Merry Christmas!

 

Dear readers,

Here I am wishing you a very special and serene holiday for this Christmas!

Enjoy traditional and new recipes, drink good wine, eat great food and don’t forget to do what you want to do!

 

La Belle Époque, Emile Gallé & Duke Ellington: a bottle story

Dear readers,
today I will tell you the story of the “Belle Époque” bottle, a story which links art, music and Champagne!

The “Belle Époque” is produced by Perrier-Jouët, one of the most famous Champagne Maison: the name probably will be known as the beauty of the bottle symbol, the white anemones designed by the artist Emile Gallé.

The famous design of the “Belle Époque” bottle.

It all began in 1902 when the famous Maison commissioned Gallé, already an icon of Art Nouveau, the design of the bottle which will contain the precious Cuvée: he was asked to use his glass art techniques in order to be able to reflect in the bottle design the spirit and the vibrations of that era, the Belle Époque.

Portrait of Emile Gallé at work.

Gallé drew the white Japanese anemones on four magnum size bottles, but initially the design was not appreciated due production costs: so, the four bottles were well hidden in the cellar of the Maison for over 60 years.
In 1964, the cellar master at that time, André Baveret, found these precious bottles and the Maison finally decided to bottle their Cuvée in the bottles designed by Gallé. Indeed, the design was considered so beautiful and charming enough to be paired with the prestige of the Cuvée.

Birthday of a Jazz Legend, Duke Ellington partying at L’Alcazar, Paris.

So, after 67 years from the original conception, exactly with the seventieth birthday of the American Jazz legend Duke Ellington, the Maison released to the public the “Belle Epoque” in Paris, at the L’Alcazar restaurant.
Five hundred vintage 1964 magnum size bottles were reserved for special customers and the rest was exclusively sold at Maxim’s and Fauchon food store, always in Paris.

The first “Belle Époque” vintage, the 1964.

Since 1964, Perrier-Jouët still bottles in “anemones” his most precious versions of its Champagne, the Millésime, making Emile Gallé name last forever.

Champagne & Hip-Hop

Dear readers,

Today we will talk about Champagne and Hip-Hop, a connection which joins two apparently quite different worlds.

Symbol of wealth, lust, luxury, social status, Champagne for rappers is this: in many songs verses of successful rappers in the world, you could listen to rhymes built upon this fascinating wine. Not only that, even in their videos and in their parties prestigious Champagne bottles do not seem to ever miss: Cristal, Dom Perignon, Nectar Imperial, Imperial Ice and Ace of Spades are some of the Cuvée popular among rappers.

Ace of Spades, fluo edition Dom and Cristal

But let’s go to the beginning of this story.

The link between these two worlds was born with the first Hip-Hop stars, the legends of Notorious BIG and Tupac, two rivals, representatives of two different concept of Hip-Hop, of America, of living, although sharing a passion for this prestigious wine.

In the lyrics of Notorious there are many references to Champagne. In “Juicy”, one of his most famous hit, Notorious sings “Birthdays was the worst days; now we sip Champagne when we thirsty “.

Notorious B.I.G. with Dom Perignon & Brut Imperial

On the other side of America, Los Angeles, Tupac invents, at the beginning of his song “Thug Passion”, an “aphrodisiac” cocktail made with Alizé, an exclusive Cognac, and Cristal: “Aight, new drink one part Alize, one part Cristal”.

Tupac and his “Thug Passion”, made with Cristal and Alizé

In the last decade, Champagne has found admirers in Jay-Z and Kanye West.

Jay-Z, Kanye West and Champagne

If Kanye declares himself a lover of Louis Roederer Cristal, singing in Celebration, “You know what though? You my favorite accident. So go ahead and pop some Cristal”, Jay has become in these days the majority shareholder of Armand de Brignac, an high prestige Champagne producer.

The story of Jay Z deserves a little brief.

Jay pops some Ace of Spades Brut Gold

Cristal lover, Jay has made many references to Cristal until 2006, when the president of Maison Louis Roederer, in an interview regarding the link between Champagne and Hip-Hop, stated he could not prohibit the sale of Cristal Champagne to the stars of Hip-Hop. Jay-Z, interpreting these words as offensive, left Cristal to Ace of Spades, produced by Armand de Brignac. Since then, Jay began to recommend it in his restaurant in New York, in his own events and spread it among the other stars of Hip-Hop affiliated to him.

Drake, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar e A$AP Rocky celebrate with their favorite Champagnes

Today, new Hip-Hop stars are still passionate about this wine and, in addition to the “historic” labels, the rappers celebrate with sweet Champagne, such as Nectar Imperial by Moet & Chandon, and Ice Champagne, drinking in glasses filled with ice and produced by the same Möet & Chandon.

But what are the stories and the characteristics of these prestigious bottles?

I’ll tell you the story of each Maison, in the next post!

See you soon,