champagne

The Perrier-Jouët Bi-Centenaire Celebrates the Maison's 200th Birthday

In 1811, just a year after they were married, Pierre Nicolas Perrier and Rose Adélaїde Jouët released the first bottling of Perrier-Jouët champagne. Even at 200 it is among the youngest of the champagne brands that make Americans giddy: Moët-Chandon (makers of Dom Perignon), Veuve Clicquot and Roederer (makers of Cristal) are 18^th century institutions.

When it comes to taste and quality, though, Perrier-Jouët can easily go bubble-for-bubble with its older compatriots. And when it came to celebrating its two-hundredth year, if you ask the house itself, it might have outdone them. Luxist attended the event in Paris, where we're told, "To celebrate its Bicentennary, Perrier-Jouët is initiating a conversation with time."

It is a conversation that begins with the Perrier-Jouët Bi-Centenaire sculpture and that will last nearly 100 years. And it involves lots and lots of champagne...

Gallery: Perrier-Jouet Bi-Centenaire sculpture by Daniel Arsham

Gallery: Images from the Galerie Perrotin

Tags: champagne, daniel arsham, Perrier-Jouet, Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque, perrier-jouet bi-centenaire, Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne, wine

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Perrier-Jouet Celebrates Bicentennial with World's First "Living Legacy" Champagne

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Two hundreds years is an exceptional anniversary to celebrate, and having been founded in 1811, that's exactly what Perrier-Jouët is marking this year. And to celebrate the occasion, the French champagne house is launching what is termed as the world's first "living legend" champagne.

The Perrier-Jouët Bi-Centenaire program involves a (presumably quite wealthy) buyer selecting a magnum of Perrier-Jouët's Belle Epoque 1998 champagne, which is then set down in the winery's cellars for as much as 100 years, after which the buyer's descendants are invited to pick up the finely-aged bottle. The entire process is limited to 100 bottles, each fetching a price of 10,000 euros.

The launch of the program was celebrated with a lavish feast attended by 200 guests -- including many local and international celebrities -- who enjoyed a recreation of the menu crafted for the company's centarian dinner a hundred years ago, prepared by French chef Jean-Louis Nomicos under the tutelage of his mentor Alain Ducasse.

Source

Tags: belle epoque, bicentenaire, Bicentennial, champagne, Perrier-Jouët, Perrier-Jouët Bi-Centenaire, perrier-jouet

How to Make a Fancy Champagne Cocktail (video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Did you know the recipe for a champagne cocktail How to make a champagne cocktail

dates back over 200 years? In the video above, our friends at the Small Screen Network, tell us about the history of the cocktail and show us how to make a fancy champagne cocktail. Be sure you have a bottle of champagne, a champagne flute, sugar cubes, a lemon and bitters as well as a channel knife, zester and stir rod, so you can make one as you watch. To learn how to make the perfect spiral lemon peel garnish, see this related video.

Tags: champagne, champagne cocktail, entertainment-pedia, main-pedia

Best Luxury Valentine's Day Spa Packages & Treatments

by McLean Robbins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The Spa at Norwich Inn Valentines Day Spa Package Having a romantic Valentine's Day doesn't necessarily mean you need to have a special someone in your life. Why not show yourself some love ... at the spa on this most romantic of holidays? We've tracked down spa treatments from coast to coast (and beyond) to come up with our favorite Valentine's Day spa packages and treatments for romance and romance-lovers alike.

"Sweetheart" Scrub & Massage at Spa Desert Springs
What better way to say "I love you" or "UR G8" than with the quintessential Valentine's Day candy, Necco Candy Hearts? Palm Desert's JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa is offering a Sweetheart Sugar Scrub and Sweetheart Valentine Massage, both scented with the smell of candy hearts, featuring notes of orange, vanilla and blueberry. Afterwards, unwind in the 38,000 square foot spa, the largest in Southern California. Both treatments are 60 minutes and $135.

Vanilla and Caramel Delight at The Spa at Norwich Inn
Whoever said Valentine's Day had to be just about chocolate and Champagne obviously hasn't tried this deluxe treatment. The famed Connecticut spa (which also has an outpost at Foxwoods resort and casino) is offering a Caramel Delight Facial for their holiday visitors. Vanilla helps lessen skin's hypersensitivity and reactions to environmental elements, while caramel leaves skin smooth and improves its tone. As a take-home gift, you'll enjoy the spa's Caramel serum to help maintain the effects of the treatment. Prefer something a bit "spicier"? They're also offering a selection of Chocolate and Chocolate-Gingerbread treatments. The facial is 50 minutes and $125.

