Louis Roederer

When the world celebrates, it does so with Champagne. Across 198 nations, a cork is popped every second.

Beneath the bubbly capital of Reims in northeastern France, 250km of cellars maintain the global supply of fizz at 1.4bn bottles - enough to pour a generous flute for every man and woman in the world.

Louis Roederer remains one of the last independent and family-run champagne houses. In the 1870s, the firm began to export its wines. The house created an exclusive champagne for Tsar Alexander II of Russia and launched a novel concept: the very first Cuvee de Prestige. It was created in 1876 and named Cristal. Ever since, the subtleness and elegance of Cristal has forged Louis Roederer’s reputation for excellence.

Like Camper & Nicholsons, the Reims house has deep family roots. Seventh generation owner-director Frederic Rouzaud is a guardian to good tradition. Louis Roederer crafts two thirds of its cuvees from fully-owned vineyards of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Meunier, Champagne’s three grape varieties.

For Frederic Rouzaud, forging forward means recalling the past. The cuvées of the house are the fruit of patient work with fundamental ingredients, the collaboration of experts, a quest for the perfect balance and hardy and generous grapes cultivated in the Champagne soil. This produces a wine with a summery character and crystalline elegance. We’ll all raise a glass to that.