Paul Bara

4 RUE YVONNEY 51150 BOUZY

The first records of the Bara family date from the 1600s, in the villages of Bisseuil, Oiry and Chouilly, near Epernay. In 1833, Auguste François Bara, a robust, full-spirited young man, arrived in Bouzy to begin work as a cooper. Three years later, in 1836, he married Annonciade Robert, who was already the owner of some vines.

The Bara property was built in 1860. In the beginning, it was a farm with stables, a cow shed, a sheep pen and a cellar; however, in 1965, the barn was transformed into a press room and a winery.

Paul Bara, the father of today’s owner Chantale, was the first of the dynasty to sell champagne under the brand of the same name in the 1950s. Chantale recalls how this man of character and conviction would often say, ‘We must keep hold of the fields to feed us’.
He also wrote a very interesting book retracing the story of his ‘beloved’ village of Bouzy, its people and their wines and culture.

In 1975, the Bara champagne house innovatively became one of the first to export its champagnes to the United States. Today, the brand has a long-standing tradition of transatlantic sales and continues to work with the same US importer as back in the day. Nowadays Paul Bara champagnes are sold on all continents of the world. In 1980, Chantale began assisting her father and soon after, in 1986, began co-running the business. The 6th generation, she gets on with excellency by being a partner and also President during 4 years of the Club Trésors de Champagne and by initiating in 2013 a major programme of renovation of the winery to enhance its winemaking capacity and precision.

Specialist of the Pinot noir, Christian Forget strives to preserve the signature of the House by producing well-structured and elegant wines, fully expressing the Terroir of Bouzy.

Succeeding Chantale Bara, her sister Evelyne Dauvergne has been taking over the management of the House in 2018. Very proud to be able to apply the traditional and family values passed down by her father, disappeared in 2015, Evelyne really aims to develop the company meeting the requirements of our century and of course to pursue this beautiful family story with a mix of wisdom and sweet madness.