Strawberries, Champagne & Chocolate at The Sports Club/LA
Finally, a spa treatment that's both luxurious and affordable. This month's seasonal specials at Sports Club/LA (locations across the country) are a Chocolate Indulgence Body Wrap, which begins with a Chocolate Crème Mineral Mask with soothing scalp massage and foot reflexology before application of a cocoa-scented lotion to leave skin smooth and supple. Need some face time? How about a Strawberry Champagne Facial, which uses the power of vinotherapy and the antioxidants to leave skin smooth, supple and refreshed? Both treatments are 50 minutes and just $99. Want to spa with a friend? Inquire about combining these into couples packages that include Champagne and strawberries.

Tags: barcelona, champagne, chocolate, ritz carlton, rock resorts, romance, spa at norwich inn, sports club la, vail, valentines day, valentines day spa packages, vinotherapy

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New Website Brings Grower Champagnes To The U.S.

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

While the French wine offerings in the U.S. often take up plenty of shelves, champagne is limited to a much smaller range of marquee brands. One company seeks to change that. Fatcork.com is a new website which imports and sells grower Champagnes. Wine Business reports that Bryan Maletis is the son of Columbia Distributor's owner Ed Maletis, who runs the largest beer, wine and soft drink wholesaler in the Northwest. The new start-up is a dream for Bryan Maletis and his wife. They are importing champagnes from 12 growers with a total of 39 cuvees, basically two to five cuvees from each grower. Most of the growers were not imported in the U.S. previously. The website gives tasting notes and food pairing notes for each bottle. Prices range from $40-$200, with a median price of about $52. Fatcork is using UPS to ship to states where direct shipment is allowed.

Tags: champagne, fatcork, french wine

Beau Joie Unveils Rose Champagne

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Last year, we mentioned the debut of Beau Joie, the copper-encased champagne brand that made its world debut in Las Vegas in 2010. The brand is now expanding into Rosé (shown above on the right with its older sibling). The new bubbly is made from 50 % Pinot Noir and 50 % Chardonnay naturally derived from the finest grapes of Epernay, France. The Beau Joie Rosé has a crisp and fruity taste and like the Brut, it comes in a copper armored bottle. The Rosé's bottle features over 60 hand-applied rivets and the rose color peeks between the spaces. It's not just pretty, it's a little green, the encasing is created from second-generation copper scrap and the brand has activated a recycling program with venues so that each bottle's encasing can be further reprocessed. The copper also keeps it colder longer and provides a firmer grip while the bottle's rubber punt provides improved stability. The Beau Rosé is available in the U.S. just in time for Valentine's Day in many markets. Suggested retail is $125 to $135.

Tags: beau joie, champagne, epernay

The $100,000 Midas Champagne Bottle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The myth of King Midas, the man who was blessed (and cursed) with the ability to turn anything he touched to gold, has inspired many things but few as lavish as Midas bottle from Armand de Brignac. According to wine bottle naming code, Melchizedek is the term usually used to describe a 30-liter vessel equivalent to 40 regular-sized 750ml bottles but perhaps Midas makes more sense for this bottle which weighs in at 100 pounds.

We've written about Armand de Brignac before. The luxury Champagne from the award-winning Champagne Cattier chateau of Chigny-les-Roses, France is instantly identifiable by the dramatic Ace of Spades insignias on its bottle. In the last few years it has become a celebrity favorite. Armand de Brignac has three cuvees: Brut Gold, Rose and Blanc de Blancs.

The first Midas bottle of Armand de Brignac sold for $100,000 at the XS nightclub in Las Vegas' Encore casino. Mixed martial arts and UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez hosted his UFC 125 after-party joined by fighters Gilbert Melendez, Urijah Faber, Jake Shields, and UFC announcer Bruce Buffer. Two strongmen were needed to carry the bottle to the table of the anonymous high-roller who made the purchase. No word on what happened to the bottle afterward.

Tags: Armand De Brignac, champagne

Celebrate Valentine's Day in Luxe Style at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The desire to do something extraordinary for Valentine's Day often clashes with the cold reality of no time to travel somewhere truly exotic. We've found the U.S. Virgin Islands to be an ideal escape without having to cross borders (and all that entails) to get somewhere special. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas manages to be a magical oasis despite its relative proximity to the area's only major airport – a big plus when time is of the essence. The resort's secluded setting on 30 acres fronting an intimate white-sand beach and the gracious elegance of its main building, the Italianate Palazzo (above), set the scene for really romantic getaways. In front of the Palazzo are landscaped gardens leading to a stunning infinity pool overlooking the beach and turquoise waters of a sheltered bay.

