If not for Tsar Alexander II and a request he made in 1876, Cristal Champagne may never have become the status symbol beverage that it is today. The Tsar requested his own proprietary sparkling wine and Louis Roederer obliged with a sweet blend that for more than three decades was available exclusively for the consumption and enjoyment of the Russian royal family.

The reason for the bottle being clear instead of green like most sparkling wine bottles traces back to the Russian Imperial Court. Alexander, fearing an attack by his political enemies, demanded clear bottles that were incapable of hiding an explosive device or other weapon.

The lead crystal bottle design is strong enough to withstand the internal pressure and therefore has a flat bottom instead of a traditional concave bottom. The gold cellophane wrapper protects the delicate beverage from damaging UV rays.

A proprietary wine is a producer’s highest end product and is called a cuvee de prestige. Other popular prestige sparkling wines are Duval-Leroy’s Cuvee Femme and Dom Perignon, first launched by Moet & Chandon in 1936. Roederer’s first introduced his royal concoction for public sale in 1945 and it is now the producer’s flagship brand.

The majority of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes blended in this product come from vineyards owned by the founder’s descendants. Only the finest fruit makes the cut and production is run according to the strictest criteria to ensure quality. The 2004 Brut features a mixture of 60 percent Pinot Noir to 40 percent Chardonnay.

The first rose version as the 1974 version. Red wine added to the mixture provides the pink hue instead of allowing the wine to macerate on the grape skins.

For many connoisseurs, Cristal Champagne is the ultimate beverage in its class. The brand has become the sparkling wine of choice among the rich and famous and the name carries a certain cache in all corners of the world.

Cristal Champagne is renowned the world over for being one of the finest of its kind. What many people do not realize is the long and storied history behind it. The story begins in the 1800s in Russia, under Alexander II.

The political situation in Russia in 1867 was unstable, and the czar–Alexander II–lived in daily fear of assassination. In response to his probably justifiable fears, he ordered the creation of a champagne for his own drinking pleasure that was bottled in clear, rather than the typical green, glass. Clear glass, he reasoned, would prevent the addition of visible poisons or the hiding of small bombs.

A Flemish glassmaker was thus commissioned by Louis Roederer to design a clear bottle with a flat bottom made of lead crystal for the czar’s champagnes. The champagne contained in the bottle became known as “Cristal” because of the crystal bottle in which it was served.

Louis Roederer’s Cristal became known as one of the first, if not the first, premium wines produced by any winery. Today, it shares that distinction with other superior quality wines, including one of its primary competitors, Dom Perignon.

Despite its creation in 1867, the wine did not become available on the retail market until 1945. To this day, the bottle retains its distinctive flat-bottomed, clear style, though made of glass rather than lead crystal. The gold wrapper lends it an air of exclusivity and value, and the vintage demands high prices from discerning consumers. Its reputation for high cost and exclusivity keep demand for it high, and it is considered by many to be an affordable, occasional splurge for a special event.

Louis Roederer produces approximately 300,000 to 400,000 bottles per year of Cristal Champagne , and the wine is made with a combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Some vintages have relied more heavily upon the Pinot grapes, giving the drink a distinctively rose color, but typically, the composition is close to evenly split between the two.

Louis Roederer is a household name when it comes to production of wine. His company has been trusted for many years for its ability to produce high class sparkling wine. This tie round, he has come up with one of thee world class brands in the name of Cristal champagne. This is a sparkling wine that is in a category of its own.

This can be attributed to its state of the art packaging as well as its tantalizing taste. This is a classy, cool and sophisticated sparkling wine that will take you to a different horizon you had never thought of before. If you need to make that occasion special, then you are better off going for this sparkling wine.

It has been tasted and proven to bring out the best that good wine ought to. This is a drink that can be enjoyed by individuals from all walks of life, ranging from the royals to the common man on the streets. This wine has a very distinctive taste that matches no other.

This can be attributed to the good mix of the best pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. This sparkling wine has been wrapped in a cellophane and is regarded as the first pressing cuvee in many quarters. It has been packaged in a clear flat bottomed bottle.

This has made the champagne a choice for many. This can be attested by the popularity it has enjoyed in the recent past. This Cristal wine has gone to the point of being featured in MTV. It is widely revered by the mighty in the society and being flaunted by the rich and the royals.

Make a point of opening a icebox from Hollywood, and you will understand just how highly cristal champagne is regarded. It has become more than wine to those who have understood its true taste. This is the sort of thing that is difficult to let go o once you start taking it.