Vancouver Foodie Pulse is fortunate to join the Brandy MasterClass by Cécile Roudaut, the Master Blender of St-Remy, the number one French Brandy in the world. She is the mastermind behind the new blend St-Rémy Signature, adapting a unique double maturation process. The innovation has added excitement in recruiting a new generation of brandy drinkers and providing bartenders with a flavour profile that enhances mixology opportunities and stands up against innovations across other spirit categories.
Cécile is well-recognized and highly praised for her expertise and innovative spirit, and making St-Rémy Signature “Brandy of the Year” at the London Spirits Competition 2021, also a Gold Medalist at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Spirits Business: Brandy Masters in 2022.
The short interview with Cécile by Vancouver Foodie Pulse is a fun one, hopefully giving everyone a glimpse of the exciting life and career of the world’s top brandy blender.
Can you tell me your name and how many years you have been working in the brandy blending business?
I’m Cécile Roudaut, St-Rémy Master Blender. I started working on the Rémy-Cointreau team in 1997, joined the st-Rémy Brandy team in 2002, and became the master blender in 2016.
Can you do us a favour? Can you pronounce the brandy brand for us, please?
Yes of course! St-Rémy Brandy!
(Please see the interview video clip to track down the correct pronunciation.)
What is your first reaction when you hear about you won the top brandy blender in the world?
Emotional! It was crazy because they are a lot of people who have done a marvelous job and a lot of work. I was so honored to be the Master Blender of the Year. It’s a fantastic thing!
When you hear about your achievement, what do you drink to celebrate such a special occasion?
First, with colleagues, I drink Champagne. Then with my family, I drink a sweet white wine from the Loire Valley, Coteaux du Layon. And then I drink St-Rémy Signature Brandy!
What was the very first brandy that you loved?
The first brandy I drank was St-Rémy. I like Cognac too. And some Armagnac is marvelous. So the very first one I appreciated was Rémy Martin VSOP because it was a very fruity cognac.
What’s the future trend of brandy that you can foresee that is different from the current situation?
The topics that are important right now are sustainability and CSR (corporate social responsibility). The trend we have to reach is transparency with consumers. I think we have to be more transparent, giving the recipes of our blended brandies in order to interest and educate our consumers. For sustainability, we have to work and improve with the vine growers and all of the practical agricultural world practices to have with St-Rémy Brandy.
What is your favourite brandy cocktail?
My favourite brandy cocktail is Sidecar. Sidecar is mixed with Cointreau liqueur. Because, you know, I base on the plant of the Cointreau distillery, working every day with the master distiller of Cointreau. Having mixed Cointreau, St-Rémy Bandy, and lemon juice, it is a very balanced cocktail, with acidic notes, citrus, woody, and spicy notes of the brandy. For me, it’s the best!
What is your favourite food to enjoy when you are having brandy?
I think that cheeses are marvelous with brandy. You know we have the habit to drink wine and port with cheeses, but brandy is marvelous too. VSOP with Camenbert or Swiss Gruyere. XO with Stilton or goat cheese. Pecorino with (St-Rémy) Brandy Signature. All those tastes are very well together and the pairing is great!
What drives you to continue doing what you are doing?
You know, I’m someone who is very curious. I always want to do things that are different – having fun and making diverse topics and diverse subjects. And inside me, my creativity can expand. I have the possibility of working on various subjects and it’s great for me!
What has the brand, St-Rémy Brandy, inspired you?
St-Rémy Brandy is a very authentic product, a generous product that you can share with your best friends. All this has inspired me and my own life. I’m very lucky to work with St-Rémy Brandy. It is a very beautiful product!
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