Posted on Tue, 8 Mar 2011
SimplyFab People – A Woman & Her Champagne
On the 100th International Women’s Day, we are thrilled that Carol Duval-Leroy, CEO of French Champagne house Duval-Leroy, talked to Simply Fabulicious about being a woman and handling her bubbly!
It’s the 100th International Women’s Day today, and if you’re planning to work late in the office today, DON’T! Considering how far women have come from the days of bound feet, concubine-duty and daily bullying by evil mothers in law (a la ‘Joy Luck Club’), we think we really should drink a toast to womanhood today! And while you’re nursing your bubbly, give some respectful reflection to the women who lived in a time before us and, in their own way, paved the way for us to live as we do today.
Indeed, there really is no other way to mark the 100th International Women’s Day than with some really nice champagne. For Carol Duval-Leroy, bubbly is a daily preoccupation and we asked her for her thoughts about being a woman in a world of Champagne.
SF: So what is it about women and Champagne coming together?
Carol Duval-Leroy: Women’s interest in cooking brings them naturally to the field of wine: they will look for the wine to match their cooking and Champagne is one that can be drunk throughout an entire meal.
Champagne is very feminine. A woman will more easily drink a glass of wine rather than hard alcohol and Champagne is very light, in particular a Chardonnay Champagne. It’s also a luxury product – its labeling, its packaging, the image it projects…These aspects inspire me. A bottle of Champagne is a like a bottle of perfume which you have pleasure in serving and sharing, and in this sense, we can also say that it shows a feminine aspect.
For an aperitif, a woman would rather enjoy a glass of Champagne for its elegance, delicacy and lightness, rather than a whisky and…you will not get fatter with a glass of Champagne! I always remember the quotation from the Marquise de Pompadour: “Champagne is the only wine that a woman can drink without becoming ugly…”!
SF: How did you end up in this very enviable job?
Carol Duval-Leroy: Champagne DUVAL-LEROY has been founded in 1859 and transmitted from fathers to sons since its foundation. In truth, I never expected to take command of a Champagne House. It was the premature death of my husband, Jean-Charles in 1991 that propelled me to the leadership of Duval-Leroy. Jean-Charles wanted to perpetuate this family company and hand it down in good health to our three children.
SF: Has being a woman made a difference in the way you work and you market the Champagne?
Carol Duval-Leroy: You can feel the feminine touch in our House, in the wines and in the marketing. In fact, our staff comprises 43% women and some of them in key positions. The best example is Sandrine Logette-Jardin, our winemaker!
I am also personally involved in the business of our brand; I travel as much as I can in France and in several countries. Some doors open more easily as I am a woman: and I tend to obtain an appointment more easily than a man. Furthermore, my name is the one which appears on the labels of our Champagnes: this is a power, a pride and people in charge of selling our wines all over the world have an interest in the history of our family.
SF: So for International Women’s Day, what wine would you be celebrating with?
Carol Duval-Leroy: It would be the FEMME DE CHAMPAGNE. First of all, this bottle wears the name ‘Femme’, meaning ‘woman’. The bottle shape is very elegant, with a thin neck, an enigmatically dark colour, with a discreet label. A monogramme is engraved on the bottle: each letter is the initials of the children of this family: Julien, Charles and Louis. This is a prestigious wine, comprising a selection from the best plots of the Grand Cru vineyards. This cuvee is produced only in exceptional years: 1990, 1995, 1996 and the newly released vintage, 2000.
It would be a shame to drink Femme de Champagne only as aperitif, as it is a perfect partner with fish, sea food and delicate meat like lamb, poultry. Rare and precious, “Femme de Champagne” is elegant and soft, and also a great Champagne!
(SimplyFab’s note: if you want to get your hands on this bubby, it’s sold at Top Wines, 33 Tembeling Road, tel: 6468 3866 . The 1996 vintage goes for S$258 for the 750ml bottle and S$170 for the 500ml.)
