“I’ve always had a strong connection with food,” Charlotte Lassine says. “For me, meals have always been about conviviality. That’s what got me interested in wine.” After spending many evenings tasting Italian and French wines with her father, it was a Barbaresco that made a lasting impression on her and--perhaps--her destiny. “I liked this wine so much that I said to myself: why not create my own?”
So, in March, Charlotte took a bold decision. “One evening, I was in Paris tasting a fine wine when I said to myself: in a month’s time, I’m going to launch my own business. While she put together her business plan, supported by her passion for wine and her first oenology courses, she set off in search of winegrowers willing to accompany her on this adventure. Ramatuelle, on the Côte d’Azur, quickly became the obvious choice. “We spend our summers in the south of France and I’ve always had a strong connection with this region. What’s more, the aesthetics of this Provençal culture inspire me.”
Although the stars immediately seemed to align for her, the road was not without obstacles. Charlotte was turned down several times before she came across a small estate run by two young winemakers who, won over by her enthusiasm and vision, agreed to work together. Together, they created a red wine for her. “It was intimidating,” she recalls. “They were waiting for my reaction when they tasted our first creation. Fortunately, we hit it off straight away. We’ve been working together for five months now and I really want to continue alongside them.”
Charlotte knows that being a young woman in the world of wine can come as a surprise. “I felt a lot of scepticism at first,” she admits. “The winemakers, who are often older and male, found it hard to believe that a young woman of 21 could seriously invest herself in this project. But I didn’t let that put me off.” Her secret? Passion. “I love what I do. And I think that’s what attracts people.”
In just a few months, her wine has already caused a sensation in Luxembourg, where she has sold almost a quarter of her 400 cases. “It’s a promising start and it motivates me to keep going.” For the future, she plans to launch a rosé next April and is even considering exporting her wine to Paris, where she plans to distribute it in her favourite bars. What’s the point of making wine if you can't share it with as many people as possible? Between her studies, going back and forth between Paris and Luxembourg to run her business and her growing ambitions, Charlotte never stops. “I’m already thinking about the next step,” she smiles. “But sometimes you just have to savour the small successes.”
This article was written in French for the November 2024 issue of Paperjam magazine, published on 23 October. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the website as a contribution to the complete Paperjam archive. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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