The world’s best job? Moet & Chandon’s wine quality manager tastes bottles everyday
Marie-Christine Osselin, Moet & Chandon’s wine quality manager, has to sample up to 50 different wines a day
By Nyshka Chandran
How does a professional champagne taster stay sober throughout the day?
For Marie-Christine Osselin, Moet & Chandon’s wine quality manager, water is her best friend.
Some days involve tasting up to 50 different wines, she said, adding that there are “no normal days” at the winery, which is owned by the luxury goods company LVMH.
By having the largest supply, we have the capacity to create consistent wines every year
Based in the French province of Champagne from where the bubbly gets its name, Moet & Chandon boasts the region’s largest vineyard at 1,200 hectares
But that only meets 25 per cent of the brand’s needs, so the company also works with 450 growers in the area, gaining access to a total of 5,000 hectares.
“By having the largest supply, we have the capacity to create consistent wines every year,” Osselin said.
At the end of the initial fermentation round, the winery has “nearly 800 different wines to taste”, she said. “We succeed in maintaining quality because we have this large choice. When you have 800 wines, you can find something good.”