For those seeking the ultimate in luxury, The signature Ritz-Carlton Club Level at the property has 55 Deluxe rooms featuring standing rain showers and soaking tubs and unobstructed ocean views from private balconies. The Club Level accommodations in St. Thomas also include one-bedroom Executive suites, a top-floor Ritz-Carlton Club Suite and three stunning 1,850-square-foot Presidential suites boasting a dining and living area and fitness room with treadmill, where Barack Obama and family have stayed in the past. All Club Level rooms and suites include access to the elegant Club Lounge with a spacious outdoor terrace, offering elaborate culinary presentations throughout the day and evening, chic cocktails and a dedicated Club Concierge.

Once ensconced in your luxe accommodations there are several options for making your getaway even more magical. A particular favorite for celebrating Valentine's Day is a champagne sunset sail aboard the Lady Lynsey, the resort's luxurious 53 ft. catamaran. You can take a cruise to Honeymoon Beach across the bay on St. John featuring some of the finest snorkeling in the Virgin Islands, and then hop back on board for a leisurely lunch for two complete with a champagne toast. Stay out on the water to watch the sunset and then finish the day with a starlit dinner in a private gazebo on the beach with a chocolate and wine tasting, or enjoy a private dinner for two at Bleuwater restaurant, one of four distinctive oceanfront-dining options as unique and colorful as the Caribbean scenery that surrounds them. [cont'd]

Gallery: The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

Tags: Barack Obama, beach, Caribbean, catamaran, champagne, dining, hotel suites, luxury hotel, ocean, Prada, Prada Beauty, Ritz-Carlton, sailing, spa, St. Thomas, The Ritz-Carlton, U.S. Virgin Islands, Valentines Day, Virgin Island

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Make the Right Champagne and Cigar Choice for New Year's Eve [EXCLUSIVE]

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

What will you cut and light when you pop the cork on New Year's Eve? People may agonize over champagne choices, but cigars don't always get commensurate attention. Fortunately, Vin lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, was on hand to provide his recommendations for the biggest party night of the year. Below are his top five cigar and champagne pairings, designed to make your first sip and puff of 2011 ideal.

Lee is particularly excited about the new year. "Now is the time for the world to celebrate its recovery and success," he said. "For the New Year, from Dubai to Paris and from New York to Beverly Hills, it is time for the world to rejoice in what we have and who we are. Coming together with a glass of bubbly and a fine cigar, let's welcome 2011."

Let's take a look on what's on the Beverly Hills Cigar Club's list:

Tags: arturo fuente, beverly hills, Celebration, champagne, cigar, cigar club, cigar lounge, cigars, davidoff, Macanudo, new years eve, Veuve Clicquot, zino, zino davidoff

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The Classicist: Celebrating the Season in Style with Range Rover at Wheatleigh

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Click above for high-res image gallery. Photos exclusive to Luxist.

Winter can be a long, cold interlude verging on a test of endurance in the Northeast, and it's all too easy to get bogged down by the doldrums. Plenty of people either hibernate by their hearths or hit the beach until the mercury makes its ascent, but there are myriad ways to keep warm with style, verve and panache. We recently gathered some of our favorite accessories of the season at Wheatleigh, the majestic mansion-turned-luxury hotel in the heart of the Berkshires' winter wonderland. Getting us there in style and comfort through anything the weather cared to concoct was the 2011 Range Rover Sport, a luxurious way to see the landscape safe in the knowledge that the elements have met their match. The pedigreed SUV's smooth, refined, performance and rugged good looks mark it as a thoroughbred in all respects, a suitably stylish conveyance for arriving at a desirable destination like Wheatleigh. And we had the great new Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact, versatile digital camera on hand to record it all for your vicarious enjoyment.

