. People hear about it by word of mouth and then come to appreciate its complexity and full body.
Modern champagne usually blends two or three grape varieties in a judicious mix from various vineyards. Unlike other wines, it uses grapes from more than one harvest – single-vintage champagne is only made in the best growing years.
Armand de Brignac breaks new ground by mingling three vintages, notes Berish. “What’s special is the dosage,” he explains, referring to the small amount of wine added to each bottle.
“The additional few ounces are often sweet and also make up for the liquid volume lost in processing. Our dosage is aged in five oak barrels from five vintage years. No one else does that.”
Berish prefers champagne as an aperitif, believing it’s best enjoyed on its own, without food, but he acknowledges the trend in pairing it with food, and that’s what brought him to Bangkok.
He found several matches for Thai dishes, Brut Gold is a perfect blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with “brut” denoting the amount of sugar added, from “extra brut” (very dry) to “demi sec” (medium sweet) to “doux” (very sweet). It goes well with red meat, poultry and “strong” fish like tuna and salmon.
The firm’s Rose will readily marry grilled meat, cheese and fruity dessert. Its Blanc de Blancs, which is 100 per cent Chardonnay, is best with seafood. For Thai cuisine, Berish recommends Blanc de Blancs most of all.
Brut Gold is Armand’s “flagship product” around the world, while its Rose is popular in the US for its sweetness. “Some brands make a sweeter champagne for the US market, but we stick to tradition,” Berish says.
The biggest “trend” in champagne today, he says, is nothing new – people want it for special occasions. Some 15 million cases are sold annually for festive celebrations, compared to 10 million cases of cognac. “People enjoy bubbles!”
Armand de Brignac is distributed in Thailand by Siam Winery.