Jérôme Viard

Master Cooper and Founder of the Tonnellerie de Champagne-Ardenne

Jérôme Viard was born in 1970 in Châlons-en-Champagne. The grandson of a wheelwright and son of a carpenter and cabinetmaker, he studied marketing techniques, oenology, and the economics of Champagne before founding the Tonnellerie de Champagne-Ardenne in 1998, the only cooperage in operation in northeastern France.

His artisanal business now has 10 employees and manufactures or repairs nearly 1,500 barrels a year.

Jérôme Viard was awarded the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” designation for his cooperage in 2006—renewed in 2012—as well as the Marne Young Tourism Talent Award for his guided tours in 2013.

As a craftsman upholding the traditions of Champagne, he has also developed innovative ideas such as the alternating heating of barrels, the amphora-style barrel, and the wooden muselet plate. At the same time, he founded the “Gîte de la Tonnellerie” in 2012.