Wheatleigh, located in Lenox, Mass. next door to Edith Wharton's famed country manor The Mount, is a grand estate based on a 16th century Florentine palazzo built in 1893 by New York financier Henry H. Cook for his daughter who married a Spanish count. Many of the materials and over 150 artisans were brought from Italy to produce intricate carvings and design flourishes for the grand interiors and facades. Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, was responsible for creating "Wheatleigh Park" on the land surrounding the palazzo. Following a four year multimillion dollar renovation it was transformed into one of the most unique luxurious small hotels in the world. The nineteen suites, guest rooms and baths artfully combine antiques and custom furnishings with original museum quality contemporary art. The baths are finished with English limestone, marble and hand-blown glass fixtures, and most rooms feature fireplaces and Bang & Olufsen TVs. Check out the gallery to see the perfect accoutrements for a stylish seasonal sojourn – from books to watches, champagne to cashmere sweaters, and boots to bags – no matter where your journey takes you.

Gallery: Range Rover at Wheatleigh Dec. 2010

Graf & Lantz wool felt Boat Bag, personalized Tumi Alpha wheeled case.

Tumi Alpha case; Dom Perignon Tribute to Andy Warhol edition; Private Stock jeans; Graf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier w/ Robert Mo

Tags: Bang Olufsen, Berkshires, Brooks Brothers, Central Park, champagne, Dom Perignon, Edith Wharton, estates, Frederick Law Olmsted, gardens, Holiday 2010, L.L. Bean, Lenox, luggage, luxury hote, mansion, Massachusetts, mens style, New England, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, palazzo, Persol, Ralph Lauren, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, spirits, stolichnaya, sunglasses, SUV, teNeues, The Mount, Tumi, vodka, Wheatleigh, winter

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

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

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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Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule Debuts at Design Miami

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, By Design, Architecture & Design

Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule designed for the Hotel du Marc in Champagne, France.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to spend twenty minutes relaxing in the modernistic sleeping capsule in Veuve Clicquot's "Once Upon a Dream" exhibit at DesignMiami this past week, was probably not the same afterward. Indeed, the innovative sleep capsule was created by famed designer Mathieu Lehanneur who studied the research of noted sleep specialists in order to design a space that evokes resynchronization through touch, sight, smell and sound.

The Once Upon a Dream sleep capsule was commissioned by the renowned champagne house (the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Winner for Best Champagne) in anticipation of the upcoming re-opening of the Hôtel du Marc in Reims, France. Hôtel du Marc (see image below) is the private mansion where Veuve Clicquot hosts as many as 3,000 overnight guests who travel from around the world to visit its headquarters where it makes its famous champagne.

Not only is the one-of-a-kind sleep capsule striking in design, but it also serves a higher purpose: for every twenty minutes spent sleeping inside it, one hour of jet lag is erased. If one hour is spent inside the capsule, the side effects related to three hours of jet lag disappear.

Gallery: Veuve Clicquot's Once Upon a Dream Sleep Capsule

Tags: awards-main, Campanas brothers, Champagne, Fernando Campana, France, Hotel du Marc, Humberto Campana, luxist-awards, Mathieu Lehanneur, The Gloriette, Veuve Clicquot

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Tasting Notes on 200-Year Old Champagne Salvaged From Baltic

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Remember the Finnish divers who recently discovered several crates of champagne and beer from a sunken ship that had been at the bottom of the Baltic Sea for nearly two centuries?

Well....turns out that it tasted pretty good.

The divers first discovered the champagne was drinkable when changing pressures caused the cork to pop off one of the bottles, and one diver decided to drink. He expected to taste seawater that had seeped into the bottle over the last 200 years, but was shocked to discover the wine still tasted fine.

The divers all had some of the ancient wine, and then resealed the wine and brought it to wine expert Ella Grussner Cromwell-Morgan. Here's how she described it: "Despite the fact that it was so amazingly old, there was a freshness to the wine. It wasn't debilitated in any way. Rather, it had a clear acidity which reinforced the sweetness. Finally, a very clear taste of having been stored in oak casks."

Tags: Aaland, Champagne, Shipwreck champagne

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Boston Beer Launches Champagne-ish Beer

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The Boston Beer Company is launching a sparkling beer called Infinium this month in time for holiday parties.

The champagne-like beer is the result of a two-year partnership with Germany's Weihenstephan Brewery. The drink will be packaged in 750 milliliter bottles with 10.3 percent alcohol by volume – or twice the amount of a typical beer.

Boston Beer is making the beer available at this time of year in an effort to court Christmas shoppers. The Infinium beer will sell for a suggested retail price of $20.

This is the South Boston-based company's first champagne-like beer. The beer will share both the Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan logos, and will be brewed at both companies' breweries.

Tags: beer, Boston Beer, champagne, Holiday Beer, holiday drinks, Infinium

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