Champagne Taittinger, English sparkling wine, wine news of 2015
Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger (left), president of Champagne Taittinger, and Patrick McGrath MW, MD of Hatch Mansfield, on their newly acquired land in southern England in 2015.
(Image credit: Taittinger)

The president of Taittinger Champagne has told a French newspaper that he plans to run as a candidate in the French presidential election in 2017.

Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has caused a stir in French media after announcing that he intends to run for French president.

He was quoted in the l’Union newspaper in Champagne as announcing his candidature for France’s president election in 2017.

Taittinger is currently president of the eponymous Champagne house. He previously told Decanter that he planned to step down within the next few years.

In the l’Union interview, also reported by Agence France Presse and Le Figaro, Taittinger said that he wanted to quickly achieve ‘full employment’ in France. Portraying himself as a unifier, he said that he wanted to help create a new vision for the country.

Because of this, Taittinger said he expected to gain strong support. He also spoke of France facing a social and economic war within its own borders.

How long until the French presidential election 2017?

Voting normally takes place over two rounds and the election will be held in April and May next year.

Current French president Francois Hollande is entitled to run for a second term, but he is the most unpopular president since the birth of France’s fifth republic in 1958.

His approval ratings have hit unprecedented lows in the past two years, hovering at around 18% in some polls.

Taittinger would likely face strong competition in the French presidential vote from other candidates, regardless of Hollande’s intentions.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy and Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppé face a potential run-off to be the official candidate of the centre-right UMP party. There will also be a socialist candidate, backed by a vast party machine.

Some experts have also tipped Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, to make it into the second round of the election, following a surge in support in recent years.

Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger

Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

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Taittinger

Taittinger
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

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Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger (left) and Patrick McGrath MW examine the soil at their English vineyard site

Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger (left) and Patrick McGrath MW examine the soil at their English vineyard site - a former apple orchard on Stone Stile Farm in Kent.
(Image credit: Champagne Taittinger)

Taittinger English vineyard plan marks ‘a new chapter’

Champagne Taittinger, English sparkling wine, wine news of 2015

Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger (left), president of Champagne Taittinger, and Patrick McGrath MW, MD of Hatch Mansfield, on their newly acquired land in southern England in 2015.
(Image credit: Taittinger)

Champagne Taittinger to make English sparkling wine with UK vineyard deal

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.