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How A-list backers are driving Champagne Telmont’s green goals
Champagne Telmont has made its official launch in Hong Kong, with cellar master Bertrand Lhôpital sharing the famous faces behind its sustainable objectives.
During the virtual launch of Champagne Telmont in Hong Kong, Bertrand Lhôpital, cellar master and head of viticulture for the house, spoke about his vision of wine making, where sustainability holds the core.
The winery began its organic conversion some time ago and obtained its first certification for part of the vineyards of its estate in 2017. Today, 72% of the estate’s 24.5 hectares are certified in organic agriculture or are in the process of conversion.
“The aim is to convert 100% of our vineyards to organic by 2025,” said Lhôpital, who added that by 2031 the house intends to have established organic agriculture on all of its cultivated areas, as well as those of its partner winegrowers, which represent 56.5 hectares. These partners will be supported by Champagne Telmont in their shift towards organic agriculture.
The second objective is to work on the eco-design of Telmont’s products. From 2021, Telmont made the choice to focus on “the bottle and nothing but the bottle”, with all production and use of outer packaging or gift boxes to be discontinued this year, to be replaced by only green bottles, 100% recyclable and made from 85% recycled glass.
“Even though the bottles are made of recycled glass, the wine can still age well as far as we see,” explained Lhôpital.
Moreover, the house is also experimenting with light-weight bottles, which are 35 grams lighter than the current weight, to reduce carbon emissions.
The first batch of light-weight bottles will be available from 2025. The house is also exploring an experimental method of reusing bottles for other wine or cider productions.
Another change made on the bottle is the intensified efforts of Telmont in traceability and information – each bottle will be numbered, enabling its production itinerary to be traced. As of this year, the front labels will contain all production-related information and detailed contents.
Commenting on the recent company changes, made since Rémy Cointreau came on board as majority shareholder in 2020, Lhôpital said, “both our family and Rémy Cointreau’s share the same value towards terroir and people. To me, it’s a natural process for this acquisition to take place and we are happy that we can continue our Champagne house heritage with the opportunity to reveal what we have done for over a century. We really enjoy this adventure so far.”
“We are also honoured to have Leonardo Dicaprio as our recent investor. He is one of the most influential figures for environmental conservation and biodiversity in the world. He understands what we are proposing for the brand and can help spread a stronger message.”
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