In typing this title for this year’s annual post it just hit me: I’ve been doing “The Ultimate Gift Guide for Champagne Lovers” for 5 years…FIVE. WHOLE. YEARS! For the last 5 consecutive years, I have searched high and low to find twelve (in a nod to the 12 Days of Christmas) exciting, exquisite, enchantingly effervescent champagne-oriented gifts to create an annual gift guide unparalleled to anything you can find anywhere else!
It dawned on me that I’m truly a #ChampagneOG, yall–I’ve been loving, learning, and writing about champagne for a long time {like this Veuve Clicquot dinner article from 2012}, long before it became on trend to be a “champagne blogger.” In fact, I was arguably the first person to use the hashtag #champagneblogger on IG because my love for the bubbly stuff runs DEEP–and that means I take my gift guide list making seriously, too!
Each and every year I work SUPER hard to create a unique list that showcases a variety of creative, luxurious, stylish, delicious, and cheeky gifts to fit everyone’s tastes at price points to fit everyone’s bank account. This year’s gift list ranges in price from $10.00 to $80,000, and if you were to purchase every item on the list for gifting 12 Days style, your grand total would be a measley $123,433.96. Pfft, pocket change. {wink}
That said–and without further ado–here is the fabulous, fizzy, fantastic FIFTH EDITION of “The Ultimate Gift Guide for Champagne Lovers” designed to enchant and delight the champagne lovers in your life, even if the champagne lover is YOU! #treatyoself
1.) MOET & CHANDON PERSONAL CHAMPAGNE VENDING MACHINE: $35,000.00
Should you have your very own personal stash of champagne on demand? Well Neiman Marcus and their 2019 Fantasy Gifts catalog says “Uhm, HELLS YEAH!” I mean, what could be better than having your very own champagne vending machine at home to instantly satiate your effervescent thirst?
Here’s how it works: you insert a golden Moët & Chandon token, push a button to make your selection, then a robotic arm carefully lowers a optimally chilled bottle into the receptacle for your sipping pleasure.
The vending machine comes in your color choice of black, white, or gold and can be personalized with the name–or short phrase–of your choice to make it your own. The machine can hold 360 187-ml bottles (which means you can fully stock it once and sip champagne every day for an entire year) which are not included with the machine, but purchasers are provided with retailers that carry the appropriate sized bottles.
Some people have a mini coffee bar station set up in their bedroom so that they can roll out of bed to fresh java first thing in the morning, but this is *morning coffee,* Bubbleista-style!
2.) GOLD 3D CHAMPAGNE WRISTLET POUCH: $34.00
Is it a “conversation-piece” handbag or a super chic kind of wine bag? You decide! Honestly, since the shape makes it such a statement maker, I’d order a couple of these to use one as an actual wristlet when going out for a night on the town {it’s the perfect size with enough room for keys, license, credit cards, lipstick} and use the other one for gifting with a bottle of bubbly inside. It comes in a mini-size, too–perfect for fitting one of those 187-ml bottles of Moët from your vending machine, yes?
3.) ARMAND DE BRIGNAC BLANC DE NOIRS ASSEMBLAGE: $1,413.46
We all know and understand that Shawn Carter, stage name “Jay-Z,” owns this champagne house, yes? If you still doubt it, just do a quick Google search for “Jay Z Armand de Brignac” and you can see for yourself. Mr. Carter has long established himself as a strategic entrepreneur and successful businessman in many industries, and that strategic success has now spilled over into the wine industry.
So what makes this third release of Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs so special? Well first let’s discuss the “Assemblage” part of this champagne’s name. The word “assemblage” means “blend:” the Blanc de Noirs is a blend of Pinot Noir grapes base wine from 3 vintages and 5 of the best Pinot Noir producing champagne villages: Bouzy (the 2009 vintage), Rilly-la-Montagne, Ludes, and Chigny-les-Roses (the 2010 and 2012 vintages), and Verzenay (the 2012 vintage). In addition, two of the four villages (Bouzy and Verzenay) are designated with “Grand Cru” status, meaning the wines from these villages are exceptional.
