Searcys St Pancras Grand Champagne Bar refreshes guest experiences with refurbishment just in time for the Olympics!

Searcys St Pancras Grand Champagne Bar is ready to provide a bubbly welcome to visitors arriving in London through St Pancras International Station for the Games or to meet-up with friends!

Europe’s longest Champagne bar has undergone a £250,000 refurbishment, which includes heated seats, new signage, and the additional of a “Champagne Button” in the booths (for guests to alert a waiter when their glass needs refilling).

The Champagne list is quite extensive which includes grower Champagnes, and the largest selection of Grand Marque houses in the UK. The most extraordinary selections are available by the glass, which is the most extensive of any bar in Europe and varies from 15 to 30.

The carefully produced list includes a Glossary and a ‘Size Matters’ section to help educate Champagne novices to choose the right size and taste! Range and size where all are represented on the list from Magnum to Nebuchadnezzar.

Situated on the upper Grand Terrace of St Pancras International station overlooking the platforms where Eurostar trains arrive and depart who knows which Olympic athlete you will see or sit beside!

 

Liz Palmer

@Champagnehouses

Champagne+

230 FIFTH Cuts the Mustard With World’s Most Expensive Hot Dog for Charity

To honor July 23 as National Hot Dog Day, 230 FIFTH Rooftop Bar & Penthouse Lounge, New York’s largest rooftop bar, has re-imagined an American culinary icon for one percenters who like to do good while indulging their Champagne tastes with the 230 FIFTH Dog — at $2,300 it is the world’s priciest hot dog, all sales will be donated to City Harvest, the food rescue organization dedicated to feeding New York City’s men, women and children.

The new world record-setting 230 FIFTH Dog is a riff on a conventional hot dog with all the fixings by 230 FIFTH Executive Chef Johnny Benedetti utilizing the most expensive and / or finest luxury ingredients. They start with the foot-long dog itself made of richly marbled wagyu beef dry aged for 60 days by DeBragga, New York’s Butcher®, ($1225 for a dry aged seven-rib roast from DeBragga) and laced with black truffles. It rests on a brioche bun toasted with white truffle butter and is topped by New York City’s own organic $9-a-bottle W Ketchup, seasoned with saffron to make it even more precious, and by Mustarde de Charroux imported from France for $35.

The accoutrements continue with Vidalia onions caramelized in Dom Perignon Champagne and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar (the $389 a bottle Mussini Ill Grande Vecchio) and house-made organic sauerkraut braised in Louis Roederer Cristal and inflected with rare platinum oscetra caviar (the finest caviar legally available in the U.S. since the 2005 ban on Iranian beluga). Finally, the decadent dog is capped with house-made relish from Gordy’s Pickle Jar sweet chips ($10 a jar) and sparkling with gold leaf.

The 230 FIFTH Dog will be available daily as of Monday, July 30, to anyone interested in a unique taste experience and helping fight hunger in New York City by placing a 48-hour advance order by calling (212) 725-4300 or emailing info@230-fifth.com with “Hot Dog” in the subject line.

The hot dog eating elite can savor this one-of-a-kind meal either on 230 FIFTH’s expansive, palm tree-punctuated 14,000-square foot roof deck or in the Penthouse Lounge with its floor-to-ceiling window walls. Wherever they savor it, 230 FIFTH Dog purchasers will have bragging rights to having consumed the world’s most expensive hot dog, while having helped fight hunger in New York City by supporting City Harvest.

230 FIFTH is located at 230 Fifth Avenue, between 26th and 27th Streets. It is open 365 days a year until 4 a.m., from 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 212-725-4300 or visit www.230-fifth.com.

Champagne Castelnau is the official Champagne of the Tour de France

Champagne Castelnau has replaced Jacquart as this year’s exclusive Champagne poured on the Tour de France.

Champagne Castelnau has signed a three-year deal with Tour de France in an attempt to raise their profile in France and the UK (its largest export market).

With two days left of the Tour, it is widely believed Bradley Wiggins will clinch the first British victory of the Tour.

Pascal Prudhomme, General Manager, of Champagne Castelnau said he hoped to mimic the success of Skoda in France since the car manufacturer became the official partner of the race nine years ago.

Champagne Castelnau is owned by one of the sparkling wine region’s largest cooperatives, the Coopérative Regionale des Vins de Champagne (CRVC).

Pascal added that he believed the new tie-up with the Tour would also be an encouragement for the growers, which supply grapes to the cooperative.

“It shows them that the brand is strong and we are investing in it,” he said.

Meanwhile, within France, Pascal said he expected the brand to benefit from the visibility among the VIPs present at corporate events running alongside the race, particularly the many guests and buyers from French supermarket chain Carrefour, which has sponsored the Tour’s polka dot jersey since 2009.

The tour has a long association with Champagne, not just due to the region’s regular appearance in the race, but also because of the wine’s historic use as a source of energy for the riders.

