Tag: Champagne

Christofle Introduces Exclusive Champagne & Sabrage Classes

For almost two centuries Christofle has been a leader in the art of silver, and a proponent of innovation and design. From Silver to champagne, Christofle is now taking luxury to a whole new level.

Christofle has recently launched a Champagne website reflecting taste, and their brand’s commitment to excellence which has been acquired through its long and prestigious history.

This website [ChampagneSabrage.com] features Christofle’s newest luxury services which focuses solely on Champagne. Led by President and CEO Nicolas Krafft, these offerings include Champagne tastings, demonstrations, and classes teaching the art of Sabrage.

Three classes are being offered: ranging from the moderately-priced introductions to sabrage to more exclusive in-depth seminars.

Brut – a basic Sabrage training for 12 people (starting at $70 per person);

Grand Cuvée – a personal Sabrage for each person, plus a 20 minute tutorial on Champagne for 4 to 10 people (staring at $150 per person); and

VIP – a 2-hour master class on the history and evolution of Champagne for groups of 6 or 12 that includes a tasting of 5 fine Champagnes ($200 per person). Classes are offered at Christofle store locations only.

Pol Roger Re-Names Street After Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill once described Pol Roger’s headquarters in Epernay as “The world’s most drinkable address”. Most recently, in homage to the relationship the former British Prime Minister had with the Champagne house, the municipality and Pol Roger worked out to rename the street where Pol Roger is based after the Statesman.

A spokesperson for the Champagne house in Epernay confirmed the street has been renamed with the new address: 1 Rue Winston Churchill.

“We are thrilled,” said Pol Roger U.K. director James Simpson, “to discover that Pol Roger has now moved house but curiously has remained in the same place.”

Churchill’s relationship with Pol Roger commenced around 1945. Shortly after the liberation of Paris, he received an invitation to attend a luncheon given by the British ambassador to France, and at this event he met the charming Odette Pol Roger, who eventually became a life-long friend.

Shortly after the death of Sir Winston Churchill, in 1965, Pol Roger ordered black-bordered labels to be placed on all their labels. In 1984 they also introduced a prestige cuvée named after him and made it in the robust, mature style he liked.

Most recently, Pol Roger’s white foil Brut Réserve Champagne NV was served at the wedding reception of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.

Kate Moss Wedding – Grateful for being patient, Kate had a bottle of Moet delivered to each home

Newlyweds Kate Moss and Jamie Hince made a grand exit when they were airlifted out of the Cotswolds by helicopter.

The cover girl’s going away outfit was a cream Stella McCartney suit.

And the wedding after-party was a massive success – many of the A-list guests celebrated until the early hours of the morning, which included Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Jade Jagger and Meg Mathews.

Kate and Jamie’s wedding was an affair that lasted three days.

Grateful for the patience of locals over the celebration dubbed ‘Moss-stock’, the couple had a bottle of Moet champagne delivered to each household in their village.

Although the price of the marathon celebration has not been released, it’s estimated to have cost around £1 million.

The location of the honeymoon also remains unknown – although it’s been rumored that the happy couple were headed to Africa or Thailand for an adventurous getaway.

The Mystery is Solved: The Most Expensive Champagne in the World was Purchased by “Buyan” a Singapore Russian Restaurant

History was made when Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar located in the Republic of Singapore, won the world’s most expensive Champagne in a fierce bidding war. Buyan, which offers both inexpensive traditional Russian fare as well as Russian haute cuisine meant for the Tsars, has paid €30,000 (SGD 43,630) for a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, which is estimated to be 170 years old.

All 145 bottles discovered in the shipwreck were opened, tasted and re-corked with the best two bottles acquired by Buyan. These historical bottles which still have bubbles – indicative of their fine quality – will indeed be drunk one day, but not in the very near future. The Veuve Clicquot Champagne itself is said to have “notes of linden blossoms and lime peels” and was pronounced by world renowned Champagne expert Richard Juhlin, who tasted some of the bottles last year as, “…great… wonderful… with an intense aroma…”

Buyan also paid €24,000 for Juglar, a now-defunct house of champagne that used to be one of the favourites of Napoleon I. He awarded a gold medal to the House of Juglar in 1810, 19 years before the estate was bought over by Jacquesson.
These two bottles will be added to Buyan’s existing collection of seven bottles of 1907 Charles Heidsieck & Monopole Champagnes found in another shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. These were part of a Swedish cargo sunk by a German U-boat during World War I in 1916. These bottles were also on their way to the court of the last Tsar Nicholas II, great grandson of Nicholas I.

Another historical wine in Buyan’s possession is the oldest drinkable wine in Asia, a Vin Jaune from 1821, which will not be put up for sale. Buyan currently also owns 20 bottles of the world’s most rare vintage wines – some of which pre-date the two world wars and are actually available on their wine list including a 1877 Chateau Margaux, a 1883 Lafite Rotschild and a 1859 Mouton Rothschild.

LVMH HAS ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 15TH AND 16TH AS ‘BEHIND-THE-SCENES DAYS’

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy has announced ‘Behind-The-Scenes Days’ at their European artisan workshops, ateliers, and vineyards for two days in October.

WWD reports that on the 15th and 16th of October the public will be able to experience what happens behind the doors of the luxury conglomerate’s brands which include fashion houses Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Dior, jewelry maker De Beers, and Champagne labels Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon.

Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH has recently stated: “Products are one thing, but how they’re made, who makes them, and where is also of interest to the public.”

LVMH is not the first luxury house to come up with this idea of “behind-the-scenes days”, last year Gucci toured the world with its Artisan Project, showcasing its production methods.

Most of events will take place in France and workshops are planned for locations in Italy, Spain, Scotland, and Poland. More information will be released later this month when bookings will go live online.

List of Participating Properties:
Christian Dior Couture, Salon de Haute Couture, Paris
Parfums Christian Dior, Siège Parfums Christian Dior, Paris
Louis Vuitton, Ateliers d’Asnières, Asnières
Berluti, Salons Berluti, Paris
Givenchy Couture, Studio de Création, Paris
Kenzo Mode et Kenzo Parfum, Showroom, Paris
Emilio Pucci, Archives, Italy
Loewe, Showroom, Madrid, Spain
Chaumet, Salons Chaumet, Paris
Guerlain, Maison Guerlain, Paris
Moët & Chandon, Résidence de Trianon, Epernay, Champagne
Dom Pérignon, Abbaye d’Hautvillers, Hautvillers, Champagne
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Hôtel du Marc et Pavillon de Muire, Reims, Champagne
Champagne cellars of Maison Krug and Maison Ruinart, Reims, Champagne
Hennessy, Château de Bagnolet, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
Chai de la Faïencerie, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
Quais Hennessy, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
The Glenmorangie Company, The Glenmorangie Distillery, Scotland
Belvédère, Belvedere Distillery, Poland
Château Cheval Blanc, Aquitaine
Château d’Yquem, Aquitaine
La Grande Epicerie de Paris, Paris
Le Jardin d’Acclimatation, Maison de Kiso, Paris