Christine Léguillette from Champagne Léguillette-Romelot, cultivates 8 hectares of vineyards in the municipality of Charly-sur-Marne in the Marne Valley, creating a unique collection of champagnes from old grape varieties.
📖Read her answers to our Proust Questionnaire!
1- My favorite pastime: Reading, especially crime novels or historical fiction.
2- If I weren't a winemaker, I would be? A literature professor or an archaeologist: the former is my main profession, the latter my dream.
3- The place I love outside of Champagne: Queyras, this place in the Southern Alps where I recharge, surrounded by these high peaks, lost in this valley at the end of the world. But I go there far too rarely now...
4- The best compliment my champagne has received: The best compliment is seeing the eyes of the person tasting the champagne light up and hearing them say they have no words.
5- The drink I prefer besides champagne: Dry, fruity white wine, such as Chablis or Saint Veran, or a Bordeaux Blanc, or a beautiful Chardonnay, no matter the region. A good, cold beer after a walk or gardening in the sun is also not bad, but it has to be a blonde beer!
6- What is my Madeleine? the dish that makes me feel good: Eating brains my mother's way, blanched and then pan-fried in a savory salted butter... all with potatoes braised my grandmother's way... Delicious!
7- The word/phrase I like best: "There are much worse things that never happen." This is a phrase my friend and I always repeat to each other when we're feeling down... over a good glass of wine... white for me, red for her.
8 - My favorite musicians/singers: I can listen to Goldman, Polnareff, Sardou on repeat, but also Strauss (Johann is my favorite!). I really like jazz and country. Music is important. I grew up in this world... modestly... but my father, my grandfathers and one of my great-uncles played music in my hometown's brass band, and I participated in concerts (by selling programs and helping to run the bar from a young age) and parades in my own way - later I joined and also performed and marched in parades... After a few years break, I recently started again with a small group that focuses more on blues and jazz.
9- The object I use/love the most: My phone, like everyone else nowadays. But this object is a real plague!!!
10- The changes in the operation/world of Champagne that I appreciate the most: I have the impression that women winemakers are more prominent, that they are less "hidden"... I see them more and more often in meetings. This predominantly male and still somewhat macho world is slowly evolving.
In Charly, my colleagues have gotten used to seeing me. My husband used to go, he was the boss!!!, and when I took over, I was surprised at first, then amused... not anymore... and my opinion counts, I think.
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Original in French:
1- Mon occupation préférée : la lecture, surtout les polars ou les romans historiques
2- Si je n’étais pas vigneron.ne, je serais ? professeur de lettres ou archéologue : le premier est mon métier premier, le second mon rêve
3- L'endroit que j'aime en dehors de la Champagne : le Queyras, ce lieu dans les Alpes du Sud où je me ressource, entourée par ces hautes sommets, perdue dans cette vallée au bout du monde. Mais j’y vais maintenant trop rarement…
4- Le meilleur compliment qu'on ait pu faire à mon/mes champagnes : Le compliment le meilleur est de voir briller les yeux de la personne qui déguste et qui vous dit qu’il/elle n’a pas de mots
5- La boisson que je préfère en dehors du champagne : le vin blanc sec et fruité, type Chablis ou Saint Véran, ou un Bordeaux Blanc, ou un joli Chardonnay quelle que soit la région.
Une bonne bière bien fraîche après une balade ou du jardinage sous le soleil, ce n’est pas mal non plus.. mais blonde, la bière !!
6- Quel est ma madeleine? le plat qui me fait du bien : manger de la cervelle à la manière de ma mère, blanchie puis revenue dans un beurre salé gourmand… le tout accompagnée de pommes de terre à l’étouffée à la manière de ma grand-mère … Miam
7- Le mot /la phrase que je préfère : « il y a des choses bien pires qui n’arrivent jamais ». C’est une phrase que l’on se répète en boucle, mon amie et moi, quand on a des coups de cafard… devant un bon verre de vin … Blanc pour moi, rouge pour elle
8 - My favorite musicians/singers:
I can listen to Goldman, Polnareff, Sardou on
loop, but also Strauss (Johan is my favorite!). I also really like
jazz and country.
Music is important. I grew up in this world... modest... but my
father, my grandfathers, one of my great-uncles played music in
my hometown's band, and I participated in my own way in concerts (by
selling programs, helping at the refreshment stand from a very young age) and
parades - then I joined them and I also played concerts
and parades... after a few years' break, I recently started again
with a small group more focused on blues and jazz.
9- The object I use/love the most: my phone, like everyone else today. But this object is a real pain!!
10- The changes in champagne production/the world of
champagne that I appreciate the most: I have the
impression that women viticulturists are being more highlighted, that they are less
"hidden"... I see more and more of them in meetings. This predominantly
male, and still a bit chauvinistic, world is slowly evolving.
In Charly, colleagues have gotten used to seeing me. Previously, my husband went
there, he was the boss!!, and when I took over, I felt surprise at first then amusement...
not anymore... and my opinion counts, I think.
On the estate, developing this range of Old Grape Varieties and then taking it
to export was a challenge. My team delivers!!
