Taittinger

Celebrate New Year's Eve Shanghai Style at The Setai, South Beach

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Events

This New Year's Eve ultra-luxe Miami hotel The Setai, South Beach invites guests to pay homage to the hotel's Asian roots and take a trip back to the 1930s and 1940s for one night to the Golden Age of Shanghai. Inspired by an era of sophistication and wealth, when chic nightclubs and dance halls were all the rage, The Setai will be transformed for the night into the "Paris of the Orient" featuring music from sought after Shanghai artists, awe-inspiring decor, and a decadent seven-course tasting menu to create an evening to be remembered. The fabulous event will be divided into three stages:

• The Welcome: A blend of Chinese, Shanghainese, and western jazz by China's acclaimed singer, Coco Zhao, welcomes guests to The Courtyard where Taittinger Champagne, classic cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be waiting.

• The Dinner: Guests will indulge in a seven-course Grand Tasting Menu by Executive Chef David Werly, which includes Créme of Butternut Squash and Spiced Marshmallow, Home-made Salmon Gravalax with Lime Cream and Osetra Caviar, Foie Gras "Au Torchon," as well as Scallops Black Tie, Fresh Black Truffle & Perigourdine Sauce. With each course, guests will enjoy a paired wine, carefully selected by The Setai's Head Sommelier Dwayne Savoie.

• The Party: The celebration continues in The Courtyard for the Countdown Party, where the music of DJ Ludovic Allen entices guests to dance away 2010 and bring in the New Year. Tastes of congee, spring rolls, dim sum, Peking duck sliders, and Chocolate truffles will be passed complimentary after the ball drop. Seating in The Courtyard is sold separately as Bottle Tables.

Gallery: The Setai, South Beach

Tags: champagne, Miami, New Years Eve, Setai, Shanghai, South Beach, Taittinger, The Setai

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Holiday Shopping Guide: 13 Great Luxe Champagnes

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Festive and bright, who can deny bubblies at this time of year? But for 2010, don't think just New Year's Eve, think Twelve Days of Christmas, and you can toast each of the twelve days with the true Breakfast of Champions: Champagne.

The following Vintage Champagnes cannot be beat; some have pedigree that you'll have heard of before; some will be new to you, and that's part of their appeal, and some will be pink. Each will be a perfect companion for daily holiday breakfast or brunch.

Here, then is a list of favorites in order of price-certainly not in order of quality.

Henriot Cuvée des Enchanteleurs 1996

Some say this is the freshest of Champagnes; that just might be true. Its aromas are fresh fruit, with a touch of caramel and spice ($125).

Billecart-Salmon 1990 Grande Cuvée.

Its tight, slowly rising bubbles brings out this wine's toast and red fruit aromas, followed in the taste by full-bodied power and a lengthy finish ($125).

Tags: champagne, Dom Perignon, Dom Ruinart, G.H. Mumm, krug champagne, Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne, Salon 1997, Taittinger

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Taittinger to Unveil New Artist Collectors Edition Bottle at The Setai

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Wine, Events, Art

Famed French champagne house Taittinger will unveil the newest limited edition bottle in its coveted Taittinger Collection series at an event toasting the kick-off of Miami Art Basel on Saturday at the luxurious Setai in South Beach. Since 1985 Taittinger has commissioned an artist to create a special bottle for its glorious bubbly every year. For this, the 12th edition in the Collection, Taittinger selected artist Amadou Sow for the quality and originality of his work, along with his cultural artistic identity. The artist's design (above) graces a bottle of the 2002 vintage of Taittinger Brut Millésimé, which is produced only in the best years from select Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown in vineyards in several of the finest microclimates of France's Champagne region. Meanwhile the Setai also recently celebrated the reopening of its eatery The Grill with newly appointed Executive Chef David Werly, who brings his take on the space offering a fresh menu and alternative to the Asian cuisine of The Restaurant with European inspired menu items.

Tags: art, Art Basel, champagne, Florida, Miami, Setai, South Beach, Taittinger

Paris' Famed Hotel de Crillon for Sale at $420 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wealth

Paris' famed Hôtel de Crillon, one of the world's most luxurious hotels with a clientele of celebs and royalty, has been put up for sale by its American owner Starwood Capital for about $420 million. Constructed in 1758 as a government building commissioned by Louis XV, the palatial edifice (above) near the Champs Elysées on Place de la Concorde was converted into a hotel 100 years ago. Its Leonard Bernstein suite, on the top floor with a wrap-around terrace, features one of the late maestro's pianos.

Other luminaries past and present who have patronized the Crillon include Marie Antoinette, King George V, the Shah of Iran, Winston Churchill, FDR, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie O, Mariah Carey, Madonna and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The hotel is more likely to be sold to a high net-worth individual or a property investor rather than one of the large hotel chains, the Times of London reports. Starwood took over the Crillon in 2005 as part of its €2 billion acquisition of Taittinger's hotel and champagne empire.

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Tags: Elizabeth Taylor, ElizabethTaylor, hotel, Hotel de Crillon, HotelDeCrillon, Leonard Bernstein, LeonardBernstein, Paris, Taittinger, Winston Churchill, WinstonChurchill