10 Fun Facts About Moet & Chandon

Moet & Chandon is widely regarded as the biggest name in the luxury champagne industry. For more than 250 years, the French winery has grown and expanded to become a champagne giant. From the meticulous winemaking processes that make Moet & Chandon champagnes exotic and luxurious wines to the stellar packaging they come in, it goes beyond saying that they are an embodiment of prestige, excellence, and luxury. In fact, considering its rich history, it could be argued that Maison Moet & Chandon pioneered the art of making champagne a drink of festivity and celebration when you.

Moet & Chandon champagnes are known as celebrity favourites, especially rappers and hip-hop artists. However, there are probably a few things you don’t know about the Moet & Chandon brand. Here are 10 fun facts about the famous French Champagne house.

1. MAISON MOET & CHANDON WAS FOUNDED IN 1743

At inception in 1743, Claude Moet became Champagne’s first winemaker to exclusively produce sparkling wine, and he started shipping his sparkling wine from Champagne to Paris. Centuries later, Moet & Chandon merged with Hennessy Cognac in 1971 and with Louis Vuitton in 1987 to become LVMH (Louis-Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy). That merger made them the world’s largest luxury group.

1. MOET & CHANDON ARE PRIMARILY PRODUCED FROM THREE GRAPES

Moët & Chandon’s iconic Moët Impérial is produced from the traditional Champagne grape trio: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. Those grapes are harvested from hundreds of plots of land located in hundreds of villages within the limestone-rich Champagne region, followed by a complex vinification process, reflecting a mosaic of terroir.

1. IT’S PRONOUNCED “MO-WET”!

Although it’s typical to drop consonant sounds in French, the “t” in “Moet” isn’t the silent one. The family originated from the Netherlands and migrated to France in the 1400s. The name’s pronunciation has remained the same ever since.

1. THE COMPANY WAS ORIGINALLY NAMED AS MOET ET CIE (MOET & CO.)

In 1743, Claude Moët first named his nascent company “Moet et Cie”. However, the French wine giant changed its name to “Moet et Chandon” in 1832, following Victor Moët, Claude Moët’s great grandson’s partnership with brother-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles.

1. MOET & CHANDON HOLDS A ROYAL WARRANT TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II

The company holds a Royal Warrant to supply Queen Elizabeth II with Champagne. In fact, the brand is so much loved by the royal family that Moet was the choice Champagne of choice at Prince Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981.

1. MOET & CHANDON OWES ITS INTERNATIONAL REPUTE TO JEAN-REMY MOET

Moet & Chandon has developed across several generations: The story begins with Claude Moët, the founder, and later his grandson Jean-Rémy Moet, who actually created and globalized the Moet brand identity. His wide travels to many parts of France, ingenuity, business acumen, and visionary ideas all shot the Moet brand to international fame. By the time Jean-Remy retired, the brand was already the foremost Champagne house in France.

1. THE HOUSE ALSO PRODUCES DOM PERIGNON AND HENNESSY

We can’t deny that Maison Moet & Chandon is an inventor of luxury brands. The House is also the producer of Dom Perignon, a luxury vintage Champagne officially launched the brand in 1921, and Hennessy Cognac, launched in the 1970s.

1. MOËT & CHANDON PRODUCES ABOUT 30 MILLION BOTTLES ANNUALLY!

Easily the biggest name in luxury champagne and the largest champagne house in the world, Moet & Chandon produces approximately 30 million bottles each year. With an extensive range of premium champagnes, such as its most iconic Champagne Moet Impérial, and others such as Rosé Impérial, Rosé Ice Impérial, Ice Impérial, and the Grand Vintage Champagnes, which differ every year.

1. NAPOLEON WAS A BIG FAN OF MOET

For over 250 years, Moet has always been a choice champagne for the elite – emperors, elder statesmen, kings, queens, and even commoners. The legendary Napoleon Bonaparte was recorded to have celebrated his victories in conquest with his choice bubbly, Moet & Chandon. Napoleon was said to have met Jean-Rémy Moet at school as a young man, and they became longtime friends. In fact, the House’s ‘Imperial’ trademark was named after Napoleon, their friend, and loyal follower.

1. THE ART OF “POPPING” CHAMPAGNE BEGAN WITH A MOET

The tradition of ‘popping’ champagne historically began when Dan Gurney, the racecar driver who won the 24-hour Le Mans race in his Ford GT40, opened the Jeroboam bottle of Moet & Chandon and sprayed its contents on himself and the agog spectators.

Moet & Chandon champagnes are renowned for having “a bright fruitiness, a seductive palate and an elegant maturity that are the result of the slow, gradual progression from vine to cellar.” They’re just the perfect wine to celebrate with. Pick up a bottle and savour the taste and flavours of Moet & Chandon champagnes today!