MYS: Champagne De Watère Discuss Family Values

By Paul Joseph

In most families, tradition plays an important role, but at the childhood home of Martin Konorza, the focus on heritage had far-reaching consequences that few would have predicted.

Mr Konorza’s first ancestor on record was a Frenchman who was given a mention in the Doomsday Book in England in 1086. With such an illustrious past, he made an early decision to do justice to this special legacy. It is an ambition that lead to the creation of one of the world’s most exclusive champagnes, and one that bears the family name with great pride.

We sat down with Mr Konorza, Owner & President of Champagne De Watère, to find out more about the inspiration behind the company, and how it has evolved down the years.

“Well it started in 2011 when I founded the company officially, but it started a little bit earlier, let’s say at my birth, so 24 years before that,” he joked. "So champagne has always played an important role.

“We came together as a family to celebrate our history and go into the future from there, to remember our origins, our traditions and the values we stand for. And then when I wanted to start something of my own, because I did a couple of internships, didn’t like them too much, and I thought I could use champagne to bring happiness into people’s lives – with a little bit of history to it.”

And he has certainly achieved that. Today Champagne De Watère is the tipple of choice for luxury connoisseurs the world over – and is popular among the superyacht fraternity in particular. So next time you sample an inimitable glass of De Watère, remember to raise it to the long-distant Frenchman who made it possible.

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By Paul Joseph