23 February, 2002

About the CIVC

I often refer to the organization CIVC in my blog. With good reasons, since this organization puts a finger, two or even ten in most games, where champagne is involved. Both on the practical and the political side.

The practical work
The CIVC has specialists on a number of fields, that are connected with champagne. The legal department is the one that fights, when the word champagne is used about anything but champagne.

The technical department collects information, analyses, concludes and publishes lots of different knowledge about the vines: About their cycle, about their diseases, about the maturing of the grapes, which decides when the CIVC whistles its go for the villages to start harvesting their grapes.

The organization also - in cooperation with some of the big champagne houses - work with improvements of the tasks performed in vineyards and cellars. A work that means a great deal for the continued development of the quality of champagne. Thus a development, that is directly connected with the work in vineyards and caves on a both daily and long term.

The political work
CIVC also works on a more superior and political platform.

Think about the captain, who steers the supertanker- the 30.000 hectares, the people who grows the vines, make the champagne, market and finally sell the bottles -in the right direction now, in 10 and even in 50 years.

A fast glimpse on the names of the members of the controling branches of the CIVC acknowledges this. You find so many top managers, that I feel quite free to guess, that big amounts of champagne politics agreed during the meetings.

Executive and advising members
The following persons are members of the bureau exécutif of the CIVC as on February 1st 2007:

For the independent winegrowers:

  • Pascal Férat,
  • Dominique Fleury,
  • Jean-Pierre Launois,
  • Patrick Le Brun,
  • Béatrice Richard,
  • Jean-Mary Tarlant.

    For the group that buys grapes and makes champagne with them (négociants manipulants):

  • Yves Bénard,
  • Frédéric Cuménal,
  • Yves Dumont,
  • Ghislain de Montgolfier,
  • Bruno Paillard,
  • Paul-François Vranken.

    The following persons are members of the advising branch (conseil):

    The first half is elected for the winegrowers, the second for the champagnehouses:

  • Hubert Beaufort,
  • Jacky Charpentier,
  • Pierre Cheval,
  • Francis Cossy,
  • Yves Couvreur,
  • Rémi Durand,
  • Pascal Férat,
  • Dominique Fleury,
  • Pascal L’Hoste,
  • Jean-Pierre Launois,
  • Patrick Le Brun,
  • Béatrice Richard,
  • Jean-Mary Tarlant

  • Anne-Charlotte Amory (Piper Heidsieck),
  • Yves Bénard (LVMH),
  • Cécile Bonnefond (Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin),
  • Frédéric Cuménal (LVMH),
  • Yves Dumont (Laurent-Perrier),
  • Carol Duval-Leroy (Duval-Leroy),
  • Michel Letter (Perrier-Jouët),
  • Ghislain de Montgolfier (Bollinger),
  • Patrice Noyelle (Pol Roger),
  • Bruno Paillard (Bruno Paillard),
  • François Roland Billecart (Billecart-Salmon),
  • Alain Thiénot (Alain Thiénot),
  • Paul-François Vranken (Vranken-Pommery Monopole).

    Representatives for the brokers:

  • Vincent Duntze,
  • Yves Fourmon,
  • Jean-Pierre Weydert.

    I note two men, that have made it very well. Paul-Francois Vranken and Bruno Paillard have build their own and now well-established champagnehouses from nothing in just 30 years. They of course are representated in both the executive and the advising branch. (Why of course? Because people with drive normally always pay attention to be elected for the right boards in the right and necessary organizations. In Denmark anyway).

    Yves Bénard, who recently was nominated as the president of the wine and eaux de vie department of the INAO, also - of course - has a seat in both branches. Another important person in this part of the country - the chairman of the independant winegrowers, Patrick Le Brun - is also represented at both tables.

    I also find it interesting that no female top managers have a seat in the executive branch even they are well represented in the champagne business in general and also in the advising branch of the CIVC. It may be a coincidence, but it rarely is when the subject is women and top positions.

    CIVC has sister organizations in Alsace, Bourgogne and Bordeaux.

    På dansk

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