0:00:01.802,0:00:05.213
So when a region of the world [br]becomes known for a specific type of food,

0:00:05.213,0:00:07.237
they'll go to great lengths to protect it.

0:00:07.237,0:00:08.832
I mean, let's look at Kobe beef.

0:00:08.832,0:00:10.092
It can only be called that

0:00:10.092,0:00:12.427
if it meets a very particular[br]set of requirements,

0:00:12.427,0:00:15.460
including that the cow was born, fed, [br]and slaughtered in a region of Japan

0:00:15.460,0:00:17.730
that includes the city of Kobe.

0:00:17.730,0:00:19.849
Quebec regulates who can sell maple syrup

0:00:19.849,0:00:23.016
and the government even keeps[br]a strategic reserve.

0:00:23.016,0:00:26.742
French champagne is from, you guessed it, [br]the Champagne region of France

0:00:26.742,0:00:28.576
and it's heavily regulated.

0:00:28.576,0:00:31.265
But the pandemic is exposing [br]the behind-the-scenes drama

0:00:31.265,0:00:32.519
about how it's produced.

0:00:33.419,0:00:35.678
DYING ON THE VINE

0:00:38.348,0:00:41.725
You must hold it like this[br]and tap, all the way up.

0:00:41.725,0:00:42.670
Okay.

0:00:42.670,0:00:44.210
And I use the back of the knife.

0:00:44.210,0:00:46.426
- Here, this part. OK.[br]- Yes, that part.

0:00:46.426,0:00:47.699
Okay, merci.

0:00:48.519,0:00:50.013
Oh, it's quite heavy.

0:00:51.016,0:00:51.899
Okay.

0:00:52.701,0:00:54.354
This is very difficult.

0:00:55.784,0:00:57.070
Whoaaaaa!

0:00:57.260,0:01:01.642
(Charlet) <i>There were many reasons [br]to break out the champagne sabre in 2020.</i>

0:01:03.067,0:01:04.503
Whooooo!

0:01:04.988,0:01:08.469
<i>And that's bad news[br]for Charles Duval-Leroy and his family.</i>

0:01:09.086,0:01:09.985
Merci.

0:01:10.421,0:01:14.121
This is what we have today for [br]Femme de Champagne: non-vintage.

0:01:15.001,0:01:17.151
It is more of apéritif-style vintage.

0:01:17.151,0:01:20.689
We stay in the frame [br]of elegance and finesse.

0:01:21.039,0:01:25.268
(Charlet) <i>The Duval-Leroy has been[br]in this business for 150 years.</i>

0:01:25.268,0:01:28.169
<i>They produce more than[br]2 million bottles annually</i>

0:01:28.169,0:01:30.615
<i>for big clients like Delta Airlines</i>

0:01:30.615,0:01:32.293
<i>and the Moulin Rouge.</i>

0:01:33.096,0:01:35.738
<i>With COVID-19 keeping planes on the ground</i>

0:01:35.738,0:01:37.823
<i>and event spaces closed,</i>

0:01:37.823,0:01:41.001
<i>sales have plummeted by almost 40%,</i>

0:01:41.001,0:01:44.435
<i>and the champagne industry[br]has had to take drastic action.</i>

0:01:45.751,0:01:47.776
This is an unusual year.

0:01:47.776,0:01:49.335
We had a good harvest,

0:01:49.335,0:01:51.665
but due to this COVID-19 crisis,

0:01:51.665,0:01:54.303
we couldn't harvest all the grapes.

0:01:54.943,0:01:58.311
As you can see, [br]there are a lot of grapes left.

0:01:58.621,0:02:01.197
It's a frustrating year for us.

0:02:01.833,0:02:05.112
If I didn't know the context,[br]it looks like sabotage.

0:02:05.532,0:02:08.692
It's really something unprecedented.

0:02:09.002,0:02:11.144
There are so many times[br]that we ask ourselves

0:02:11.144,0:02:13.823
if there's a new wine-making method.

0:02:13.823,0:02:16.365
No, it's just throwing the grapes[br]on the ground.

0:02:16.365,0:02:18.813
It makes no sense.

