Champagne tasting in Reims before the Champagne Auction

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Mariehamn, May 28, 2012

Champagne tasting in Reims before the Champagne Auction

Champagne Auction promoted in France

The Åland Government decided in late March to arrange a tasting event in collaboration with the champagne house Veuve Clicquot in France in order to taste one of the champagne bottles salvaged from an old shipwreck in the Åland Islands’ southern archipelago. The aim of the event was to promote Åland as a tourist destination in general and the Champagne Auction in particular. The event was attended by MD Jean-Marc Lacave and Johan Ehn, the Åland Government’s Minister of the Department for Education and Culture. The champagne was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin from 1841.

The 25th of May was a great day for the people of Champagne. Three generations of cellar masters and a couple of the internationally known wine experts, among others Richard Juhlin, Tom Stevenson, Jean-Marie Curien, Antoine Gerbelle and Michael Edwards, joined Jean-Marc Lacaves and Johan Ehn, the Minister of the Department for Education and Culture, at Hôtel du Marc in Reims to taste one of the oldest still drinkable champagnes of the world. The event was also participated by the Secretary of the Department for Education and Culture Rainer Juslin, project manager Lina Dumas and Annica Grönlund from Visit Åland.

To gain comparison, the guests started with tasting some other vintage champagnes, the oldest of which was from 1904. The older the vintage, the more it reminded of the character of the the shipwreck champagne. Veuve Clicquot historian Fabienne Moreau told about the cargo’s salvage operation and re-corking of the bottles. A short film about Åland and the salvage operation was shown before the champagne bottle was finally opened with a solemn ceremony.

- Two bottles found in the Åland archipelago have now been returned back to their original home. Today we will open one of the bottles that the widow Barbe Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin has held in her own hands. This is a historic and emotional moment for us, said Dominique Demarville, the cellar master at Veuve Clicquot.
The event gained a lot of media attention and was broadcasted live by FTV 3 and reported by Tele 2 and several newspapers and wine magazines. The following morning the TV journalist Mélanie Griffon who had visited Åland earlier on 14–15 May presented Åland in the morning programme Télématin on Tele 2. She recommended her viewers to travel to Åland for holidays, because Åland is ”magnifique!”

- The Government of Åland is very pleased with the collaboration with Veuve Clicquot. It was an overwhelming experience to share these emotional moments when handing over our bottle to the champagne house, says Johan Ehn, Minister of the Department for Education and Culture.

For further information contact The Government of Åland:

Lina Dumas, Project manager: +358 457 344 50 67, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rainer Juslin, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education and Culture: +358 18 25230 or +358 457 547 1338, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it