Perrine Fresne, 33, has formed an exclusive partnership with specialist online retailer, Sip Champagnes, to bring her new Champagne, Sarmate, to British consumers and the hospitality trade for the first time. Sarmate is the name of the inhabitants of Sermiers.
Female wine producers account for less seven per cent of the overall Champagne industry and Perrine is one of the very few producers to make wine purely from the village of Sermiers in the south of the Petite Montagne de Reims. Perrine is also one of the very few independent winemakers in a village dominated by a co-operative.
Sip Champagnes sources and supplies only the best small-batch, handcrafted champagne straight to consumers and the hospitality trade from France’s iconic wine region.
With the UK’s largest collection of 60 Champagne producers and over 236 individual cuvées from across 25 villages in its range, Sip Champagnes only deals with ethically sourced and artisan products direct from farmers, like Perrine Fresne.
“I’ve chosen to work with the best ambassadors for my Champagnes in the UK, who promote small producers, not big brands, and who understand the philosophy of my winemaking,” Perrine Fresne said. ” It’s really exciting to bring my wines alongside other big grower names in the UK for the first time. I’ve worked with Sip Champagnes’ co-founder, Peter Crawford, for a number of years. He’s a great connoisseur and recognised across the world of Champagne.
“I didn’t want to lose the Fresne name from Sermiers winemaking, so I’m really proud to be continuing the legacy of my parents by making Sermiers great again. By working with Sip Champagnes, I hope to introduce Sermiers to more people across the UK.
“My philosophy is to stay focused and precise, working traditionally with minimal intervention to create easy drinking wines that show the potential of the terroir. I’m also really excited about the evolution of my vinification, always with Terroir of Sermiers. All the future ‘Sarmate’ will be a unique expression of Sermiers, always different, and always the best from my village.”
In September 2022, Sip Champagnes was awarded the prestigious accolade of ‘Champagne retailer of the year’ by the world’s leading wine media brand, Decanter, who singled out the newcomer for its laser-like focus on cutting-edge wines from the region. Sip Champagnes also won The Drinks Business ‘Specialist Online Retailer of the Year Award’ for 2022.
Alongside its online store, which sells individual bottles and curated cases, Sip Champagnes also offers curated monthly subscription packages to help people enhance their understanding of the grower Champagne movement. Alongside truly exceptional bottles, there are tasting notes and even live tasting sessions with the farmers themselves.
All Sip Champagnes packaging is made from recycled material and is 100% recyclable. The company also invests in carbon offsetting programmes to reduce its environmental impact and they plant a tree for every order placed.
Perrine Fresne’s new ‘Sarmate’ No1 is now available to purchase exclusively from Sip Champagnes at £55 per bottle.