0:02:18.986,0:02:21.544
With the sales dropping [br]throughout the year,

0:02:21.544,0:02:23.168
how did the industry respond?

0:02:23.168,0:02:25.500
The first step was to say,

0:02:25.500,0:02:27.278
"Let's reduce quotas.

0:02:27.278,0:02:29.468
If we reduce quotas, we reduce production.

0:02:29.468,0:02:32.235
We won't inflate the stock[br]that hasn't been sold."

0:02:32.235,0:02:35.119
It's a truly collective response[br]to lower production,

0:02:35.119,0:02:38.100
which is why we have left grapes[br]on the vine today.

0:02:38.100,0:02:42.913
It's a heartbreaking response,[br]but we know it's necessary

0:02:42.913,0:02:44.930
for the long term in Champagne.

0:02:46.072,0:02:50.336
(Charlet) <i>Champagne has spent decades[br]meticulously curating a global image</i>

0:02:50.336,0:02:53.352
<i>as the way to mark special occasions.</i>

0:02:53.352,0:02:55.719
<i>It's this type of deliberate management</i>

0:02:55.719,0:02:59.312
<i>that led to cutting production[br]by 100 million bottles this year</i>

0:02:59.312,0:03:00.728
<i>to prop up prices.</i>

0:03:01.218,0:03:06.031
<i>But the decision left [br]over 10,000 tons of grapes to waste away,</i>

0:03:06.031,0:03:08.526
<i>and it didn't necessarily[br]account for issues</i>

0:03:08.526,0:03:10.791
<i>that were already threatening [br]champagne's reign</i>

0:03:10.791,0:03:12.517
<i>as a celebratory drink of choice.</i>

0:03:13.468,0:03:16.268
Can you talk a little bit about [br]the state of of the champagne industry

0:03:16.268,0:03:17.920
before the pandemic hit?

0:03:17.920,0:03:20.062
Because I remember there was already[br]talk of champagne

0:03:20.062,0:03:21.729
having a little bit of an image crisis

0:03:21.729,0:03:22.834
before COVID.

0:03:23.374,0:03:27.024
Since 2008, champagne [br]hasn't regained its sales

0:03:27.024,0:03:30.500
simply because the final consumer,

0:03:30.500,0:03:32.886
due to to economic issues,

0:03:32.886,0:03:35.235
has shifted from champagne [br]to other alcohols

0:03:35.235,0:03:37.487
or other aperitifs, of course.

0:03:37.487,0:03:39.712
Champagne hasn't benefited yet[br]from Instagram.

0:03:39.712,0:03:41.185
We see more and more that

0:03:41.185,0:03:43.331
there is an audience that[br]needs to show itself

0:03:43.331,0:03:46.650
with a big glass with lots of ice[br]and colors in it.

0:03:46.650,0:03:49.134
A gin and tonic that's well prepared

0:03:49.134,0:03:50.797
and looks beautiful.

0:03:50.797,0:03:53.182
And champagne is very elegant,

0:03:53.182,0:03:56.665
but it's served in a small glass[br]with not a lot in it.

0:03:56.665,0:03:59.413
It's too discreet to take a selfie[br]or a photo with.

0:03:59.413,0:04:01.150
"Look, I'm in a dreamy landscape."

0:04:01.979,0:04:04.934
(Charlet) <i>But some smaller producers [br]have a different take</i>

0:04:04.934,0:04:06.797
<i>on the right response to the crisis.</i>

0:04:07.435,0:04:09.620
The color is incredible,

0:04:09.620,0:04:11.347
it looks like Roussanne [grapes].

0:04:12.481,0:04:14.451
(Charlet) <i>While the big names [br]in the industry</i>

0:04:14.451,0:04:16.865
<i>sell millions of bottles each year,</i>

0:04:16.865,0:04:20.403
<i>Alselme Selosse makes only about 50,000</i>

0:04:20.403,0:04:22.891
<i>and each one can go for hundreds of euros.</i>

0:04:24.286,0:04:28.018
We're looking for the grapes' stems.

0:04:28.018,0:04:29.025
(Charlet) Like this?

