A bright facade, a new car park, an educational vineyard, the Covama-Champagne Pannier cooperative expands its wine tourism offer to its growing visitors.
After a year of work, the Covama-Champagne Pannier offers tourists who love bubbles more comfortable access conditions with the creation of a large green and wooded car park under the buildings with around a hundred spaces connected to the hall. Reception by natural stone staircase. In front of the entrance of the cooperative, an esplanade installed on the road that has been rehabilitated for the occasion, ensures access to the premises whose facades have been completely restored. The cooperative built between the 30s and today thus finds a sobriety and homogeneity with white walls, an entrance that combines glass and metal and a wrought iron door that ends a low wall. The work mobilized 4.5 million euros entirely by Covama-Champagne Pannier, which did not receive any subsidy or public aid for this project. “La Covama is the western gate of the appellation less than an hour from Paris and since the early 2000s we have been developing our wine tourism offer to better meet an increasingly important demand after registration. De Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 ”, explains Laure Cuilhé, marketing and communication director of the cooperative.
An educational vine
In 2016, the Covama hosted nearly 10,000 French and international visitors and some 120 business seminars from all regions of France.Medieval wineries of the 12th century, a unique heritage in Champagne, the 300-seat amphitheater and meeting rooms allow it to adapt to several custom delivery requests Four full-time jobs are needed to support the growing business of wine tourism , with an expected growth of 50% by 2022.Originality of the site, a small pedagogical vine with the seven grape varieties allowed in Champagne was planted on the hillside on the edge of the parking lot. Opportunity for visitors to learn more about winemaking and to cut some grapes during the themed days around the next harvest. According to Covama, special attention has been paid to environmental aspects with plant-based runoff treatment, economical LED lighting or an electric vehicle charging station available free of charge to customers participating in a seminar.
A second phase of work is planned in the 2018-2019 period for the remodeling of the warehouses, a complete renovation of the lobby and the beautification of the point of sale, which should be more modern. Covama has 450 partners and supports more than 1000 winemakers and employees. She collects grapes on 700 hectares of l? AOC and produces 5 million bottles a year under the Pannier, Jacquart and Montaudon brands with a turnover of 54 million euros.