Jean-Michel Deluc’s latest chapter in a long and illustrious career is choosing the wine for the five year-old wine subscription club, Le Petit Ballon, which has been making waves in France and now aims to emulate that success in the UK, including with the on trade.
So what exactly is Le Petit Ballon?
It is a subscription wine club that started in January 2011 and purports to be ‘like having a sommelier at home’. Every month Master Sommelier Jean-Michel Deluc chooses two wines that are based on a customer profile and delivered to their door. Le Petit Ballon currently has over 40,000 subscribers across France, the UK and Belgium. It has 25 employees, a 2015 turnover of £4m and has over 600 wines in its present and past portfolio. A monthly subscription costs £24.90 a month for a novice/ amateur selection and £39.90 ‘for keen connoisseurs’.
Key personnel of Le Petit Ballon are president and founder Martin Ohanessian, sales director Matthieu Lesne and Jean-Michel Deluc.
Jean-Michel, how are you trying to change the way people consume wine? Why is this necessary?
Before we change the way people consume wine, I think that us professionals have to change first. I’m trying to get closer to the customers today, the people talk of pleasure and enjoyment about wine, that’s all they ask. It is necessary for us to be by their side if we want to be successful.
Tell us about Le Petit Ballon, and how it works
Very simple, by subscribing you will receive two bottles of wine every month along with tasting notes to explain the wine, a magazine, The Gazette, to discover about the world of Le Petit Ballon and videos to learn how to talk about the wines you receive. We have a different theme every month, organic wines, cheeses, Bordeaux, this month we talk about Rosé. If you like the wines, you may purchase them on the site with a preferential price. You can cancel anytime.
All for one and one for all… Lesne, Deluc, Ohanessian (l-r)
What process do you undertake to source the wine?
I taste more than 10-12,000 wines a year, going in the vineyards meeting the winemakers, during exhibitions, I taste the samples that we receive at the office or when I work for magazines.
Is it all personally chosen by you?
We taste the wines with the Le Petit Ballon team but the final choice is mine!
What is the key to its success in France?
The success comes from the way we talk about wine – simply and friendly. No big fuss or manner about it as I used to do at the Ritz Paris.
What has been the biggest surprise?
First surprise for Le Petit Ballon was a Slovenian white wine from an unknown grape and in a screw cap bottle. It was a very big success in France!
How have you adapted the model to try and make it work here in the UK?
We kept this as a simple way to talk about wine. We keep our spirit and try to offer wonderful wines people will never find at the supermarket!
Tell us about the work you will be doing with the on trade here in the UK?
When we partnered with Big Fernand (a French casual dining franchise) and Baranis in London earlier this year, we realised how important it was to work with the on trade, in particular restaurants. And as a result, we are now in contact with a couple of restaurants and delicatessen shops in London. We are also putting in place plans for Le Petit Ballon to be sold in concessions in the UK. We have also produced collateral to assist with sales as we realise this is often needed when selling our product.
What are the key differences between the UK wine consumer and the French consumer?
There is not much difference when it comes to wine knowledge, the questions from the UK wine consumer are always the same as the ones I get in France, people are really curious and are eager to know more about wine.
What was your experience like as a sommelier? Was it a good profession for you?
It is the most beautiful job in the world. I worked at all levels, in bistros but as well in Palace. I met kings, president, stars that wouldn’t have happened in another job. And when it comes to wine, you learn about geography, history but also friendship and plenty of other subjects.
What advice would you give UK-based sommeliers starting out in their profession?
Be passionate, curious, open, don’t forget to be humble and share your experience with people.
In your media pack you describe Le Petit Ballon as like ‘a sommelier without all the waffle and unpleasant surprises when you get the bill’. Is this your experience of sommeliers?
In Palace it was like that. I became more snobbish than the customer sometimes. Today I want to be closer to the people, offering them the best service to allow them to discover wine in a casual way.
