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Liberty Wines to distribute Piper-Heidsieck in UK
Liberty Wines is to become UK agent for Champagne Piper-Heidsieck and its Rare label from 1 March this year.
The move will see Piper-Heidsieck and its prestige cuvée expression, called Rare, end a decade-long partnership with William Grant & Sons, former distributors of both Champagnes in the UK.
It will also see Piper join sister house, Charles Heidsieck at Liberty Wines – the UK distributor for the latter brand since 2012.
David Gleave, managing director at Liberty Wines, commented “We are pleased that Piper-Heidsieck and Rare have chosen Liberty Wines to extend their distribution in the UK. We are extremely proud of the work we have done with Charles Heidsieck since 2012 and feel that Piper and Rare complement our current Champagne portfolio, so will greatly strengthen what we can offer our customers.”
Meanwhile, Neil Barker, managing director at William Grant & Sons in the UK, commented “After a decade of successfully distributing Piper-Heidsieck and Rare in the UK, we decided the time was right to focus our attention on continuing to build our premium spirits portfolio. Having worked in partnership on plans with Damien and his team over the last year, I’m delighted to pass these incredible Champagne brands on in great shape following a strong year of growth in 2018 in the UK.”
Finally, Damien Lafaurie, CEO of Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck, said, “We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Liberty Wines, who we trust to build upon the excellent work done by William Grant & Sons over the past 10 years. Liberty Wines’ service and experience across the UK wine trade make them an ideal fit for these Grande Marques Champagnes, and we are excited about the opportunity this presents for our customers.”
Piper-Heidsieck, Rare and Charles Heidsieck are owned by French luxury goods group EPI, which bought the houses from Rémy Cointreau in 2011.
The winemaking for Piper-Heidsieck and Rare is directed by the highly respected Régis Camus, who oversees the making of all the Rare wines, alongside the recently appointed Piper-Heidsieck chef de cave, Emilien Boutillat.
Meanwhile, the winemaking at Charles Heidsieck is managed by Cyril Brun, formerly a cellar master at Veuve Clicquot.