Tag: Champagne

Piper-Heidsieck hires UK Champagne Brand Ambassador Jean-Claude Di Lizia

Cecile Bonnefond, chief executive of Piper-Heidsieck has hired Jean-Claude Di Lizia, a dedicated UK Champagne brand ambassador to sell Piper-Heidsieck’s five champagne products in Britain.

Bonnefond, who ran Veuve Clicquot for nine years, said: “The UK is very sophisticated when it comes to champagne and the UK sets the tempo. It is a very important market for us – number two after France. We hope to grow our distribution and brand here.”

Bonnefond, who joined the French family-owned Societe Europeenne de Participations Industrielles (EPI) last year when it bought Piper-Heidsieck from spirits group Remy Cointreau, is restructuring the business and plans to take the brand more upmarket.

Bonnefond has recently launched “Black Cancan” designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier which was sold at Selfridges.

 

Liz Palmer

@Champagnehouses

The Champagne Lounge: Mumbai’s first standalone champagne lounge

Mumbai will soon have its first standalone champagne lounge in newly launched “F Lounge.Diner.Bar” at Lower Parel’s One, Indiabulls Centre. “The Champagne Lounge” will be conveniently located on the first level, will accommodate 30 guests from 7.30 pm to 1 am daily. The champagne list will consist only of  and Dom Pérignon and Moët & Chandon champagnes. The Champagne Lounge was designed exclusively by Moët & Chandon, they also have similar lounges in Madrid, Hong Kong and Macau.

Gaurav Bhatia, marketing director of Moët Hennessy India comments: “There can never be enough places to share the magic of champagne. Being forerunners in the business and having created the category in India, we believe in offering sublime experiences. The Champagne Lounge at F Lounge. Diner.Bar will redefine night life in the city.”

Mumbai’s existing champagne lounges include The Champage Lounge at the Oberoi, Nariman Point, Flute at Sahara Star, Vile Parle, and Six Degrees at the Leela, Sahar.

Does the average champagne drinker (in Mumbai) have the buying power for these venues ? Bhatia retorts, “The consumer in Mumbai is akin to the one in New York, Paris, Berlin, London and Tokyo. He is looking for tactile experiences that transcend the norm. We believe Mumbai has a highly sophisticated, well-travelled consumer who is ready for these experiences. Even the prices of tables at the lounge will be shared only on request.”

LVMH’s first ever hotel: “White 1921”


LVHM group, is set to pamper its well-heeled clients with its first hotel “White 1921”. Located in the heart of Saint-Tropez, on the renowned Place des Lices, White 1921 is a seasonal eight-room hotel with a bar set in the mansion’s garden designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte.  The suites offer unique interior design, and are decorated in a modern style, offering each a distinctive personality.

LVHM has named its hotel venture White 1921 from the white paint and in honor of the Moët & Chandon champagne from 1921, which is regarded as one of the very best years for white wines across Europe.

Operated by trained LVHM Hotel Management, this new hotel also boasts a wine cellar stocked with copious amounts of champagne brands, including a rare vintage of Moët & Chandon from 1921. The key-attraction is the exclusive 82-seat bar, which serves unique snacks like white truffle popcorn.

White 1921 is run by six-person staff and is open June 14th through 7th October and prices range from $340 for rooms and $815 for suites.

Moët & Chandon is the official Champagne of The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)

This week Moët & Chandon has announced they are the Official Champagne of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). To complement its global partnership with the ATP World Tour, the partnership will also include Moët & Chandon as the Official Champagne of the LTA’s three summer grass court events, the AEGON Championships, the AEGON Classic and the AEGON International.

Jo Thornton, Managing Director Moët Hennessy UK said: “Showcasing success is one of Moët & Chandon’s original values, and one which clearly resonates with the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club. The Queen’s Club has a grand tradition of sportsmanship, incredible athleticism and a glamorous social scene. The intimacy of the tournament provides a rare closeness to the action on court, making spectators a real part of the excitement and celebration of victory, and the perfect match to Moët & Chandon’s heritage of sharing success and glamour with all.”

Specially designed Moët & Chandon bottles will be awarded to winners during the presentation ceremony.

LTA Head of Commercial Lawrence Robertson added: “We are delighted to welcome Moët & Chandon to the LTA’s family of sponsors. As a brand which is synonymous with celebration and style, we look forward to them bringing their own unique sense of both to each of our major grass court events in the coming summer.”

Liz Palmer
champagnehouses

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Will France’s Champagne vineyards be added to UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List?

 

The candidacy has been six years in the making and producers will have to wait until July 2014 to hear the decision.

 

The volume of fake champagne sold on the market is said to equal the stock of the real French product. That’s 330 million bottles, according to Jean-Luc Barbier, the director of the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine (CIVC).

 

The competition is particularly unfair since fake bubbly is produced without respecting any of the traditional local rules of Champagne. Fakes rarely cost more than seven Euros, while an authentic Champagne bottle costs between 18 and 200 Euros, and more for exceptional vintages.

 

Champagne is not the first wine-producing region seeking the protection of the UNESCO classification. Five sites are already registered in the World Heritage List: Saint-Emilion, France, the Upper Douro Valley, Portugal, Tokaj Coast, Hungary, Lavaux, Switzerland and Pico Island, Azores.