# Meet the Woman Bringing a Caribbean Twist to French Champagne > Marie-Ines Romel is breaking the mold of the champagne world by bringing Caribbean flavors to an elite drink. Here is her inspiring success story. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/mariines-romel-ruinuie-stereotypy-u-sviti-shampanskoho-pryvnosiachy-karybski-notky-v-elitnyi-napii/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-02-22 - Categories: Culture, Historic Sites, Leisure, Restaurants, France, Food & Drinks --- A region in northern France, roughly twice the size of San Francisco, is the birthplace of a revered sparkling wine that has become a byword for wealth, luxury and exclusivity. Champagne, the name of both the region and the drink, sells around 300 million bottles a year, and the industry is worth more than 5 billion dollars. And no bottle of sparkling wine produced outside this one-of-a-kind region can ever be labeled or called champagne. But one woman is bringing a taste of the French Caribbean into this world of elites. Marie-Ines Romel, 42, and her label Marie Cesaire are weaving in the culture of her native Guadeloupe, making her the first Black woman to break into the exclusive world of champagne producers. The special ingredient in Marie Cesaire champagne is sugarcane, a crop most commonly grown in the Caribbean. Instead of choosing the beet sugar traditionally used in champagne production, Romel adds sugarcane extract to craft flavors designed to appeal to the African diaspora. ## Lychee and Rose Aromas According to Stanley Baptiste, sommelier at the La Petite Regalade restaurant in Paris, Romel's decision to use sugarcane in higher proportions than the current market average sets her flavors apart from other brands. "Her rosé coats the palate with a bouquet of red fruits and hints of lychee and rose. Her white wines are very fresh, with notes of ripe white fruit and a touch of exotic fruit extract. Her wines create a contrast between freshness and sweetness that captivates the senses," Baptiste says. Born in Guadeloupe, Romel left the Caribbean island with her parents at the age of three. She grew up in the suburbs of Paris, where, she says, she found her strength. "I ended up in a tough environment because of poverty. But it helped me learn focus, it taught me to be ambitious and to strive to better my situation," she says. ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-111-1-2024.jpg) The brand is named after Romel's parents and is also a nod to her Caribbean heritage. The logo features a hummingbird and the names Marie and Cesaire, two of the most popular in the French Caribbean. Romel's love of champagne took root when she began her career in food retail. "When I turned 18, I got a job at a shop that specialized in French delicacies. I wasn't all that familiar with French culture. But my time there was where I fell in love with champagne and understood how important it is to France." Marcia Jones, founder of Urban Connoisseurs, an organization that brings together Black winemakers in the United States, says Romel has created an approachable wine that can appeal to everyone. "The residual sugar from the sugarcane is what makes her wines special. Her wines come across as smooth and not overly sweet," Jones says. "But I think she appeals so strongly to Black people because she is one of the few Black champagne producers. There are others who have a brand, but she is directly involved in the process from grape to glass." ## Just a Champagne Producer Romel's main goal with her champagne brand is to be a source of inspiration for anyone who wants to chase their dreams. "I want to prove to people that no matter your background or where you come from, you can succeed. If you stay focused on what you want, you can do anything you set your mind to," Romel says. After years of working her way up to a management role overseeing five grocery stores and 66 employees, she moved to the Champagne region of France to launch her brand. And Romel is determined that she will not be the only woman of color in the champagne world. "I will know I have succeeded when people stop noticing me, when they see me not as a woman of color who makes champagne, but simply as a champagne producer." "I work as hard as I possibly can to make sure doors of opportunity open for everyone who wants to work in this industry. The main reason I work so hard is so that others can achieve what I have." But restaurateur Maxime Chenet believes that brands like Marie Cesaire need to move away from the traditional approach to winemaking in order to become more sustainable. "For years we used chemicals to grow more grapes and produce more bottles of wine. Using those products led to contamination of the soil where we grow our grapes," he says. "The champagne house behind Marie-Cesaire is traditional in the sense that chemicals are used in the vine-growing process. For me, that erases the idea of terroir, the protection of the whole natural environment in which a particular wine is made, which gets lost in the process." But for Stanley Baptiste, all the conversation around Marie Cesaire is a sign that the brand has a bright future ahead. "Our profession is constantly evolving. We are always looking for innovation, new flavors and deeper knowledge," he says. "Inevitably, Marie Cesaire, a young brand, has caught the attention of the champagne world thanks to the beautiful yet distinctive flavors it has led us to discover."