Second, the champagne blend lies in subterranean chalk cellars for 6 years, which imparts “complex aromas of bottle-ageing with sesame and nutty notes – and while it retains the required intensity of berry-fruit freshness and steely brightness, the flavours are enveloped by a decadently rich mousse whose underlying nuttiness and savoury vinosity make it a considerably more serious and sophisticated champagne than the glitzy packaging suggests.”
Disgorged in April 2019 and released in September, this is a highly limited edition bottle with only 3,535 being produced (making it SUPER exclusive) and each is inscribed with a number and the disgorgement date on the label. The champagne is available exclusively at Harrods {priced £1,095 per bottle} until mid-November.
Time to whip out those Black Cards, y’all!!!
4.) ALIITA “CHAMPAGNE BRILLIANTE” PENDANT NEACKLACE: $430.00
This is such a fun and stylish pendant that shows the world you’re truly champagne obsessed! The polished 9k yellow gold “Champagne Brillante” necklace from Ialian jeweler Aliita features a wire pendant fashioned in the shape of a champagne coupe with three petite round white diamond “bubbles.”
Who needs to wear your heart on your sleeve when you can wear your obsession around your neck instead?
5.) JCB X BACCARAT “PASSION” CHAMPAGNE FLUTE & DECANTER: $380.00 + $960.00
Remember when I did a blog post recapping the opulence and decadence of the JCB Tasting Room in Napa that was adorned with Baccarat crystal everywhere? Well the luxurious collaboration between JCB x Baccarat continues with the creation of the “Passion” collection of wine glasses that includes a boxed set of 2 tulip flutes that are more than worthy of sipping your most exquisite bubbly!
Imagined by visionary vintner Jean-Charles Boisset and created by French luxury brand Baccarat, this new collection (just unveiled in July) is designed to “elevate the enjoyment of wine and the art of joie de vivre.” The shape of the tulip flute is designed with a wider middle and narrow top which helps to aerate then concentrate the aromas of the champagne which ehanvces the flavors and enables the drinker to fully enjoy all of the aroma notes.
As for the decanter, it “exalts the finesse of the bubbles and reveals the depth of the aromas.” If you’re a little surprised to see a champagne decanter there is a whole school of thought on why you should decant you bubbly–but that’s a topic we can talk about in a future (and coming soon) Bubbleista “Effervescent Education” blog post!
The glasses and decanter together make for a gorgeously elegant presentation and an elevated sipping experience all around–so very #BubbleistaApproved.
6.) CHAMPAGNE: A SPARKLING DISCOVERY BOOK: $70.00
In this comprehensive guide, sommelier Pieter Verheyde offers a veritable written course on the Champagne region, its history, and the evolution of champagne as a celebratory beverage {although my definition of what constitutes a reason to* celebrate* is exceptionally broad…and perhaps somewhat suspect, lolol}.
I love that this is such a photo heavy book–after all, champagne is a beautiful thing–and also details information on some of the finest Champagne houses in France. Better still is that it also provides driving routes for anyone desiring to create their own experience by car by meandering throughout this exquisite wine region.
7.) VIRGIN VOYAGES CHAMPAGNE CRUISES 2020: $1,550-3,650.00
How do you feel about cruising around the world WHILE ordering and drinking champagne on demand?! You guys, Richard Branson has done it again: the serial entrepreneur known for making airline travel cool again is launching a cruise ship line in 2020 and he’s doing it in his typical fun and unconventional style!
For us bubble heads, let it be known upfront that this cruise line is committed to providing us with the ultimate in champagne-obsessed experiences! First off, operating under the philosophy that “champs is best served anywhere, anytime,” Virgin Voyages has actually created a partnership with Moet & Chandon. Second, it has it’s own curated champagne lounge {!!} called “Sip.” Third, the cabins have one-of-a-kind champagne tables {which I cannot wait to use for myself in person!}.
