People

Champagne is the ultimate system of celebration. It’s  the only drink you can’t really avoid.

Champagne is also a great wine in its own right. When people taste it, it can be complex, delicious and joyful. Indeed, some of the best Champagnes, such as Krug, can be considered to be among the very best wines in the world.

Despite the fact that Krug is the most expensive Champagne on the market,  it has never been associated with the bling bling society like some other brands I could mention.

We sell more in Britain, the United States, Germany and Japan than we actually do in France.

I’m a very lucky man. Wherever I go people offer me some of the very best wines in the world and so every Sunday I can go down into my cellar and choose a fantastic bottle to enjoy.

People drink Champagne for themselves and for pleasure. They drink Krug because they want to have an encounter with a truly special bottle of Champagne. They don’t do it for others or just to be seen.

Champagne is expensive. There are several reasons for this. First, Champagne is a very small wine growing area and the main issue we have is that of grape supply so the grapes there are very expensive, perhaps ten or even 20 times more expensive than elsewhere in the world. The other consideration is that the best Champagne is aged a very long time before it is released. For example, we are currently releasing the Krug 1998 vintage.

I may be the sixth generation of the family running the business but there was never any pressure on me to join the company when I was growing up. Yes, there is a tradition there but it’s got nothing to do with preserving a dynasty. It’s just about sharing the passion.

Champagne is only ten per cent of the sparkling wine markets.

I believe that the greatest Champagne can be enjoyed anywhere and at any time of the day, alone or with friends, with or without food.

I was always fascinated by Krug, unlike my brothers and sisters.

Krug is very complex but it strikes a specific balance between intensity and finesse. It has very tiny bubbles.

Japan is my baby. I spent two years there building up the Krug name and what used to be a really tiny market for us is now the biggest Krug market in the world. Japan enjoys everything about Krug, not just the taste. They like the history, the finesse, the beauty. It’s the only country where the people cry when I do tastings.

If the house of Krug disappeared overnight I would take my little boat out and go fishing for sea bass for a few weeks. That, and Champagne, obviously, is my passion.