It is said that Maurice Garin, who won the first Tour de France in 1903, kept himself fuelled on a mixture of Champagne and coffee.

 

Liz Palmer

@champagnehouses

 

Perrier-Jouët unveils “Belle Epoque Florale Edition by Makoto Azuma”

Last night marked a new historical event for Perrier-Jouët champagne House, with the international unveiling of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Florale Edition by Makoto Azuma – the first designed Limited Edition of cuvee Belle Epoque, since the creation of its iconic anemones by Emile Gallé in 1902. The launch event took place in Japan, which has a strong historical relationship with the luxury house.

Created by a renowned floral Japanese artist Makoto Azuma, Belle Epoque Florale Edition is a reverential homage to Emile Galle’s famous Art Nouveau design. This was originally inspired by Japanese art culture, and has become the iconic image of Perrier-Jouët artistic heritage through its prestige cuvee. Challenging the aesthetic boundaries, Makoto Azuma created a unique combined artwork, made of a single delicate botanical arabesque dotted with white Japanese anemones. These recall the original 1902 design, which is further reinforced with a handcrafted motif of golden flowers on the bottle of Belle Epoque 2004**, carefully selected by Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps.

The artist explains: “I wanted to make something extraordinary, taking inspiration from the sensation of champagne inside the mouth, and the delicate movement of the ivy and leaves with a special attention and tribute given to Emile Gallé’s anemones”.

The unique Limited Edition was revealed as part of a very exclusive international event attended by over 150 media and VIP guests, at the most beautiful and traditional Japanese Happoen-garden at the heart of Tokyo city. Guests enjoyed an elegant and imaginative exhibition, telling the story of both Emile Gallé and Azuma Makoto in a creative and contemporary way. Amongst the stars attending the event were local Japanese celebrities such as actress Miki Maya, top model Ai Tominaga, Music producer Verbal, and musician Tomoyasu Hotei, as well as other international VIPs including Chinese Haute-Couture designer Wendy Yip and Hong-Kong Fashion Designer Dorian Ho, socialite Kennis Tai and actress Isabel Leung.

Commissioning Japanese artist Makoto Azuma came as a natural choice for Perrier-Jouët; Emile Gallé chose white Japanese anemones for its original design in 1902 because of his passion for botany but also his admiration for Japanese art that draws inspiration from the primal force of nature, the true spirit of the Art Nouveau movement.

Lionel Breton, Chairman & CEO Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët explained: “Makoto Azuma and Perrier-Jouët share the same values of tradition, passion for Nature, and genuine originality and we are delighted to have found in M. Azuma the Emile Gallé of modern times through his unique creation”

From the specific choice of flowers, to the endless series of adjustments and motif on the bottle itself, Belle Epoque Florale Edition perfectly expresses the luxurious and craftsmanship cues of Perrier-Jouët, whilst delivering a contemporary vision of beauty.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Florale Edition will be available only in limited quantities worldwide commencing September at 300 euros.

 

Liz Palmer

@Champagnehouses

Moet & Chandon Named The Official Champagne Of The PGA of America

Moet & Chandon and The PGA of America announced that Moet & Chandon will be the Official Champagne of The PGA of America.  Moet & Chandon, the champagne of success and glamour since 1743, is enhancing its rich heritage as an icon of victorious celebration and global winning moments with this first foray in American golf, beginning with the Ryder Cup, in September of 2012 in Medinah, Ill.

“One of the world’s most recognized champagnes of choice at premier events, The PGA of America is proud that Moet & Chandon will serve as the Official Champagne of The PGA of America,” said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski. “We cannot envision a better addition to the many magical moments at our Championships than Moet & Chandon.”

Moet & Chandon’s status as the ultimate symbol of success, achievement, and victory was created through an unwavering and triumphant presence at many of the world’s most esteemed competitions and high-profile moments. Moet & Chandon has been at the finish line of international boating and car racing competitions for nearly a century, including the Vanderbilt Cup, Formula One, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the America’s Cup. Moet & Chandon celebrates the elegance and style of tennis on the courts of the U.S. Open, and Roland Garros Barclays ATP World Tennis in London.

Moet & Chandon also symbolizes triumph atop the world’s most revered podiums, including the Cannes International Film Festival, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Academy Awards.

“Moet & Chandon’s partnership with The PGA of America is a natural,” said Ludovic du Plessis, Vice President of Moet & Chandon North America. “Through the magic of champagne, we look forward to creating unique and unforgettable Moet Moments together with The PGA of America and sharing our sense of celebration in the spirit of success and glamour beginning with the Ryder Cup in September as its Proud Partner.”

Under the agreement with The PGA of America, Moet & Chandon will be present at all the important and commemorative moments of the competitions including the iconic “Trophy Moments.” In addition, golf fans at PGA of America events will be able to enjoy their golf with a logoed commemorative mini Moet bottle that will likely become a valued memento.

SOURCE PGA of America