Baker C. Blanding’s Post

Champagne lovers unite! We've asked a panel of wine experts one enormously important question: Which Champagne should we try before we die? 🍾 In the spirit of World Champagne Day 2024, they've provided us with excellent answers only. The incomparable Sam Caporn, Julian Chamberlen, Amy Christine, and Edouard Baijot all give their suggestions in this exclusive CWO.digital article 👅👃🧠 Follow the link in the comments to read the article 👇

The luxury industry continues to evolve, not just through innovative products but also through strategic leadership shifts. The recent move by LVMH to elevate Alexandre Arnault to its headquarters signals the importance of long-term succession planning 🏛️ in sustaining brand leadership. This transition reflects the delicate balance of honoring tradition while steering a company toward future growth 🚀. Such decisions underscore a critical principle for any organization: aligning leadership with strategic vision 🎯. Whether in luxury, technology, or any other sector, understanding the dynamics of leadership and consumer behavior is key to staying ahead in a competitive landscape 🌍. In today’s competitive environment, organizations across industries can draw lessons from LVMH’s approach. Succession planning is no longer just about filling roles—it’s about ensuring that leadership decisions drive both operational excellence and cultural alignment. What other strategies do you think are key for sustaining leadership and innovation in legacy businesses? #Leadership #SuccessionPlanning #LuxuryIndustry #BusinessStrategy #ExecutiveLeadership #LuxuryBrands #Innovation #FutureOfBusiness #StrategicPlanning #GlobalBusiness #BrandManagement #LuxuryMarket #CorporateLeadership #VisionaryLeadership #OrganizationalGrowth

Today, I was inspired by vitalie taittinger, President of Champagne Taittinger, a renowned Maison and an international champagne brand. In an interview, she was asked about the challenges posed by competition—both from non-champagne sparkling wines and smaller, craft-style champagne producers. Her response was brilliant and thought-provoking: "Competition is good for the business. It expands the category and pushes big brands to create new spaces for growth." Looking deeper, I discovered how Taittinger has proactively "created new spaces" by expanding its operations into England—a bold and pioneering move among Champagne houses. The company established Domaine Evremond in Kent, planting traditional Champagne grape varieties on the region's chalky soils, which closely resemble those in Champagne. This strategic venture is set to produce high-quality English sparkling wine, with the first release anticipated in early 2025. This perspective aligns perfectly with the SPICE UP philosophy. It’s a powerful reminder that, instead of fearing competition, we should embrace it as an opportunity to: ✅ Broaden Market Awareness: When more players enter the category, they educate consumers and increase demand for everyone. ✅ Drive Innovation: Competition challenges us to rethink strategies, refine offerings, and stay ahead in the market. ✅ Find New Opportunities: Creating “new spaces” means identifying niches, redefining experiences, and building stronger connections with our audiences. What are your thoughts on competition as a driver for innovation and category expansion? I’d love to hear your perspective! #Leadership #Strategy #Innovation #Champagne #Taittinger #SpiceUpModel #ProfBaeyens

Our CEO, Matthew Moersch, was recently on The Path Less Traveled podcast with host Craig Heatherly. In this podcast, Matt discusses how the company creates unique experiences, his proudest moments, leadership insights, and exciting innovations. Catch the full episode for more insights into Matthew Moersch's leadership and vision for Moersch Hospitality Group! #leadership #entrepreneurship #hospitality #innovation #wine #hospitality #industryleaders

🍾Uncork the latest insights into the 2024 Champagne market! 🥂 Dive into Cru Wine's comprehensive report to see what's bubbling up in the world of fine wines & spirits!

In light of The Economist's recent coverage on the booming Champagne market and the ground breaking Sotheby’s Champagne auction, which saw a record EUR1.35m in sales with an impressive 50% of the lots exceeding the high estimate, it's an opportune moment to re-evaluate Champagne's long-term potential. Our Senior Portfolio Manager Matthew Small examines the current market in detail in our 2024 Champagne Report. Examining the Liv-Ex Champagne 50 index, which monitors the performance of the most recent vintages of the 13 most actively traded Champagnes, presents nuanced picture. Currently trading at a 27% discount to its previous high in October 2022, the index has experienced a correction. Despite this, Champagne remains the highest-performing sub-index in the wine investment universe, with an impressive 40.8% return over 5 years. So, what's next for this effervescent beverage? Click the link below to find out more https://lnkd.in/eXca6v8r

