THE NAVIGATOR | FEATURE Each bottle includes detailed information on the origin of the grapes and the talented winemakers in the cellar, but the labelling also highlights the precise sugar content of each release. All of the EPC champagnes are classified as ‘Extra Brut’, meaning they have a dosage level of 6g of sugar per litre. For context, the regulations governing champagne allow a Brut champagne to contain up to 12g of sugar per litre. Sulphites are also kept to a minimum. Irreverent tasting notes help you know what to expect in the glass, but also look out for their tongue-in-cheek ‘Opening Pretext’ – ‘I want to impress my father-in-law’, or ‘The night is young and so are you’ – while a temperaturesensitive marker turns blue when the bottle is at the perfect drinking temperature. A hidden message beneath the foil hood of each bottle further ups the intrigue and sense of playful abandon. “It’s a very competitive market, and if you want to have a chance to stand out you need to bring something new to the consumer,” explains Gilardi. “The vision of EPC is really to reinvent the full value chain of champagne, from a partnership process with winemakers through to the bottle, the transparency and the DNA of our marketing.” But, that counts for nothing if what’s in the glass isn’t up to scratch. Happily, EPC is already knocking it out of the park with their portfolio of premium cuvées. While the EPC Blanc de Blancs is what Gilardi calls “the core of our journey”, it’s also worth looking out for the remarkable EPC Blanc de Blancs Nature. Despite no added dosage, the naturally rounded character of the wine – thanks largely to the process of malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks – allows for a remarkably easy drinking Brut Nature. “Wine lovers will love this,” says Gilardi. “It’s really a tribute to champagne.” 120
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