Still little known to the general public, the EPV label is a distinction awarded to companies that are flagships in their respective sectors. Created by the French government in 2006, it currently includes almost 1,200 companies in 8 sectors, including gastronomy, tableware, fashion and beauty.
Big names like Chanel and Baccarat rub shoulders with family-run, sometimes one-man businesses. All have succeeded in taking their art to the highest level, mastering gestures to perfection and ensuring their longevity. "Whatever their size, reputation or speciality, these companies look after a treasure: France's manufacturing heritage," points out Véronique Sanders, General Manager of Château Haut-Bailly in Pessac-Léognan, the first Bordeaux château to receive this distinction in 2016.
To obtain this distinction, all companies have completed an extremely detailed dossier demonstrating their uniqueness in terms of know-how, transmission, territorial roots, but also, more recently, in terms of social and environmental responsibility or digital strategy.
An audit conducted by the Institut National des Métiers d'Art, the French national arts and crafts institute, results in a final opinion, which is unfavorable in a third of cases. Once obtained, this label can be a real competitive advantage in certain markets. "The Japanese are very sensitive to this," explains Jean-Pierre Cointreau, who has made it a key selling point for his Renaud-Cointreau group, each of whose houses - Champagne Gosset, Cognac Frapin and the Vedrenne group - are individually recognized. From Champagne to the Cognac region, however, few wine companies are represented.
Among them, Bollinger, Roederer, Pol Roger, Rémy Martin, Laubade, Château Smith Haut Lafitte and cooper François Frères belong to this select circle. And it's also an exceptional heritage that is promoted, like the four hectares of 120-year-old vines planted in front of Château Haut-Bailly that form the heart of the grand vin blend. Benoît Hillion, from Dartigalongue armagnacs, highlighted the rare profession of armagnac breeder. As in Champagne, the expertise of the cellar masters has been passed down through the ages, sometimes for centuries.
By 2025, the French government hopes to have 2,500 companies with the EPV label.
By Jean-Michel Brouard