THE MARKETING of fine French wine usually involves making potential customers want to taste it. They鈥檙e supposed to anticipate experiencing in the bottle what the combination of the winemaker and the vineyard鈥檚 terroir has produced. But the biggest, grandes marques Champagnes, no matter how delicious, have been sold largely on image.
Take the LVMH Mo毛t Hennessy Louis Vuitton portfolio, which now includes five historic global brands of bubbly. The company鈥檚 Mo毛t & Chandon is the glamour Champagne at the US Open tennis tournament, while at the New York City Ballet, patrons sip elegant, sophisticated Ruinart. Jon Potter, executive vice-president of brands at Mo毛t Hennessy USA, insists the differences among the imaging and promotional strategies of the five international labels aren鈥檛 just invented by marketers but come directly from the heritage of each estate. 鈥淲e went deep into the history of each to find its DNA, its core theme,鈥 he says.
So far, the strategy is working. LVMH鈥檚 Veuve Clicquot and Mo毛t & Chandon are leading the recent growth in US Champagne sales and account for 60% of that market.
VEUVE CLICQUOT
With a distinctive yellow-orange label, this Champagne is the chic lifestyle brand. Madame Clicquot made her pinot noir鈥揵ased blends successful in the 1800s, with Russian help. Now, the brand sponsors polo matches and sailing festivals and associates itself with fashion and stylish businesswomen.
MO脣T & CHANDON
This widely available Champagne is about glitzy parties and victorious moments. Once the standard spray for Formula One winners, Mo毛t & Chandon Imperial is now regularly uncorked during tennis matches; Roger Federer is the global brand ambassador. It鈥檚 also been the official drink of the Golden Globe Awards for the past 24 years.
DOM P脡RIGNON
Even to people who can鈥檛 name a Bordeaux ch芒teau, 鈥淒P鈥 is synonymous with luxury. Once Mo毛t & Chandon鈥檚 prestige cuv茅e, it was spun off as its own brand, with a visionary 鈥減ower of creation鈥 philosophy and manifesto. DP makes only complex vintage Champagnes noted for their ageability. For special packaging, it turns to artists such as Jeff Koons and David Lynch.
KRUG
Owned by LVMH since 1999, Krug is the super serious bubbly of collectors and connoisseurs, the wine to pour before a three-Michelin-star meal. All its Champagnes are pushed as the ultimate prestige cuv茅es, from the Grande Cuv茅e 120-wine blend to its two, $1,000-plus single-vineyard wines that reflect a special terroir.
RUINART
Mo毛t purchased Ruinart, the oldest Champagne house, in 1963 and redefined it as a light, elegant, all-chardonnay blanc de blancs — an ideal aperitif. It鈥檚 the art and culture brand, the official fizz at the New York City Ballet and international art fairs like Art Basel. The connection: In 1896, Andr茅 Ruinart commissioned a now-famous poster by art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. — Bloomberg