Champagne retains its crown. When it comes to glitz and glamour, few things represent celebration quite like Champagne. As we head into the Christmas rally, the top cuvées might well have come down in price recently, but certainly not in quality, which means there are some comparative bargains to be had even among the crème de la crème. This year's most expensive Champagnes are – unsurprisingly – dominated by the big names with their various prestige cuvées: Dom Perignon heads the list, followed by Krug, James Bond’s favourite Bollinger, Louis Roederer Cristal, and Jacques Selosse. Salon, Taittinger and Perrier Jouet also feature regularly for us. Although belts have undoubtedly tightened, it's fair to say that savvy investors looking for opportunities for growth will benefit from the current market conditions and, much like the British monarchy, it will take a great deal more to knock Champagne's crown. Champagne as a region is our best performing market and the ideal starting point for most investors. To find out more please get in touch.

A 'Scottish Oak Programme'. Great news. More Scotch Whisky Casks, for the future. As an aside, how many Scotch Whisky Casks, in total, are already resting, in Scotland? What do you reckon? Even the 'Scottish Business Leaders' I ask are always MILES out! The 'official' Scotch Whisky Association figure is 'about 20,000,000'. Twenty Million. I've been told, by very senior Scotch Whisky Figures, who know about this sort of thing, it's 'about 45,000,000'. Others, high up in the 'Whisky Industry' suggest even more than this, 65,000,000. That's Sixty Five Million. Whatever the true amount, the 'American Standard Barrel' makes up the lion's share of this. Each one holds 271-314 bottles (that pesky Angel's Share 'alcohol evaporation' and age causes the alarming discrepancy!). But, if it's a 'Butt', you can expect 670-700 bottles, from just one Cask. A few Distilleries use 'Port Pipes', which are even bigger! Hmm... Port Pipe Scotch Whisky, yum! There's lots of different Casks, Puncheons, Barriques, Quarter Casks, Port Pipes, och, loads. Suffice to say, the average Scot just doesn't have a clue about the true amount. Only one rule, it has to be Oak. Old, new, French, Scottish, American, second/third hand, it doesn't matter. This further complicates things. Convenient, or inconvenient, depends if you're buying, or selling! As they're not told anything NEAR the truth, you can't really blame the average Scot for being totally clueless here! Anyway, who cares? It surely can't be that important? Well, in Scotland, we've 'got form' in undervaluing our natural resources so, now we have one, that's GETTING MORE PLENTIFUL and ISN'T running out, it IS important. Also, as you've probably read, a 25/30/40 year old Cask of Scotch is worth 'rather a lot'. Scotland has quite a few of these. We mentioned that pesky 'Angel's Share' so science tells us, older Casks contain less Scotch Whisky and 'certain Distilleries' can flog them, at an enormous premium. Add this to the algorithm. Soon, a 21st-Century Cask will be 25 years old. Do you know how much a 25 year old bottle of Scotch Whisky is? A bottle of Glenfarclas is about... £200. A bottle of The Macallan is about...£2000! It's complicated but probably explains why a nice Cask of The Macallan is a million quid now and they have the best booze 'Visitor Centre' on the Planet. Anyone good at 'sums'? #ScotchWhiskyTruths

Unexpected ways diversity in winemaking makes your life better: - Rich traditions - Unique flavors - Inclusive community - Heritage wines - Black excellence Every person should celebrate diversity in wine.

3rd day from the trip to Italy and we went wine tasting, those of you that know me, wine is what I do about the weather not what I'd drink, loved the food that was with the wine and how it actually affected the taste of the wine. learning something new every day. #underfloorheating #underfloorheatingspecialists #ufh #screed #screeding #screedlife #floorscreed #floorscreeding #ukconstruction #houserenovation #floorscreeder #extension #flooring #construction #ScreedSheffield #FloorScreeding #LiquidScreed #FlowingScreed #UnderfloorHeating #UFH #underfloorheating #underfloorheatingsystem #underfloorheatingspecialists #underfloorheatinginstallation #floorscreeding #ufh #ufhdesign #topofourgame #liquidscreed #overlay #renovation #renewabletechnology #flowingScreed #screed