9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So when a region of the world [br]becomes known for a specific type of food,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they'll go to great lengths to protect it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I mean, let's look at Kobe beef.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It can only be called that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if it meets a very particular[br]set of requirements,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
including that the cow was born, fed, [br]and slaughtered in a region of Japan

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that includes the city of Kobe.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Quebec regulates who can sell maple syrup

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the government even keeps[br]a strategic reserve.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
French champagne is from, you guessed it, [br]the Champagne region of France

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it's heavily regulated.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But the pandemic is exposing [br]the behind-the-scenes drama

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about how it's produced.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
DYING ON THE VINE

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You must hold it like this[br]and tap, all the way up.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Okay.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I use the back of the knife.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
- Here, this part. OK.[br]- Yes, that part.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Okay, merci.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Oh, it's quite heavy.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Okay.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is very difficult.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Whoaaaaa!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>There were many reasons [br]to break out the champagne sabre in 2020.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Whooooo!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>And that's bad news[br]for Charles Duval-Leroy and his family.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Merci.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is what we have today for [br]Femme de Champagne: non-vintage.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is more of apéritif-style vintage.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We stay in the frame [br]of elegance and finesse.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Duval-Leroy has been in[br]this business for 150 years.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>They produce more than[br]2 million bottles annually</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>for big clients like Delta Airlines</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>and the Moulin Rouge.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>With Covid-19 keeping planes on the ground</i>[br]<i>and event spaces closed,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>sales have plummeted by almost 40%,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>and the champagne industry[br]has had to take drastic action.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is an unusual year.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We had a good harvest,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but due to this COVID-19 crisis,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we couldn't harvest all the grapes.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As you can see, [br]there are a lot of grapes left.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a frustrating year for us.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If I didn't the context,[br]it looks like sabotage.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's really something unprecedented.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are so many times[br]that we ask ourselves

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if there's a new wine-making method.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No, it's just throwing the grapes[br]on the ground.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It makes no sense.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
With the sales dropping [br]throughout the year,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how did the industry respond?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The first step was to say,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Let's reduce quotas.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If we reduce quotas, we reduce production.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We won't inflate the stock[br]that hasn't been sold."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a truly collective response[br]to lower production,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which is why we have left grapes[br]on the vine today.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a heartbreaking response,[br]but we know it's necessary

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for the long term in Champagne.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>Champagne has spent decades[br]meticulously curating a global image</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>as the way to mark special occasions.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>It's this type of deliberate management</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>that led to cutting production[br]by 100 million bottles this year</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>to prop up prices,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>but the decision left [br]over 10,000 tons of grapes to waste away,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>and it didn't necessarily account for issues</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>that were already threatening [br]champagne's reign</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>as a celebratory drink of choice.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Can you talk a little bit about [br]the state of of the champagne industry

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
before the pandemic hit?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because I remember there was already[br]talk of champagne

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
having a little bit of an image crisis

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
before COVID.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Since 2008, champagne [br]hasn't regained its sales

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
simply because the final consumer,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
due to to economic issues,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
has shifted from champagne [br]to other alcohols

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or other apéritif, of course.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Champagne hasn't benefited yet[br]from Instagram.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We see more and more that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there is an audience that[br]needs to show itself

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with a big glass with lots of ice[br]and colors in it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A gin and tonic that's well prepared

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and looks beautiful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And champagne is very elegant,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but it's served in a small glass[br]with not a lot in it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's too discreet to take a selfie[br]or a photo with.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Look, I'm in a dreamy landscape."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>But some smaller producers [br]have a different take</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>on the right response to the crisis.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The color is incredible,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it looks like Roussanne [grapes].

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>While the big names [br]in the industry</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>sell millions of bottles each year,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Alselme Selosse makes only about 50,000[br]and each one can go for hundreds of euros.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're looking for the grapes' stems.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) Like this?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Anselme) Yes. And then, on the soil.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) No? That's sad.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Anselme) Yes, it's sad because there's[br]a full team that worked on it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for a whole year.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is a gift from nature.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're insulting nature.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're not able to keep what it gives us.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>The quotas mean all producers[br]are leaving grapes on the ground</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>to compost.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Something that Selosse sees [br]as particularly hard for smaller companies</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>that can't lose out on revenue.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So the industry implemented a[br]quota to try and ease the crisis.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do you think that was the right solution?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's not a solution.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a way to carry on[br]while keeping everyone at ease.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I see it as a race to the bottom.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Those who make no effort, who don't adapt,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who see vines as grape-producing machines,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they are the ones being rewarded.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So they want the good producers[br]to waste their high-quality fruits

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so that they can sell[br]their poor quality fruits.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That's not how you give[br]young people a future.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These three young men[br]are the future of the region.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>For Selosse, champagne success [br]depends on innovation</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>from the next generation of winemakers.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Charlet, would you like[br]a glass of champagne?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Okay. (laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>But younger producers[br]like Alexander Chartogne</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>are also the ones[br]with the most recent investments,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>leaving them the most at risk financially.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I love it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Would you drink this for[br]an aperitif or with food?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It depends on your mood.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It depends on the moment.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You can drink it[br]really early in the morning

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or really late in the evening.[br](laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is really good, though.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Charlet) <i>Most champagne makers[br]are doing fine</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>for now.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>But their future depends[br]on when the pandemic ends.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>And more importantly, [br]if sales pick up when it does.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Of all the industries [br]that have been hurt by the pandemic,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
champagne is not necessarily[br]the most sympathetic one.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Why should people care[br]that champagne's been hurt?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In many countries--[br]whether it's the English,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Americans, the Germans--

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
nobody likes French people[br]but everyone loves France,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and champagne is the tip of that image.