‘I got into the Champagne world by chance. I was already passionate about Champagne but getting into the industry is complicated. Luckily, I met my winemaker while at my former job in the bank and he took me under his wing and trained me. It was a first for him, though, having a West Indian woman in the vineyard. But he did the project with me as he’s an open-minded person.
‘I have lived in France since I was three, after my family left Guadeloupe. I used to work in a shop in Paris with a duty-free section. I was responsible for selling Champagne, and it became my passion.
‘As a young girl, I was truly intrigued by Champagne – how the bubbles formed naturally, and I love that it is a product that comes out of the land – my grandparents were farmers. My favourite moment in the Champagne process is the malolactic fermentation when those bubbles start to appear and then, of course, the wine tasting, which is magical!
‘About 50% of those within the Champagne industry have been welcoming to me, but there have been ups and downs. I was getting racist comments on social media for a year and had to delete them. But I have to keep going. I’ve been in the industry for almost 10 years now, and I know that many people still don’t accept me. All I have ever wanted is to be accepted for who I am and what I do. To date, I have not been nominated for a Champagne trophy in any category, nor have I received any press in local trade magazines about Marie-Césaire. People are afraid of others that do not resemble them and are afraid of things outside of their usual routines. I am different from them with my hairstyle, communication style and gestures. But I do have very good relationships with the wine-growers and winemakers here in Reims.
‘I had a deep desire to have a Champagne brand that resembled me and the people around me. We, as Afro-Caribbeans, have had a hard time finding Champagnes that correspond to our palates and therefore I created a Champagne with a higher dosage. I have five cuvées ranging from 10-42g per litre of residual sugar. My rosé, for example, has 22g per litre of residual sugar. I am against zero dosage, but it is trendy – it’s not the style of my brand and my customers don’t like that taste. None of the Champagnes currently in the marketplace are directed towards the Afro-Caribbean communities, but we are large consumers of Champagne.
‘For the style of Marie-Césaire Champagnes, I’m looking for very fine bubbles and a softness. Its sweetness is like the sweetness of the Caribbean islands, and it is easy to drink and pairs well with Creole dishes, which I like.
‘I thought that there was something missing in the world of Champagne – there was a lack of identity. It is a very traditional industry but as I am close to the LGBTQ community I decided to make a bottle with the LGBTQ flag on it. People were surprised but, for me, Champagne must be democratised.
‘Marie-Césaire is a company that has come from my heart and has a wonderful history that is not talked about enough. My clients think it could be a good subject for a film! Basically, it’s the tale of a woman from the black neighbourhoods finding her place in an elitist world and will hopefully allow us to remove all these barriers in wine.
‘My inspiration in the Champagne world is a male viticulturist – Claude Giraud from Henri Giraud Champagne – as he held my hand and told me not to give up. He is a bit like me and likes to change the rules of society a bit. Unfortunately, I do not presently have a female role model in this industry.
‘I am sometimes frustrated with the wine world as women’s values are not acknowledged. There are women involved in wine but not many are put forward in the same way [as the men] and I am also different – an outsider, who is not originally from the Champagne region. There is still a lot of work to be done in the Champagne sector and little progress [to date].
‘My advice to women…
Source : https://www.decanter.com/wine/a-drink-with-marie-ines-romelle-551576/
