The Classicist: Veuve Clicquot Clicks with Riva Yachts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Jun 23rd 2008 at 9:02AM

Renowned French champagne house Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with luxury Italian motoryacht maker Riva to produce an amazing new Grande Dame Cruise Collection of coolers and accessories for discerning yachtsmen. It's nothing short of a match made in style heaven of two very chic European marques. The top offering from the collaboration is an $80,000 made-to-order cruising trunk that resembles a small boat in itself and harks back to the golden age of traveling in style which we reminisced about recently. For something done on such a grand scale it's rather refined, a luxurious design without resorting to odious "bling" to attract those with more money than sense.

The trunk comes packed with four bottles (1988) and two magnums (1998) of Clicquot's coveted La Grande Dame champagne, six Riedel crystal champagne flutes and elegant table settings for six people. A smaller limited edition Cruiser Bag comes with a single bottle of Grande Dame and two flutes for more intimate occasions, and a matching ice bucket is crafted with marine flair to spare. All pieces feature the same lacquer work, mahogany inlay, chrome detailing and leather trim found on Riva's beautiful boats.

Riva, which dates from the 1800s, is an icon of the Italian Riviera's Dolce Vita style. The company first captured the attention of movie stars and the international jet set in the '50s. Its classic wooden craft, which inspired the Cruise Collection, have been owned by the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Aristotle Onassis and Prince Ranier of Monaco. Their yachts, including more modern designs, can be seen at the chic European seaside resorts where the bon ton gather, and they have their own line of elegant nautical-inspired clothing as well.

Gallery: Veuve Clicquot & Riva Yachts

Earlier this month we reported that Veuve, which dates from 1772, recently staged the first polo match in Manhattan in 70 years. They also sponsor polo matches in Greenwich, Conn. (more on that later). Veuve is one of the few champagne houses to actively market a lifestyle along with their wines, which only makes sense since champagne is an internationally-recognized symbol of the finer things in life. Aside from the Riva collection, they have collaborated on projects with Porsche and designers Karim Rashid and Andree Putman, among others.

Tags: Brigitte Bardot, BrigitteBardot, Champagne, Dolce Vita, DolceVita, France, Italian style, ItalianStyle, Italy, Riedel, Riva, Riviera, Sophia Loren, SophiaLoren, veuve clicquot, VeuveClicquot, Wooden boats, WoodenBoats, Yachting, Yachts