– This year sees the 100-year anniversary of your partnership with AMVYX. How has this partnership helped to establish your products in the Greek market?
AMVYX has been a strong partner for Moët Hennessy over the course of the last century. Our relationship started with Moët & Chandon in 1917, for the importation and distribution of the brand in the Northern part of Greece. Keeping a partnership for such a period of time is actually quite unique, especially when we think of the many tumultuous events of the last 100 years. From the very start, friendship, sharing, and generosity have been at the heart of our relationship with Amvyx, reflecting strong values of both companies.
Moët & Chandon premium positioning early developed by Amvyx gave the brand its leadership position, now installed for many decades. Throughout time, Moët & Chandon has been introduced to every noteworthy events in the Greek public life and developed across the best places of Greece with the support of Amvyx.
Part of the success of our cooperation has been also the important room left for innovation, by proposing new products and new ways of drinking. For example, several years ago we saw that people were drinking champagne on ice – also known as a “piscine” in France. It’s a chic way to refresh yourself, but drinking brut champagne over ice dilutes the wine and can break its balance. So Moët & Chandon introduced Moët Ice Impérial, which revolutionized the champagne world: it is the first champagne created to be enjoyed over ice. In this champagne, the ice actually completes and perfects the blend’s final balance. And it can also be mixed with ingredients such as mint leaves, red fruits, or a slice of ginger, for example, to heighten its freshness and aromatic intensity.
This is a very appealing consumer proposition in Greece, and today we can see an incredible success of the product in places like Athens’ restaurants or Mykonos beach clubs. And this was possible thanks to Amvyx being a great open minded partner ready to take risks and disrupt the Greek Wines & Spirits market with us.
Isidore Revah – Guillaume Penot
– What are the next steps in this partnership?
Clearly, to continue to look ahead. Celebrate, too – as we did with Moët Party Day on 17 June: 24 hours of celebrating the unforgettable moments life has to offer. Moët lovers gathered together in various venues across the world, from bars to rooftops, beach clubs, restaurants and night clubs, creating unforgettable Moët moments. All shared on #moetpartyday of #moetmoment, with many inspiring pictures and posts coming from Greece!
– Your presence is well-established in many markets around the world. How does the per capita consumption in Greece compare to that in other countries?
Champagne exports continue to progress. Europe is still leading the way with top consumption per volume and value; USA and Japan representing also a lion share of the global market. In Greece, Champagne is appealing both to local and international consumers. Hence, we are very optimistic as we can see the local consumption as well as international tourism on the rise. We can also notice that Greece has been adopting the global cocktail bar trends in a very dynamic way over the last 5 years. This will surely be a new engine of growth for Champagne category as we can see more and more people enjoying Champagne “by the glass”, whether it’s a more classic Moët Brut Imperial or a large glass of Moët Ice Impérial, a very strong consumer proposition in a hot type of climate, like Greece.
– In terms of sales, which year has been the best so far?
We are the global leader in volume and value with Moët & Chandon, including in Greece. 2007 remains a record year for Greece but we are gradually catching-up, with strong demand in touristic islands and also in the domestic market. Our challenge and our ambition is to install Moët & Chandon in the repertoire of choice for Greek consumers, not only for celebratory milestones but also for other enjoyable moments.
– The target market for champagne is consumers over 35 with high incomes. Is there a way to keep appealing to this portion of the market, while also focusing on a younger demographic seeking different products and new options?
Moët & Chandon actually offers a unique range of wines for every occasion, every mood and every palate. So while some consumers might love to toast with our iconic Moët Impérial, or celebrate a milestone moment with Grand Vintage 2008, others might like to enjoy a glass of the innovative Moët Ice Impérial, on ice in a large glass, in its “Blanc” expression or in its “Rosé” version, recently launched in Greece and attracting new consumers.
Digital interactions are also becoming critical to engage with younger generations of Wine & Spirit consumers. Here again Moët & Chandon is leading the way, on Facebook or Instagram, where people share their best Moet Moments. The celebrations on 17 June and the relevant hashtags #moetpartyday and #moetmoment were a quite telling example of this approach.
Isidore Revah – Penot Guillaume
Julien Morel, Albert Revah, Isidore Revah
– Moët & Chandon is what people think of when it comes to champagne, as well as the ultimate drink to enjoy during our important moments. These occasions apart, though, is champagne truly established as part of the Greek culture?
We definitely see an increasing interest in champagne category across the market with volumes growing steadily for the last 5 years. It is true champagne has traditionally been associated with celebration, and Moët & Chandon’s wines are perfect for a festive toast or to mark a major milestone. But it is not just about big celebrations. Most importantly, enjoying a glass of champagne is about savoring the moment – and that can also be a quiet evening with your partner or loved ones, a beautiful sunset on the beach, or a fun night out with friends.
Champagne is also ideal for food pairings, so it can be enjoyed not only at the aperitif, but also at the table. For example, our iconic Moët Impérial can be paired with white meats, scallops, sushi, white fish, oysters, or white fruits. Association with Greek cuisine definitely can work very well. Greek consumers surely value those occasions and so it should not come as a surprise that Moët & Chandon continues to become a perfect companion.