Caroline Latrive of Champagne Ayala: Women Winemaker Q&A
Caroline Latrive is Chef de Cave of Champagne Ayala, where the house style is always Chardonnay-oriented, with at least 40% Chardonnay in its cuvées.
We spoke with Caroline for our Women Winemakers Q&A series about her approach to winemaking, the magic of Champagne Ayala, her path to becoming a cellarmaster and her can't-fail food and wine pairing.
Winemaking and the Magic of Ayala
How would you describe your approach to winemaking? What makes that unique?
The purpose of winemaking for me is clear: to let the wines express themselves by grape-variety, by village and cru, and by vintage too. This is to obtain the largest and widest range of wines to blend. Winemaking is unique every year, because every year is different. The harvest, climate condition, acidity, maturity, expression of the grapes... each year is unique. But despite those differences, we aim to create the same cuvées every year and to maintain our style, which is always Chardonnay-oriented (we have at least 40% of Chardonnay in our cuvées).
How would you describe the magic of Champagne Ayala?
We must speak about Ayala in terms of different kinds of magic. Why? Take a bottle of Champagne, pour the nectar into your glass, and create an event with different characters. You will obtain a kind of magic that is unique and different from that of your neighbour... Each Champagne Ayala is unique, each moment is unique, each person as well.
But one driving line that describes Champagne Ayala: "an amazing freshness, a pure line and a great silky texture."
Becoming a Cellarmaster, and a Perfect Pairing
What's one thing people wouldn't know or expect about your path to becoming a winemaker?
There is no specific rule to be or become a cellarmaster, but to be a winemaker, you need a scientific background (for sure, but not only). You must also feel the wines. You must respect their fundamental identity in order to create and sublimate the wines. You must be passionate and creative in order to imagine their beginning and their future.
What's your can't-fail food and wine pairing?
One of my favorite food pairings for Champagne Ayala is a carpaccio of scallops with a touch of olive oil and a zest of lemon, nothing else... pure and raw.
Shop Champagne Ayala Wines
Every Ayala cuvée carries at least 40% Chardonnay, and Caroline sums up the house as "an amazing freshness, a pure line and a great silky texture."
