How one Champagne house draws from the world of whisky

Champagne Collery finds inspiration for its award-winning cuvées in many fields, and one of the more surprising is whisky. db uncovers the parallels between the two worlds. In the world of wine, you often have to turn to less common vocabulary in order to convey a taste. Among the more unusual terms is ‘empyreumatic’, a word derived from the Greek 'pyros', meaning fire. It refers to the tasty, smoky, cooked aromas that come with flames. Although seldom used in everyday conversation, it fits a useful niche in identifying flavours difficult to otherwise summarise. In fact, it is so useful that Champagne Collery has adopted EmpyreumatiC as the name for its single vintage expression. Currently on the 2014 vintage, it is a celebration of the spicy, toasty aromas that older Champagnes can offer. In particular, it is designed to serve as the ideal companion for umami-based dishes. It is a flavour profile one might associate more with whiskies, foregrounding smokiness, toast and spice over the fruity aromas that most wines offer. That is far from coincidence. Romain Levecque, whose remit spans sales, marketing and winemaking at Champagne Collery, often thinks of whisky when considering how to develop his Champagne range. “There are many things in the world of whisky that are very inspiring,” he explains. “We’re never going to make a whisky, but there are a lot of elements that are actually very similar in the mindset.”

Parallel worlds

You see similarities with whisky, for instance, in Champagne Collery’s product range. It is divided between blends, which prioritise harmony between their elements, single varietal wines that highlight their specific characteristics and the vintage wine which demonstrates ageing potential. That mirrors the approach of many whisky houses, who might produce blends, single malts and whiskies with age statements. Crucially, and like the world of whisky, they exist with no hierarchy. You can find both blended and single malt whiskies among the world’s most revered bottles, and at a full range of price points. The difference is in intention, rather than a clear dividing line of quality. Likewise, Collery’s range is not presented as a hierarchy, but rather as a series of options. You see it too in the winemaking. Thanks to its roots in Aÿ, Pinot Noir runs through Collery, and Levecque is a proud advocate for it. The grape variety, in Champagne, offers a savoury character, particularly with age. Compared to Chardonnay, its potential aromas of cocoa, leather and toast are closer to the whisky spectrum. Meanwhile, Levecque is always keen to emphasise the importance of dosage in his wines. Collery’s cuvées are always either Brut or Extra Brut, and the dosage is, in fact, the only difference between the two blended non-vintage cuvées. This also has a parallel with the world of whisky: “If you think about our explanation of dosage,” he says, “it’s like the cask finish of whiskies.” And finally, one sees the parallels in the brand presentation. Like many of the best whisky houses, Collery uses restrained designs and emphasises quality in its communications, a far cry from some of the flashiest sparkling wine brands. “I don’t want a guy with a big gold chain and diamonds partying and spraying Champagne,” Levecque comments. “I relate much more to members of a whisky club.”

Top quality cuvées

Whether a partygoer or not, it is hard to contest that spraying Champagne Collery would be a waste. Three of its cuvées, including the EmpyreumatiC received Gold medals at the Champagne Masters 2025, putting them in elite company as judged blind by Masters of Wine. Below, Patricia Stefanowicz MW offers her tasting notes for Champagne Collery’s cuvées.

Champagne Collery Brut Grand Cru NV

• Producer: Champagne Collery
• Region: Champagne
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
• Abv: 12.0%
• Vintage: NV
• Closure: Champagne Cork
• Approx. retail price: £40.00
• Medal: Gold

A delicious non-vintage with a touch of oak, the wine has a pale gold colour and a narrow cordon and red raspberry, yellow apple and white peach fruit accented by buttered toast, hazelnut and a touch of acacia honey. Densely-flavoured, the Brut-style (7 g/l dosage) palate is balanced by lively acidity and brittle mousse texture. Long and with well-defined flavours, the wine will pair well with smoked salmon and horseradish cream mousseline.

Champagne Collery EmpyreumatiC 2014

• Producer: Champagne Collery
• Region: Champagne
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
• Abv: 12.0%
• Vintage: 2014
• Closure: Champagne Cork
• Approx. retail price: £99.00
• Medal: Gold

From 100% Grand Cru vineyards comes this fantastic Champagne. The vins clairs are aged in oak: 50% in 10hl cask and 50% in 2nd and 3rd fill Burgundy barriques and American oak barrels. The wine is a mid-gold hue with persistent bubbles and displays ultra-ripe yellow fruits with orange zest and lemon custard and vanilla and butter accents. Intensely-flavoured Brut-style (9g/l dosage), the palate is quite full-bodied and rich with lively acidity and creamy-textured mousse. Long and plush, the wine will suit an umami dish, such as lasagne of sole and spinach in a Stilton-Caerphilly béchamel sauce.

Champagne Collery Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru NV

• Producer: Champagne Collery
• Region: Champagne
• Country: France
• Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir
• Abv: 12.0%
• Vintage: NV
• Closure: Champagne Cork
• Approx. retail price: £59.00
• Medal: Gold

Really delicious, the wine has a medium yellow-gold colour with tiny bubbles and bold raspberry, black cherry and wild strawberry fruit accented by hazelnut, forest honey and cinnamon notes. Richly-fruited and densely-flavoured, the Brut-style (7g/l dosage) palate is balanced by lively acidity and creamy mousse texture. Long, savoury and well-defined, the wine will work well with sautéed pigeon breasts in a gently-spiced barberry-red wine sauce.