Yvonne Lorkin looks at the latest sips of the week.
Marc Brevot likes nothing more than to take his kids to school, to sports, music, and horse riding. He loves his dog Mushka: "She looks like a golden retriever, but we have no idea of her parenting."
Brevot stopped playing guitar years ago, "which was a mistake". He also stopped cooking "because my wife is too good". He loves pottering around his house, repairing things and renovating. "I also love to swim, and this year I started rock-climbing."
Indoor rock-climbing, mind you, because he lives in Champagne (right), the French region famous for fizz which is, paradoxically, very flat.
Brevot is also one of 10 specialist winemakers who oversee production at Moet & Chandon, the most famous Champagne brand in the world and I was fortunate to be sitting next to him at a lunch recently.
Founded in 1743, the company owns over 1150ha of vineyards. To put that in perspective, that's 20 per cent of the entire vineyard area of Hawke's Bay, our second largest wine region. It also buys fruit from 3000 growers and cranks out about 28 million bottles of bubbly a year. I Googled these facts because when a journalist at the table quizzed Brevot on the exact numbers, he dodged this indelicate question with a classically French shrug: "What can I say? It is a lot."
It was all a bit posh. I tried really hard to stay quiet and nod knowledgeably until it was my turn to ask him the hard questions like, "Do you cook?" and "Do you prefer dogs or cats?"
Working for LVMH, the world's biggest luxury goods producer, he could be swimming in expensive perfume, jewellery, wine, spirits, eye-wateringly extravagant leather goods and haute couture fashion, but no. "My suit? It is not designer; it is just a 'travelling' suit that I scrunch in my suitcase and throw on again. No ironing!" he laughs. He is, however, wearing a suitably sexy watch and sports a perfect manicure - not things you'll clock on your garden-variety Kiwi winemaker.
Brevot's love of wine came through the enthusiasm of his father, a pilot in the air force. Yet he was actually dissuaded from a winemaking career. "In France, when you're not from a winemaking family it's very difficult to find work."
Brevot studied for a degree in agricultural engineering - which led to his lucky break by scoring him a job working for the LVMH group in Japan.
"It was great because now I was 'in'," he enthused. "Eventually, they asked what I wanted to do and I said 'Become a winemaker'. They offered me a position at Hennessy making cognac and I spent the next 10 years there before moving to Moet & Chandon."
The responsibility of consistently crafting the world's favourite champagne each year is one that weighs heavily on Brevot and his tight team.
"The Moet Brut Imperial NV is the most difficult wine for us to make. You have to respect centuries of a house style and replicating it every year is a real challenge," he says.
"The vintage wines are easier because they represent a one-off style."
He's also a big fan of tasting wine from other countries, "otherwise you become imprisoned in your own wine".
However, he wasn't impressed with the New Zealand sparkling served to him on his Air NZ Business Class flight - but he won't name names.
I ask whether Moet & Chandon are working on any secret projects. "Always," he says, "but I cannot tell you a thing."
SIPS OF THE WEEK
Moet & Chandon Brut Grand Vintage 2006, $99
A classic lift of lemon shortbread and cashew on the nose leads to a plush, creamy palate that's edged with white peach, crushed seashell notes and a seam of citrus. A long, luxurious finish will have you whispering "wow" after every sip.
glengarrywines.co.nz
Yealands Winemakers Reserve Gibbston Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013, $39
Dark and brooding, this is (as my Dad would say) a pinot that'll put hairs on your chest. Intensely fruity and oozing mulberry, black guava, rosehip tea and layers of spice, it also manages to be clean, juicy and deliciously complex. It has warmth and charm and all-round wonderfulness. yealands.co.nz
Saint Clair Premium Marlborough Pinot Gris 2014, $21
This is a dangerously drinkable white that is perfect for those late-afternoon, autumn cheese boards.
Juicy nashi and yellow plum punchiness on the palate is smoothed along the finish with a dusting of white pepper and peach. A hint of sweetness adds tang to the taut, clean finish.
saintclair.co.nz