Behind the vine

Chantal Gonet - Champagne Philippe Gonet - Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, France

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

I did not really fall in love. Wine was my destiny. I was obliged to come back after my graduation. As an engineer, I would have preferred to get a job in my industry, but my father died 3 years before and my mother needed some help at the winery. At that time we also had a winery in Burgundy that we ended up selling. In all those years, I have learned to appreciate my job. My brother changed the style of our champagne, and I totally changed the distribution of our champagnes. I really love to travel and prospect new customers, so sharing my passion for champagne with someone on the other side of the planet is a lot of fun.

What story does your wine tell?

The story that my Champagne tells is intimately linked with the story that my brother and I want to tell. We took over in 1993, and as we were very young, it took us about 10 years to really find our style which is mineral driven looking for the best expression of our great terroir.

Pleasure and minerality. Love and terroir. The work of the winemaker and the expression of the soil. The complexity of the wine is also telling the story of the work in the vineyards and the attention that our team brings. We care about our vines and our people. Everyone should live in harmony so everyone can give the best of himself. The winemaking is gentle so the wines can express their own identity.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

First we should forget that champagne is only for celebration. You do not need a good reason to open a bottle of champagne. Drinking champagne is just the best way to drink a good wine. The joy that champagne brings should be accessible to everyone and our champagne is accessible.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

As Charles Baudelaire wrote, "wine is maybe an artificial paradise that brings so much pleasure to the body and the soul that it should be worshiped like a God". Anyway, God has created man and man has created wine helped by the sun and the earth. There is something transcendental in the wine when you think that the energy of the sun, earth, and men together give birth to wine with telluriques forces. Just remember that when you drink wine you drink genius.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

My advice is to always keep believing in your ideas and continue trying until you get what you want. No matter failure or doubts. Perseverance always brings results. Start as a sommelier, a wine rep, or a hostess in a winery… but be confident to progress.

Who is a woman you admire in winemaking?

Maggie Henriquez, Anne Malassagne, Evelyne Boizel, Vitalie Taittinger, Alice Paillard, Melanie Tarlant, Charline Drappier, Delphine Cazals, who are all the women of my group La Transmission Champagne. Each of them is unique with different careers. it brings me strength and courage. I am so blessed to be part of this group.