About The Founders
What do you get when you mix a Belgian-born DJ turned nightclub owner, an Iowa farm girl who landed in DC, and a boxer-mix rescue with expensive taste?
You get a family — the one behind every bottle from Sparkle-ist.
Why I started Sparkle-ist
Between regular trips back to Europe to see family and my time in the bar industry, I had access to and developed a love for champagne. Then I began to look beyond the same big brands you see on all the shelves and discovered small grower producers of Champagne, Crémant, Cava from family estates. I quickly realized depending on where you live in the US, it's hard or flat-out impossible to find. So I started Sparkle-ist to find those bottles to share with you.
The small-grower part is personal too. Rachel comes from six generations of farmers in northwest Iowa. When a grower tells us their family has worked the same vines for generations, we get it. Sharing their work and telling their stories matters to us.
How we pick
No algorithms and no warehouse deals. I'm in Champagne several times a year and have worked the last three harvests, mostly visiting small producers who farm their own vines and make their own wine. I taste hundred of bottles, to find the best quality bubbles, and it only goes in your box if we'd happily open it again.
I'm a Champagne Master and Certified Specialist of Wine, and I'm working toward my WSET Diploma.
Cheers,
Lieven, Rachel & Piper