Last year over 200 million bottles of Champagne were sold in the UK. I’m sure you’ve got a favourite marque or grande marque; but it’s fun hunting for the smaller ones, especially if they beat the big boys in those blind tastings….and you can guarantee they’ve all got a story.

And stories are what marketing is made of!

Seth Godin’s talk about marketing that people care about was full of stories from his career and the careers of people he’s worked with. Brands of any size can and should tell stories; of where they came from, of the success they’ve helped customers achieve, and of where they dream of going in the future.

Small and young companies will have an easier time of it than their bigger rivals. They are often founded expressly to challenge something about the status quo, or to fill a gap that no one else was serving. They are also closer to their customers, basing Account Management on individual relationships rather than on an account number.

What’s your story, and how can you build your marketing strategy around telling it well?

 

Over to Tim:

First of all – let’s get some rules in place ( yup, Champagne has plenty of them). only 3 grape varieties can be used, Grapes and production must be in the Champagne region and the production must be the traditional method (with secondary fermentation in the bottle).

One smaller house to consider is this gorgeous artisan Champagne – Brigitte Delmotte.  Four Golds for this stunner that held its own in competition against big names Bollinger, Veuve and the like. Pure Pinot Noir, vinified white and aged three years on lees, it is rich and creamy with toasty ripe fruit and complexity.

Over 170 years of experience have assisted in the making of this creamy, berry-rich Champagne. It’s the work of 5th generation winemaker Julian Fourrier, whose father, Philippe, created this special cuvée in honour of his wife, Brigitte. Her maiden name was Delmotte. The grapes are 100% Pinot Noir taken from vineyards first planted by Philippe and Brigitte – that’s romance for you. All the family’s 18 hectares of vines lie within Champagne’s little known, southerly region, La Côte des Bars. The wine for this fine fizz was gently fermented and aged three years on its lees (twice as long as legally required) to enhance the rich toasty notes of the fizz. Chill down and serve at your next celebration.

There’s a decent 20 % saving off the RRP of £ 35.99 ( the Spotler price is £ 28.79) and the delivery charge is reduced from £ 7.99 to £ 3.49. This offer is only available from the Surbiton Laithwaites Store and to order just send SPOTLER20 – CHAMPERS to Surbiton@laithwaiteswine.com

We thank Tim for his opinions.