What Our Favourite Champagne and Sparkling Wine Maisons Have Been Up to Lately

It has been a decade since Maison Ruinart started measuring its “environmental performance index” or the impact of all its projects to the environment. In 2015, it launched a 50g lighter gift box that saved more than 200 tons of paper and removed all forms of plastic wrapping. Its continued commitment to sustainability has resulted in the maison foregoing the traditional gift boxes for good this year and replacing them with a ‘second skin’ designed in collaboration with manufacturer James Cropper.

The sleek and eco-friendly packaging that enrobes the bottle features a silky white and textured surface that represents the traditional wine cellars in Reims, France. Not only does it preserve the bubbly’s taste integrity, it is also better for the environment as it’s made with 100 per cent natural wood fibres that is entirely recyclable—hence, there is minimal waste.

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Veuve Clicquot has also updated the packaging of its iconic Yellow Label Cuvee, but this time around, it took inspiration from the ‘70s and ‘80s with the new Clicquot Tape. Replacing the classic boxes, the bottle is stored inside a giant cassette tape which comes in three unique designs inspired by cultural and social events that shaped our world. Not only are these “cassette tapes” pretty to look at, but they are extremely useful too as they can be recycled as storage boxes for all your knick-knacks. Of course, this was designed with sustainability in mind as the moulded fibre wedge which holds the bottle isn’t made of plastic but an upcycled cellulose waste that is 100 per cent recyclable and compostable.

See also: Discover Veuve Clicquot and Yayoi Kusama's Tribute to the La Grande Dame of Champagne

The notable maison continues its tradition of releasing vintage wines, which are produced from grapes of a single year. The latest one is the Plénitude 2 Vintage 2003, crafted during one of the toughest years in wine-making history due to severe frosting and intense heatwave caused by global warming.

This enticing expression is the result of the skill and innovation of champagne makers, who allowed the juice to oxidise and darken in the press as well as increased the amount of pinot noir in the blend to create a harmonious balance of luscious aromas, freshness and fruitiness.

See also: Dom Perignon Launches Plénitude 2 Vintage 2003 in Singapore

Chandon, the largest sparkling wine estate under the LVMH group, has debuted a new look to tell its brand story. The eye-catching bottle now features stylistic elements such as the iconic seven-point star, which represents a world of possibilities and the estate’s six wineries across Argentina, Brazil and California, Australia, China and India.

While the refreshed look reflects its pioneering spirit, the maison continues to craft their sparkling wines from chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier. Winemakers stay true to the traditional French winemaking techniques but ensure that they showcase the vibrancy and characters of the terroir.

From Australia, you have the Chandon Brut and Chandon Rosé, which are now available in Singapore. The former is a vibrant and fresh bubbly with subtle complexity, while the latter has fruity flavours of pink grapefruit, cherry sorbet layered with notes of hazelnut and biscuit.

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