Claude Taittinger’s daughter goes solo in Champagne

(Decanter) - Virginie Taittinger, once the 'princess' of her family's Champagne dynasty, has returned to the scene with her own cuvee.

The daughter of Claude Taittinger has 800 private customers in Western Europe signed up to her direct delivery service for ‘Virginie T’ non-vintage Brut and rosé Champagnes, with the Brut priced at GBP29.5-a-bottle for first time buyers via her website.

Her aim is to double the number of customers in the next year, she told decanter.com during a visit to London this week, while also announcing that, as of this month, she has her own winery in Sillery, near Reims.

Once referred to in press circles as the ‘princess of Champagne’, Virginie worked alongside her father in the Taittinger dynasty for 21 years. But, she left at the same time as him in 2006, not long after Starwood Capital gained control of the business in a deal worth EUR2.6bn.

‘I was disappointed, because I realised that all of the family wanted to sell, and it was a part of my life,’ she said. ‘I was famous, and part of me liked being at a high [social] level.’

In early 2007, the family returned to the business alongside Credit Agricole, with Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger taking a 37% stake in a new-look Taittinger.

But, Virginie Taittinger said she had already decided to branch out, at least partly to escape the ‘comfort’ of Taittinger. Not working, she added, was not an option. 'I was too young to retire, and too old to be drunk every day.'

She added, ‘first, I had to wash my mouth of the Taittinger flavour. I studied all of the Champagne country, from Cotes de Blancs to the Vallee Marne to Montagne de Reims.'