Lastly–and coolest of all–they have “Champagne on Demand” no matter where you are on board! Here’s how it works: once you book your cruise, just download the app on your iPhone {yep, they built an app for that}; shake your phone to pinpoint your location on the ship; then a champagne concierge will deliver a perfectly chilled glass or bottle of bubbly to make your champagne dreams come true.
Add in SPECTACULAR features and amenities such as all-adult cruising {this is MAJOR}; itineraries that include ports in Riviera Maya, Dominican Republic, and Costa Maya; onboard wellness including outdoor yoga and a spin class studio with seas views; buffets replaced by over 20 eateries {yep, NO buffets!}; and unlimited WiFi {which means you can even stream and do it for the ‘gram, too}, listen to me when I tell you that this has the makings of being the cruise experience of your dreams, even if you not big on cruising!
And if you needed added incentive, now until November 30th they are offering half off deposits on their April and May 2020 sailings as well as a special Virgin Voyages limited-edition bottle of Möet & Chandon Impérial®.
Let’s gooooooo!
8.) CHAMPAGNE LE MESNIL “HERITAGE” GRAND CUVEE BLANC DE BLANCS: $135.58
The rand spankin’ new Champagne Le Mesnil “Heritage” Grand Cuvee was just released in October of 2019 {you KNOW your girl is ALWAYS on top of the latest and greatest in champagne!}–it’s so new in fact that distributors in the US are still working on getting their hands on it!
The champagne is a unique cuvée, a blend of 7 vintages of 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the well-known Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil Sur Oger where the cooperative is settled.
And if you think current US distribution{or lack thereof} will make snagging some bottles problematic, the production quantities are limited too: just 3246 bottles and 912 magnums {that will be released later} have been produced. That you means you better get in reeealllly good with Santa Claus {or perhaps in this case your favorite local wine shops and purveyors} to make sure you get your hands on some!
9.) JAN LESLIE CHAMPAGNE BUCKET CUFFLINKS: $495.00
Planning on wearing a tux and/or tuxedo shirt this holiday season? Well take your ensemble up several style and festive notches by adorning it with these elegantly whimsical cufflinks of a gold-tipped champagne bottle on ice. After all, it’s the {effervescent} details that matter most, right?
And if you want to go all in with letting the world know of your serious champagne predilections, you can get the cufflinks and matching shirt studs as a set from Neiman Marcus for $1,290.00.
10.) LENNY KRAVITZ CHAMPAGNE TABLE: $80,810.00
If you haven’t heard anything about the exquisite collaboration that Lenny Kravitz has going on with Champagne House of Dom Perignon, then I don’t know where you’ve been! For over a year now Lenny Kravitz has been creating various creative projects {such as a film, an art exhibit, and furnishings} designed to bring “people together for a moment of sublime celebration.”
And this champagne table definitely does just that! This fabulous black lacquer table has brushed brass trim and unfolds and pulls apart to reveal illuminated bottles of Dom Pérignon, glasses, and ice bucket in the center. Dope, right? When asked about the design, Lenny {yeah, he and I are on a first name basis…at least in my mind} stated “I thought it’d be great to create a coffee table that everyone would gather around.” Now that’s what I call thoughtful design!
11.) SOOHYANG “CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA” CANDLE: $46.00
12.) FREDS AT BARNEY’S CHAMPAGNE & PINK CHAMPAGNE LOLLIPOPS: $10.00
When you just need a little, quick impromptu hit of champagne, FREDS at Barneys New York has got you covered. There are four lollipops in total, with two infused with champagne and two infused with pink champagne flavoring. As an aesthetics-driven person, I also love the chic, slender wooden handles. Plus these pops are perfectly sized to fit into even the smallest of clutches.
And here is a fun Bubbleista effervescent entertaining tip: at your next brunch, at-home cocktail party, or Ladies Night in, why not use these babies to pop into glasses of bubbly to make a fun champagne cocktail with a little sweetness. You’re welcome.
So this officially wraps up Volume #5! Hit me up on gift guide Instagram post and let me know which picks you’ll be asking for–or getting for yourself–this holiday! Cheers to champagne season!