Cristal (champagne)

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A bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal (1993).
A bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal (1993).

Cristal is the brand name of a well-known champagne produced by Louis Roederer. Cristal is easily recognized by its flat-bottomed clear, "crystal" bottle, anti-UV cellophane wrapper, and gold label. A typical price in the United States is $350 or more [1] for a bottle. In the United Kingdom, prices are around £150 per bottle and can rise to £650 in some bars in central London. In the Netherlands, prices are around €200 per bottle and can rise to €800 in some clubs in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, depending on the year the bottle is produced in and the venue.

Contents

[edit] History

It was first created in 1876 for Alexander II of Russia but did not become commercially available until 1945.[2] As the political situation in Russia at the time of his ruling was unstable, the tsar feared assassination. He ordered that the bottles, containing the drink, were made clear to avoid having a bomb hidden in a typical green bottle. Louis Roederer commissioned a Flemish glassmaker to create a Champagne bottle with a flat bottom. Bottles made from common glass have a bell shaped bottom which makes them strong enough to cope with the pressure created by the champagne. In order to create a flat bottomed bottle they had to be made from stronger, clear lead crystal. The Champagne has since become known as "Cristal".[3] It is viewed by many as the first prestige cuvée.[4]

[edit] Production

The 1974 vintage saw the first release of a rosé Cristal.[2] The grape composition of Cristal is an approximately equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while the rosé contains more Pinot Noir, and is made by addition of red wine rather than by skin contact saignée method.[4] The 2000 vintage was made from 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, with a dosage of 10g/l.[2]

The annual production of Cristal is between 300,000 to 400,000 bottles in years it is made, depending of the quality of the vintage.[5]

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Hip hop

Cristal became a part of the vocabulary of Hip hop culture, with several performers, prominently Jay-Z, mentioning the brand in rap lyrics since the mid 1990s.[6][7] Following a 2006 interview in The Economist with Roederer Managing Director Frédéric Rouzaud, Jay-Z deemed his comments "racist" and called for a boycott of Cristal. In the interview, Rozaud had stated he treated Cristal's association with rap "with curiosity and serenity", and when asked if the association could hurt the brand, Rouzaud replied, "That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."[8][7]

In a press statement Jay-Z said, "It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal ... views the hip-hop culture as 'unwelcome attention'. I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life." The phrase "unwelcome attention" was not quoted text however, but a sub-heading in the Economist article.[8] Rouzaud later stated that the company had "the utmost regard for, and interest in, all forms of art and culture", however Jay-Z declared he would remove Cristal references from his repertoire and stop selling it in the clubs he owns, with several performers following suit.[6]

[edit] Film

In the 1995 film Four Rooms, Quentin Tarantino, playing a rich Hollywood director, discusses Cristal during a lengthy monologue, stating that compared to Cristal, "Everything else is piss".

In the 1995 film Showgirls, the character played by Gina Gershon is named Cristal Connors. In a conversation with another character, she reveals that she named herself Cristal after the champagne (which she sardonically refers to as 'Holy water').

[edit] References

  1. ^ Louis Roederer 1999 Cristal Brut.
  2. ^ a b c Stevenson, Tom (2007) The Best A Man Can Get.... December 2007 Decanter
  3. ^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 584-585 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
  4. ^ a b Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. Roederer.
  5. ^ Marthinsen, Tom, Dagens Næringsliv (April 28, 2008). Superelegant kjendis-champagne (Norwegian).
  6. ^ a b Century, Douglas, New York Times (July 2, 2006). Jay-Z Puts a Cap on Cristal.
  7. ^ a b Woodard, Richard, Decanter.com (June 16, 2006). Rapper Jay-Z boycotts 'racist' Cristal.
  8. ^ a b Arnold, Ben, The Guardian (June 16, 2006). Jay-Z pours away the Cristal.