The World’s Most Famous Champagne Brands
By
The producers' market has long been divided and no new
large Champagne houses are expected here unless some of the existing ones start
to divide into parts for some reason.
The best producers are tending to increase the use of
reserve wines in blends, lengthening the storage of wines on their lees, and
greater use of wooden tanks for fermentation and aging of base wines.
Champagne wines are inherently expensive. Their high price
was established a long time ago and it is primarily due to their marketing. The
existing interest in champagne is first of all
traditions, prestige, and powerful advertising.
There are some truly legendary champagne brands on the
international market today, however, the most iconic brands, with the
instantly recognizable visual identity at the top of the drink logos list, are not the most sold ones.
First of all, it is the matter of the production volume, and, of course, the
price.
In this article, we will list the top 5
Champagne brands with a rich history and a perfect reputation.
Cristal
Cristalis
the name of
one of the one of the most expensive Champagne labels produced by the House of
Louis Roederer.
The brand got its name due to the fact that its
champagne is bottled in crystal bottles with a gold label, which is wrapped in a UV-resistant film (because crystal,
unlike glass, transmits destructive to wine ultraviolet light).
Cristal was created in 1876 especially for
the Russian Emperor Alexander II, using the best cuvée of the Louis Roederer Maison, which was not an ordinary technique for
champagne producers. This practice later became known as "prestige cuvée" (prestige
cuvée).
Ruinart
Ruinart is the world’s oldest Champagne house which is currently in
operation, and today the brand is part of the LVMH holding.
It was established by Nicolas Ruinartin 1729, and was a pioneer
of the sparkling wine production in Champagne province. Initially, the wines
produced were intended as gifts for the key purchasers of Ruinart textiles, as this was the main
specialization of the company. However, the success of the wine was so
huge that in 1735 Nicolas Ruinart left the manufactory to concentrate entirely
on champagne production.
Moët & Chandon
Moët-Chandon is the world’s largest
producer of champagne today, and its logo is one of the most recognizable in
the industry.
The Maison was founded in 1743 by Claude Moët and today it is ownedby the LVMH
luxury brand holding. For most of its history, this Champagne has gone hand in
hand with the royal families of Europe: from the iconic arrangement of Napoleon
Bonaparte to the recognition of King Edward VII of England and Tsar Nicholas II
of Russia.
Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot is the second largest production house
(after Moët-et-Chandon) of Champagne, founded
in 1772, and headquartered in Reims. Today it is part of the LVMH holding of
luxury brands.
The founder of the house was Philippe Clicquot
Mouiron, whose son married Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who became widow Clicquot at
the age of 27 and took over the family business, dealing in banking, textiles, and champagne production.
Widow Clicquot was the first woman at the head of Maison du Champagne and one of the first female entrepreneurs in France.
Dom
Pérignon
Dom Perignon is the
name of the only Vintage Campagne label produced by the Maison Moët-Chandon since 1936.
Ithis luxury brand is known as the first Prestige Cuvée Champagne to enter the open market and introduced to
the public. The Champagne brand got its name after Pierre
Perignon, a Benedictine, who did a lot for the development of Champagne
winemaking industry, and fully deserved his name to be immortalized on the
world’s famous Champagne bottles.
