Cristal (champagne)

Cristal is the brand name of a well-known champagne produced by Louis Roederer. Cristal is easily recognized by its flat-bottomed clear, "crystal" bottle, anti-UV cellophane wrapper, and gold label. A typical price in the United States is $350 or more [cite web|url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Louis+Roederer+Cristal+Brut/1999|title=Louis Roederer 1999 Cristal Brut] for a bottle. In the United Kingdom, prices are around £150 per bottle and can rise to £650 in some bars in central London. In the Netherlands, prices are around €200 per bottle and can rise to €800 in some clubs in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, depending on the year the bottle is produced in and the venue.

History

Cristal was first created in 1876 for Alexander II of Russia. As the political situation in Russia at the time of his rule was unstable, the tsar feared assassination. He ordered that the bottles, containing the drink, were made clear to avoid having a bomb hidden in a typical green bottle. Louis Roederer commissioned a Flemish glassmaker to create a Champagne bottle with a flat bottom. Bottles made from common glass have a bell shaped bottom which makes them strong enough to cope with the pressure created by the champagne. In order to create a flat bottomed bottle they had to be made from stronger, clear lead crystal. The Champagne has since become known as "Cristal". J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 584-585 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ] It is viewed by many as the first "prestige cuvée".

Cristal did not become commercially available until 1945.Stevenson, Tom, "Decanter" (2007) "The Best A Man Can Get...." December, 2007 ]

Production

The 1974 vintage was the first release of a rosé Cristal. The grape composition is an approximately equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while the rosé contains more Pinot Noir, and is coloured with red wine rather than Pinot Noir grape skins, the "saignée" method.cite web|last= Kissack |first= Chris, thewinedoctor.com|title= Roederer |url= http://www.thewinedoctor.com/champagne/roederer.shtml ] The 2000 vintage is 55 per cent Pinot Noir and 45 per cent Chardonnay, with a dosage of 10gm/ltr. The annual production of Cristal is between 300,000 to 400,000 bottles in years it is made, depending of the quality of the vintage.cite web|last= Marthinsen |first= Tom, "Dagens Næringsliv" |title= Superelegant kjendis-champagne |url= http://www.dn.no/vinguiden/article1390787.ece?WT.mc_id=dn |date= 2008-04-28 |language= Norwegian ]

In popular culture

Hip hop

Cristal became a part of the vocabulary of Hip hop culture, with several performers, prominently Jay-Z, mentioning the brand in rap lyrics since the mid 1990s.cite web |last=Century |first= Douglas, "New York Times" |title=Jay-Z Puts a Cap on Cristal |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/fashion/02cris.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |date=2006-07-02 ] cite web|last= Steinberger| first= Mike, "Slate.com" |title= The Cristal Boycott |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2144328 |date= June 22, 2006 ] Following a 2006 interview in "The Economist" with Roederer Managing Director Frédéric Rouzaud, Jay-Z deemed his comments "racist" and called for a boycott of Cristal. In the interview, Rozaud had stated he treated Cristal's association with rap "with curiosity and serenity", and when asked if the association could hurt the brand, Rouzaud replied, "That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."cite web|last=Arnold |first= Ben, "The Guardian" |title=Jay-Z pours away the Cristal |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1799123,00.html |date=2006-06-16 ] cite web|last=Woodard |first= Richard, "Decanter.com" |title=Rapper Jay-Z boycotts 'racist' Cristal |url=http://www.decanter.com/news/86845.html |date=2006-06-16 ]

In a press statement Jay-Z said, "It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal ... views the hip-hop culture as 'unwelcome attention'. I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life." The phrase "unwelcome attention" was not quoted text however, but a sub-heading in the "Economist" article. Rouzaud later stated that the company had "the utmost regard for, and interest in, all forms of art and culture", however Jay-Z declared he would remove Cristal references from his repertoire and stop selling it in the clubs he owns, with several performers following suit.

Film

* In the 1995 film "Four Rooms", Quentin Tarantino, playing a rich Hollywood director, discusses Cristal during a lengthy monologue, stating that compared to Cristal, "Everything else is piss".
* In the 1995 film "Showgirls", the character played by Gina Gershon is named Cristal Connors. In a conversation with another character, she reveals that she named herself Cristal after the champagne (which she refers to as "Holy water").
* In the documentary "Tupac Resurrection", Tupac talks about his best memory with Mickey Rourke. Mickey is arguing with his wife, Carr. Tupac advises him to buy her some Cristal, stating that it would "make someone forgive you."

References