Anja loved the champagne from Veuve Fourny & Fils so much that she travelled to France to meet the producers and made them an offer that has since helped to elevate their profile in Western Australia.
Four years ago I hosted a champagne tasting at a friend’s new bottle shop in Perth. We tasted our way through ten cuvées from six producers, but one particularly stood out – Veuve Fourny & Fils – a little-known producer from Vertus in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs.
In my course of research leading-up to the tasting I had read Tyson Stelzer’s comments about the two Fourny brothers - Emmanuel and Charles-Henry – and their family history dating back to 1856. The brothers’ authenticity and passion were convincing, especially reading one of the quotes from Emmanuel which resonated with me:
“Our goal is to grow the quality, not the volume, continuing to focus on the vineyards and the winery. It depends on whether your goal in life is money or pleasure. My goal is to be able to host tastings and dinners in Japan and Australia and for people to say: Your wines are wonderful! That’s the goal for me.”
On a whim I scribbled ‘Veuve Fourny & Fils Champagne Dinner’ on my blackboard at home – a place I use to collect my thoughts and plans for the future. What started off capriciously began playing on my mind. Some months later, I sent an email to the Fournys, re-counting the Perth tasting and how their philosophy and story really touched me. We exchanged conversation, and details, and in March the following year, I travelled to Champagne where I met Charles at their family estate in Vertus.
We hit it off straight away. He was fluent in English and enjoyed practicing his German with me.
I used the time to document Charles’ family history, their quest for quality and vision behind the construction of a new and sustainable winery, the importance of terroir and how pure chalk can be translated from vines into wines with mineral elegance.
I told Charles about my blackboard idea and asked if he would come to Perth. To my delight, he agreed, adding Perth to his Australian itinerary for the very first time that October. And so, an unexpected partnership was formed. Veuve Fourny’s Australian importers, De Bortoli, sourced some of my favourite wines from the Fournys and I secured award-winning Head Chef/Owner of Petite Mort, Todd Stuart, to curate a seasonal and modern menu.
My vision was to match that of Charles and Emmanuel’s; to bring all the elements together around each cuvée in an epicurean experience so that wines were highlighted by food and not detracted from.
That night in Perth, for the first time, Charles presented his champagnes to a sold-out event of food and wine lovers looking for something new. He spoke with a level of fervor for Vertus’ terroir that can only come from a deep-rooted belief in the land and commitment to his family’s craft. He was engaging. Freshness, fruitiness and minerality drive the winemaking process at Veuve Fourny, producing wines of purity and precision which were received particularly well by wine-loving attendees. Highlights included the scarce Rosé Brut Premier Cru, Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Monts de Vertus 2006, and the rare and prestige Extra Brut Cuvée Clos du Faubourg Notre Dame 2002 Vertus Premier Cru.
It may be presumptuous to think that a small dinner had any kind of bearing on the success of Veuve Fourny in Western Australia but I like to think that, in some small way, I have supported the family’s vision and hard work.
Between 2017 and 2018, sales increased by more than 150 percent in Western Australia, spurred on by a new awareness across the trade and retail scene. Diners can now find Veuve Fourny’s champagnes on wine lists at Perugino, Itsara, Petition Wine Bar, C-Restaurant and Sentinel Bar & Grill. And more retailers are stocking their wine including The Re-Store, Liquor Barons Mosman Park, Scarborough Cellars, Cellarbrations Subiaco and others. Furthermore, my relationship with Veuve Fourny has continued to grow since the dinner. It gives me great pleasure to showcase their champagnes at my regular tastings which seem all the more special since Charles’ visit.
Perth may be geographically prohibiting for some, but Charles’ visit proved that there is much to be gained by champagne producers prepared to make the journey.
