A VINTNER’S TALE

Juilette Monmousseau believes that wine is a living art, which must be practised with wisdom. The young vintner talks of growing up in the midst of wine. BY ANINDITA GHOSE

Born in the Loire region of France, Juilette Monmousseau is the fifth generation of the Monmousseau family working at Bouvet-Ladubay. Daughter of winemaker Patrice Monmousseau, she bears the legacy of the second oldest sparkling wine producing establishment in the Saumurois area.

Through her college years, Juilette worked at the Bouvet-Ladubay winery and actively participated in group visits, group tasting and selling at the wine shop to keep abreast with the family art. Trained as a graphic designer from the European School of Graphic Design and having worked in the film distribution industry for over six years, Juilette rejoined the family business in 2006. When asked if she always knew she’d be part of the wine business, she says, “I’m attached to the wine heritage and knew that I’d come back to it someday. My father was looking for someone to handle export sales and made me an offer. It provided a perfect opportunity to combine my love for travel, art and wine.”

Currently, Juliette Monmousseau’s role at Bouvet-Ladubay includes working on the export sales of Bouvet-Ladubay in the markets of India, UK, US and Scandinavia. She is also in charge of publicity and looks after export markets to ensure that the wines are regularly tasted and reviewed. With Bouvet, she has participated in organising many events in Paris, including cinema premiers, theatre premiers and the very famous Cannes Film Festival.

In India to build upon Bouvet-Ladubay’s recent alliance with Dr. Vijay Mallya’s UB Group, she answers questions to give us a peek into the elusive world of winemaking.

Tell us about the company and your father’s style of winemaking. Have you tried your hand at it?
After the World War, no one remained in the Bouvet family to take over the reins of the wine business. The winery was sold in an auction and my family, which owned another winery in the same region, acquired it. My father took over in 1970 and has put his heart and soul into it. Wine is 50 per cent about the materials and technology and 50 per cent about the man who makes it. Rather than visit the winery like a day job, you need the winemaker to sit at the winery — like my father does. I did try my hand at winemaking as part of the training that everyone who works at the winery or wine shop has to undergo.

What do you think of Indian wines?
They fall under ‘New World Wines’, which is what wines made outside of the traditional winemaking regions are called. I think the quality of these wines is improving everyday, even as we speak. I’ve visited the wineries in the Baramati area and I was very impressed.

How do you view India as a wine market, considering that spicy Indian fare does not complement the delicate taste of wine?
I was in India for around a month and travelled to all four corners and tasted the different cuisines. I didn’t have a bad experience. One must know which wines to pick though; knowledge of food pairing is crucial. The process of experimenting with different combinations can be adventurous and exciting if you keep the basics in mind.

How would you describe your brief career in the field of cinema?
My career in cinema helped me learn a lot about international business relations. I have had the opportunity to work with people from several different nationalities. Today, it is a pleasure to work with ‘family’, which includes not only my father, but also everyone at Bouvet-Ladubay.

How have you managed to combine wine and the Arts?
There is no apparent connect between the two. My father created a centre for contemporary art 15 years ago and I’m looking at organising a group exhibition of Indian artists there next year.
I’ve also actively participated in organising the ‘Les Journées du Livre et du Vin’ (the National Days of Books and Wine), which since its launch in 1995 has become a major literary event in France. For 2008, the theme is ‘Independence’ and in keeping with that we’re planning to focus on India and Israel’s 60th year of Independence. We expect 6,000 visitors and over a 100 authors. We’ve chartered special trains to get the guests down from Paris.

What is your vision for Bouvet-Ladubay?
My vision for Bouvet-Ladubay includes sharing its heritage to represent the historical wine region ‘Loire Valley — the Valley of the Kings’ with the winemaking style of my family and especially my father.