Champagne Gremillet: Available in 82 Countries
Lamaison Gremillet promises us lively champagnes that are served at embassies and have traveled around the world many times! Jean-Christophe Gremillet made the switch from the financial world to the wine industry.
Winemaker: a fascinating profession passed down from Lulu Gremillet
My grandmother planted the first vines, and my parents expanded the business in the early 1980s. I was young—but with only a 19-year age gap between my parents and me—and I remember their determination and tenacity in building up the business.
After working in the financial sector for a few years, I decided to join them in 2003 to do my part. It’s a fascinating and varied profession: from growing the vines to winemaking, from marketing to the satisfaction of seeing our product enjoyed all over the world… In any case, it’s far more exciting, dynamic, and rewarding than the world of finance.
Today, a vineyard manager must be a jack-of-all-trades: a Champagne producer must not only cultivate the vines and make the wine, but also finance inventory, manage staff, market the product, and sell it.
These days, my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, my wife, and I share the workload. But like any family business, we often have to wear many hats. We make major decisions together, while day-to-day operations are handled by each of us individually.
Jean-Christophe Gremillet: From the World of Finance to the World of Wine
With a background in finance, I went on to earn a Master’s degree in Wines and Spirits at ESC Dijon. We came from different educational backgrounds and different countries, but we shared a common passion: WINE. Wine is universal; it’s always a moment of sharing and camaraderie. You can debate a wine, prefer one appellation over another, one color over another—it remains subjective and vibrant, and that’s what makes it so fascinating.
My meeting with my consulting oenologist more than ten years ago also left a lasting impression on me. He is a well-educated man and a first-rate wine taster who, as far back as 40 years ago, was working all over the world. From him, one learns that it is the sum of small details that makes the difference and that a great wine is never the result of chance.
Our Estate's Favorite Cuvées:
Gremillet Champagne on diplomatic tables
When my father first started selling Champagne, he had two jobs (he was also an EDF agent). He didn’t get much sleep, so at night he would call embassies around the world, taking time zones into account. I remember very clearly the differently colored folders on his desk labeled +5, +8, -5, and -8, which indicated the time zones. It’s a nice story to tell today, but it took a lot of hard work.
Jean-Christophe Gremillet’s Favorites: Winemaker at the House of Champagne Gremillet
It’s hard to choose between a red and a white wine, between a Musigny Grand Cru and a Corton Charlemagne—it’s like having to choose between your father and your mother. If I had to choose just one wine, it would be a 1990 Yquem, for its rarity and the thrill it gave me!
My favorite time of year: The harvest, of course, but also—and above all—the blending process. That’s when we decide on the subtle balance between the different grape varieties and vintages. We have to look ahead to envision how the blended wine will evolve and what its potential is.
Jean-Christophe Gremillet's Rant
I can’t stand the term “value for money.” We should all be talking about “enjoyment for money”: every wine has its place depending on the time of day or year, and we all adjust our budget based on the moments we’re going to experience or want to experience. So we have to accept that there are wines at every price point and that each wine is meant to be enjoyed at different times.
One word to describe Gremillet champagne?
There are many: freshness, liveliness, elegance—but I’d say liveliness.
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