0:04:29.025,0:04:31.461
(Anselme) Yes. And then, on the soil.

0:04:31.461,0:04:33.400
(Charlet) No. That's sad.

0:04:33.400,0:04:38.297
(Anselme) Yes, it's sad because [br]there's a full team that worked on it

0:04:38.297,0:04:39.515
for a whole year.

0:04:39.515,0:04:41.438
This is a gift from nature.

0:04:41.438,0:04:43.012
We're insulting nature.

0:04:43.012,0:04:47.385
We're not able to keep what it gives us.

0:04:47.813,0:04:49.892
(Charlet) <i>The quotas mean all producers</i>

0:04:49.892,0:04:52.532
<i>are leaving grapes on the ground[br]to compost.</i>

0:04:52.532,0:04:56.449
<i>Something that Selosse sees [br]as particularly hard for smaller companies</i>

0:04:56.449,0:04:57.977
<i>that can't lose out on revenue.</i>

0:04:58.577,0:05:02.803
So the industry implemented a quota[br]to try and ease the crisis.

0:05:02.803,0:05:04.995
Do you think that was the right solution?

0:05:04.995,0:05:06.377
It's not a solution.

0:05:06.377,0:05:11.309
It's a way to carry on[br]while keeping everyone at ease.

0:05:11.309,0:05:14.370
I see it as a race to the bottom.

0:05:14.370,0:05:15.922
Those who make no effort,

0:05:15.922,0:05:17.475
who don't adapt,

0:05:17.475,0:05:21.894
who see vines as grape-producing machines,

0:05:21.894,0:05:24.398
they are the ones being rewarded.

0:05:25.599,0:05:30.926
So they want the good producers[br]to waste their high-quality fruits

0:05:30.926,0:05:34.545
so that they can sell[br]their poor quality fruits.

0:05:34.702,0:05:37.275
That's not how you give[br]young people a future.

0:05:38.715,0:05:42.436
These three young men[br]are the future of the region.

0:05:42.886,0:05:46.295
(Charlet) <i>For Selosse, champagne success [br]depends on innovation</i>

0:05:46.295,0:05:48.328
<i>from the next generation of winemakers.</i>

0:05:49.600,0:05:51.986
Charlet, would you like[br]a glass of champagne?

0:05:53.026,0:05:55.239
Okay. (laughter)

0:05:55.879,0:05:59.010
(Charlet) <i>But younger producers,[br]like Alexander Chartogne,</i>

0:05:59.010,0:06:02.043
<i>are also the ones[br]with the most recent investments,</i>

0:06:02.043,0:06:04.619
<i>leaving them the most at risk financially.</i>

0:06:06.300,0:06:07.297
I love it.

0:06:07.973,0:06:11.469
Would you drink this for[br]an aperitif or with food?

0:06:11.887,0:06:13.063
It depends on your mood.

0:06:13.063,0:06:14.271
It depends on the moment.

0:06:14.271,0:06:16.360
You can drink it[br]really early in the morning

0:06:16.360,0:06:18.785
or really late in the evening.[br](laughter)

0:06:19.317,0:06:20.927
This is really good, though.

0:06:22.644,0:06:25.184
(Charlet) <i>Most champagne makers[br]are doing fine.</i>

0:06:25.424,0:06:26.571
<i>For now.</i>

0:06:26.728,0:06:30.053
<i>But their future depends[br]on when the pandemic ends.</i>

0:06:30.483,0:06:34.096
<i>And more importantly, [br]if sales pick up when it does.</i>

0:06:35.146,0:06:38.734
So, of all the industries [br]that have been hurt by the pandemic,

0:06:39.570,0:06:42.100
champagne is not necessarily[br]the most sympathetic one.

0:06:42.461,0:06:45.282
Why should people care[br]that champagne's been hurt?

0:06:45.717,0:06:46.756
In many countries--

0:06:46.756,0:06:49.553
whether it's the English,[br]the Americans, the Germans--

0:06:49.553,0:06:52.168
nobody likes French people[br]but everyone loves France,

0:06:52.168,0:06:55.454
and champagne is the tip of that image.