Ayala
The Ayala company was founded more than 150 years ago, in 1860, by Edmund de Ayala in Aÿ. An essentially family-run business run by Edmund and his brother Fernard who are credited with exporting Ayala champagne to England and Spain, converting the British to the inimitable taste of French champagne. The company continues through ups and downs (also facing the dreaded phylloxera) and in the 20s it reaches its golden age: more than a million bottles were produced every year.
In that period the Ayala company reached the top by becoming official supplier of the Royal Courts English and hiring more than 100 workers. After its heyday, Ayala suffered a setback in 1929 when it was sold to Guinnes Bank to be bought by René Chayoux. Chayoux tries to revive the fortunes of Ayala until his death in 1969, thus leaving the command to Jean-Michel Ducellier. Despite the commitment, the Ayala company fails to shine as it once did, especially in the period of acquisition in 2001 by the Frey group.
4 years must pass to return Ayala to its old splendor: in 2005 the family Bollinger acquires the Ayala company and has the sole objective of bringing Ayala champagne to the splendor of many years before. After many works of redevelopment of the cellars and vineyards, the Ayala champagne back to being what it used to be: at the moment the company has 15 employees who carry on the passion and dedication of the Bollinger family and about 80 hectares of land.