Vitalie Taittinger - Champagne Taittinger

Vitalie was born in Reims, she's the great-granddaughter of
Champagne Taittinger's founder Pierre Taittinger and now she is the
President of the champagne house. Two years ago, she took over from
her father, Pierre-Emmanuel. When I first met the young woman a few
years ago, I asked myself if it's a gift or a burden to be born
into one of the world's most famous champagne families, if it's
freedom or pressure. Clovis is Vitalie's brother, he's the
company's Managing Director. When it came to the decision who of
the two children would follow into their father's footsteps, the
father specifically didn't want to be part of the final decision
making process. Instead, for a whole year, the entire team,
including the two siblings, pondered on what would be best for the
company. For them it was neither about ego nor about clever career
moves. It was simply about finding a solution that would be best
for Champagne Taittinger; that would be best to keep a tradition
alive and thriving. This story says so much about a family and
about a region and its mystified product. It says so much about
what champagne is about. The Champagne region is a tiny cosmos
built on history, values, tradition, and trust. It goes beyond
family although the families that founded the big houses and
cultivated champagne over hundreds of years are at the core of this
cosmos. It's important to understand that all the champagne houses
on their own can't cover the demand of grapes for their production
just by using the produce from their own vineyards. It's just not
enough. They depend on a large network of small independent growers
in the region. There are contracts yet if the growers don't want to
cooperate with a champagne house, the champagne house won't
survive. They both depend on each other, which is fruitful and only
works when their cooperation is built on trust, respect, and the
same values. Land is precious and limited - and a UNESCO world
heritage since 2015. It's one of the most expensive in the wine
world. € 1 million per acre, only topped by Bordeaux's and
Burgundy's top appellations. When Taittinger was sold by the
extended family in 2005 - a step Vitalie's father didn't agree with
- it only took him a year to have the support from a local bank and
the backup from the growers to buy the company back and be assured
that he would manage to keep producing outstanding champagne. So
when Vitalie joined the company in 2007 quite spontaneously, after
studying art and establishing a life independent of Taittinger, she
was aware of the responsibility given into her hands but also about
the chance she got to keep the story of her family's champagne
alive so that one day she could pass it on to the next generation.
For this podcast episode, Vitalie shared a recipe with me that's
both cozy and sumptuous. Squash Soup with Chestnut Purée and
Scallop Carpaccio with Spinach Pesto and Caviar - easy to prepare
in advance and perfect for a New Year's Eve dinner! You can find
all the blog posts about the podcast episodes including my guests'
recipes on meikepeters.com under 'Meet in Your Kitchen'. INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/meetinmykitchenpodcast GUEST:
https://www.taittinger.com RECIPE:
https://www.meikepeters.com/meet-in-your-kitchen-champagne-scallops-squash-soup-with-vitalie-taittinger
MUSIC: Martin Stumpf SOUND MIX: Kraatz Studios
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