|  It’s common to hear experts tell you what is important for wine quality is not the spiel and yarns spun by the slick marketing people but what’s in the glass-meaning how the liquid tastes. I believe that it is also important to know the history, geography, culture, passion, hard work and several other factors that go into that bottle to complete the picture. In one case, at least all of us have been proven wrong - it’s the way the wine is packaged that makes the difference in a few exceptional cases.
A designer bottle of Champagne - Goût de Diamants Champagne (Taste of Diamonds) created by a well known Nigerian luxury designer in London, Alexander Amosu has been recently sold for a mind-boggling sum of over $1.8 million (about Rs. 10 crore or Rs. 100 million). Amosu was commissioned by an independent Champagne producer, Chapuy, in the village of Oger to come up with a one-off design for private clients to whom the most enjoyable experience and not the money was the criterion.
The liquid inside the bottle - Gout de Diamants is handmade luxury champagne from a family run estate in the beautiful village of Oger, France - is made with 100% rated Grand Cru grapes.The fine champagne is signified as A Tribute To Luxury. The brand won the best Taste 2012 Champagne business.
Amosu created a unique design which takes its inspiration from the Superman style signature and hand crafted it from 18ct solid white gold weighing approximately 48gsm of solid goldcentered by a single deep cut white diamond weighing 19 carats (nineteen!)The label is handcrafted and engraved with the client’s name.
Earlier, Daily Mail had reported that Charles Shaker, a wealthy British businessman had splurged and ordered a Midas - a 30-liter bottle for £330,000 (about $400,000-only Rs.2.2 crores) on a single round of an extremely rare Armand de Brignac Brut Gold 'Dynastie' collection of champagne as he partied with Hollywood stars at the Monaco Grand Prix hosted by the Billionaire Club Monaco last month on 24th May.
 The Goût de Diamants Champagne won ‘Champagne Best Taste 2012′ by a website whose credentials may need stronger footing. Whereas Gout secures 81/100 points,Armand has been left behind at 58. All the big, known names are missing. Therefore, the criteria for selection may be dubious. If you feel suffocated that you have been left behind in the competitive world where you cannot afford the luxury product, check out ebay where you could get it for €80.
As the standard bottle it has an exquisite diamond-themed bottle design encrusted with a diamond cut Swarovski crystal. The most expensive champagne is an effort to create a one-off masterpiece for one of our private wealthy clients and we are very pleased with the results.” I would rather buy this standard bottle for €80 and enjoy all the money thus saved in so many other ways.
But I often wonder about the customs duty impact in case some politician decided to bring back the bottle costing almost Rs.10 crore. Would it be considered one bottle in the duty free allowance of 2 liters? Or would he be stopped and arrested by the customs officials for bringing in contraband diamond? I don’t have the answer. But I do understand slightly better why Champagne is considered an aspirational bubbly.
Subhash Arora
For details, you might like to visit http://www.amosucouture.com/index.php
For an earlier related article, visit Moscato- New Cristal for Celebrities and Commoners
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Tag: Goût de Diamants Champagne |