INTERVIEW: Vivanterre Wine Director, Cedric Nicaise, On The Limited Edition Charlie Bird x Vivanterre Tote, The Natural Wine Brand’s Inaugural Vinos And More

Natural wine brand Vivanterre, which was founded by fashion mavens, Max Assoulin and Rosie Assoulin, is toasting to Labor Day weekend with a special limited edition picnic tote created in collaboration with Soho restaurant, Charlie Bird.

The Charlie Bird x Vivanterre Tote will feature a myriad of tasty picnic must-haves, including Vivanterre Orange Wine – of course, Goat Cheese Marinated with Lavender, Vivanterre Battenberg Lace Placemats Curated by Rosie Assoulin, Honey Roasted Figs, Heirloom Tomato “Tarts,” Eggplant Dip & Flatbread, Amaretti Cookies, and more.

We chatted with Cedric Nicaise, Vivanterre Wine Director, about the inaugural Vivanterre wines, the collaboration, Hamptons picnicking spots and more.

How did this partnership come to be?

CN: The Charlie Bird team is family. They have an amazing new wine director, Watson Brown, who worked with me for a few years at Eleven Madison Park. He’s really pushing hard over at Charlie Bird. They were one of the first places to carry Vivanterre, so it only made sense to celebrate the end of summer together.

What went into curating The Charlie Bird x Vivanterre Tote?

CN: The Tote includes all the essentials we as a team love to enjoy – delicious olives, some quality cheese, of course a good bottle of wine, and then something beautiful to lay it all on – that was Rosie’s part of course. The menu is inspired by what we’ve eaten together, like the eggplants for example, are in various ways, a staple at Rosie and Max’s house.

What are your picnic must-haves?

CN: Since we curated it to our liking, really all my picnic must-haves are in the tote.

Have you ever been to the Hamptons? If so, what are some of your ideal picnic spots?

CN: Egypt Beach is my go-to, especially in the evening when it’s not crowded and parking is a bit easier.

Vivanterre just debuted this month. Tell us about the inaugural wines.

CN: There are two wines in our first vintage: an orange wine and a declassified Beaujolais. Both wines were produced in the Auvergne region of France by Patrick Bouju and Justine Loiseau, and both were made using organically and biodynamically farmed grapes, vinified using natural processes, and untouched by any fining, filtering, or added sulfites. The orange wine is the flagship and the reason the project exists in the first place, so that’s the wine we decided to feature in the tote. It’s at the intersection of serious wine and something that is easily chuggable, “glou glou” if you will. It’s a blend of three grapes: two from Alsace and one from the Languedoc. The wine right now is really driven by tropical fruit and has a great floral note. I’m looking forward to seeing how it changes and evolves over the next several months. As for the red, it comes from this great vineyard in Moulin à Vent. It’s a classic crunchy fruit forward Beaujolais. Like the orange, I think it will be really interesting to see where this wine goes with a bit of time.

What other partnerships or new releases can we expect from Vivanterre?

CN: We definitely plan on coming out with some cool new stuff for our next vintage, but right now we’re focusing on the success of our debut wines. We launched just late last month, so we’re excited to get people to try it now that it’s finally arrived. As far as partnerships go, we love letting the wine speak for itself and creating organic partnerships with people who are enthusiastic about the wine as much as we are. Right now we’re working on expanding our availability, like in the Hamptons and California.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CN: Make sure to visit vivanterre.com and our Instagram (@Vivanterre), where we keep our full list of availability updated. Charlie Bird also delivers to the Hamptons every Friday, so make sure to check in on their website for updates on the menu.

The Charlie Bird x Vivanterre Tote will be available for delivery to the Hamptons on Friday, September 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and in Manhattan from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It can also be picked up at Charlie Bird (5 King Street) from Friday, September 4 through Sunday, September 6, starting 10:00 a.m. daily.

To order The Charlie Bird x Vivanterre Tote, visit www.charliebirdnyc.com.