Savoir-Faire visit | Champagne Krug , Reims , Champagne, France

By Caroline Olszewski
(GMBA-Luxury Brand Management)

On Friday September 30th, the ESSEC GMBA Luxury Brand Management cohort boarded the TGV train heading East from Paris to visit Reims, a town nestled in the Champagne region of France. 

Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a delicious lunch, savoring the French cuisine with seasonal dishes before heading to the main event: an exclusive visit at Krug Champagne. This visit, which is specially reserved only for VICs (very important clients), was an immensely special experience. For many of us, this was our first experience tasting Krug, so to have it be accompanied by a full tour was incredible. We were greeted with our first glass of Krug before receiving the full history of how Krug came to be, from its foundation in 1843 by Joseph Krug, to the six generations of Krug family who have continued to keep the dream alive. We then were wrapped in cashmere shawls before descending down into the cold cellars, to learn more about the barreling and aging process, and what gives Krug it’s unique and exceptional taste. We even saw bottles dating back as early at 1880! It’s hard to imagine how different the region and life were back then compared to now.

After exploring the cellars, our group went into the tasting room to enjoy a Krug Vintage 2008 and Krug Grande Cuvée. One of the unique characteristics of Krug is their love of music, and how the emotions you feel while listening to music can enhance your experience of sipping on Krug champagne. We listened to two separate music pieces, each which complimented the tasting notes and feeling that each bottle evoked. Sadly, after two hours it was time to leave Krug. 

 

Afterwards, we explored Reims and saw the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, a historical location where the kings of France were traditionally coronated for over 800 years. We then returned to Paris at the end of the day feeling bubbly and filled with wonderful memories of our second Savoir Faire visit of the year! Looking forward to the next one very soon. Stay tuned!