In the coming weeks, the words EPC will be appearing on menus in restaurants across the city. You might wonder why. It’s the result of the tenacity of three people turning one of the most traditional – not to say world famous – winemaking regions on its head.
Founded in 2019 by three friends Camille, Jérôme and Édouard, EPC – shorthand for ‘Epicurian’, a person ‘who delights in life’s pleasures—especially the joy of sharing fine food and drink’ – is a young Champagne house breaking the traditional rules of Champagne with their unique model, a different wine approach and an innovative brand experience. with a very un-Champagne attitude.
Rather than slotting neatly into the region’s centuries-old hierarchy of famous labels and secretive blends, EPC set out to rewire how drinkers experience this most luxurious of wine styles: by putting terroir in the spotlight, making every bottle fully traceable, and building wines to match modern tastes – fresher, lighter on sugar and easier to drink.
You’ll see it at some of the most notable restaurants around Greater Manchester, from chef Tom Barnes’ Michelin-starred Skof, Tattu, Fenix and Louis in the city to the excellent Fold Bistro over in Marple Bridge.
The entire model pivots on collaboration. Instead of masking origins inside a monumental house blend, EPC partners directly with growers across the whole of the region, co-creating bottles that each champion a specific place and a specific producer.
The result is a concise set of nine cuvées, each tied to a site and style – there’s a Blanc de Blancs from classic Chardonnay country, a Blanc de Noirs made with pinot noir from the south, a blushing rosé, a Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs for special occasions, plus vintage expressions and a biodynamic collaboration too.
Traceability is baked into what they do. Every EPC label is almost like an ID card, outlining where the wine comes from, who made it and what’s inside. It’s the kind of provenance transparency people now expect across everything from food to fashion – especially when it comes to paying up for premium brands.
EPC’s stance here is simple: people shouldn’t be buying a mystery label; they should be choosing a place, a style and a maker they can learn about and revisit.
Then there’s the part EPC has a lot of fun with: design. The brand fought (and won) the right to establish its identity simply as three letters – unusual in Champagne, which traditionally only deals with names of houses, and which involved extensive consultation with the Comité Champagne, the official trade association.
“When we can’t find a door, we find a window,” says Thibault Lopin, EPC’s European export director, one of just 15 people who work for the company. “We’re small, but we’re making some noise.”
Also bucking tradition, they dress their bottles with small, but pleasingly innovative details. A thermosensitive panel turns blue when the wine hits ideal drinking temperature, and tiny messages hide under the foil around the cork. The label silhouette nods to the region’s outline.
“Everything is done to make people smile,” says Thibault.
The way the Champagne comes from the vineyard to the glass is pretty different too. Rather than flooding shelves, EPC built a selective presence that puts the wines where curious drinkers will notice them: premium restaurants, first and business-class cabins (Etihad and Lufthansa so far) and VIP lounges, plus select independent retailers.
Recently EPC became the official Champagne for the famous Bateaux Mouche, the boats which transport over three million tourists every year up and down the Seine in Paris.
Pricing lands in the ‘middle-plus’ sweet spot: in restaurants you’ll typically see the entry bottles around £90, climbing to roughly £200 for top bottlings and special releases, while retail starts near to £40. For a premium product, with ultra-traceable lineage, it’s beyond competitive.
Six years in, EPC is now pouring in dozens of countries and growing fast, not by mimicking the big shots in the industry, but by offering something they can’t: a guided journey across Champagne itself, from grape to glass. If you’ve ever wanted to taste the region’s diversity without playing label bingo, this is your ticket to it – terroir by terroir, glass by glass, with the details right there on the bottle.
Keep an eye on Manchester’s better wine lists and premium merchants; EPC’s rollout is gathering pace, and this new kid on the block won’t be hard to spot.
Interested in purchasing a bottle or two? You can call into Aston’s of Manchester at the Royal Exchange Arcade, Manchester M2 7EA.
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