Caroline Fiot is the new Cellar Master at Maison Ruinart

Maison Ruinart is pleased to announce the appointment of Caroline Fiot as its new Cellar Master. She succeeds Frédéric Panaïotis, who had held the role since 2007 and sadly passed away earlier this year. As the promising 2025 harvest comes to a close and base wine tastings begin, Caroline Fiot is gradually joining the Maison as of today. She will officially assume the role of Cellar Master on January 1, 2026.

As a true chardonnay expert, she will shape the Maison’s emblematic cuvées, preserving the harmony and elegance at the heart of its wines. She will also build on Ruinart’s commitment to innovation from vineyard to glass, while strengthening its dedication to sustainable viticulture.

“Transmission and excellence are core values at Maison Ruinart. They uphold a savoir-faire nearly three centuries old, which continuously evolves and perfects itself. We are delighted to welcome Caroline Fiot as our new Cellar Master. She was trained alongside Frédéric Panaïotis for nearly a decade and has been a key member of our tasting committee since 2016. She will now continue the work of her predecessor, upholding the precision and freshness that define our champagnes.” – Frédéric Dufour, President, Maison Ruinart.

“It is a profound honour to continue shaping the Ruinart style, following in the footsteps of Frédéric Panaïotis. I share Champagne’s deep-rooted respect for time, and I’m proud to take my place in the history of a Maison guided by a visionary spirit since 1729.” – Caroline Fiot, Cellar Master, Maison Ruinart.

Caroline Fiot Biography

Caroline Fiot, an agricultural engineer and oenologist educated at Institut Agro in Montpellier (France), began her career working in the vineyards of Saint-Émilion. This early family experience inspired her to pursue a career in the wine world. She went on to gain international experience at several estates, notably in the United States and Vietnam. Back in France, she deepened her scientific training by joining the LVMH Chair at ESSEC Business School.

In 2016, Caroline Fiot joined Maison Ruinart as part of the winemaking team led by Cellar Master Frédéric Panaïotis. She became a member of the tasting committee and oversaw fermentation processes during harvest. Alongside these responsibilities, she led several R&D projects, including studies on lightstrike and its impact on Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, and contributed to the creation of the Second Skin case. Over the next five years, she also worked on adapting viticultural and winemaking practices to climate change, conducted micro-vinification trials to explore varietal adaptation, and helped develop the first edition of the new cuvée Ruinart Blanc Singulier.

After a stint at Chandon Argentina in 2020, she returned to Champagne in 2021 to take on responsibility for the Mont Aigu winemaking site at Maison Moët & Chandon. Three years later, she was appointed Head of all winemaking facilities, overseeing the implementation of blends from the reception of musts through to bottling for Moët Hennessy’s maisons in Épernay.

Today, Caroline Fiot returns to Ruinart as Cellar Master, entrusted with carrying forward the signature taste of chardonnay and the pioneering spirit of the Maison’s nearly three centuries of winemaking.

About Maison Ruinart

Born in the Age of Enlightenment, a time of ideas, connection and culture, Maison Ruinart was founded in 1729 as the first House of Champagne.

The Maison’s winemakers are true masters of Chardonnay. Acting in harmony with nature, they cultivate and define the signature House style: elegantly simple, pleasant to drink cuvées of aromatic freshness, reflecting the grapes’ balanced luminosity.

Ruinart champions a conscious, elegant art de vivre, creating meaningful moments around art and gastronomy that bring humanity together. True to its enlightened vision, the House has taken concrete to tackle climate change, adapting its practices while preserving the excellence of its wines.

Always researching and innovating, Maison Ruinart continues to produce a range of signature cuvées that reveal the light of Chardonnay.

Source: Moët Hennessy Deutschland GmbH