Moët et Chandon
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Moët & Chandon (founded 1743) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of champagne and one of the best known champagne houses in the world. The house owns over 1,500 acres of vineyards and annually produces over 2 million cases of champagne. In 1962, it was the first champagne house to be listed on the French stockmarket. [1]
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[edit] History
The company dates back to 1743 when Claude Moët began shipping wines from the Champagne region of France to Paris. The reign of Louis XV coincided with an increased demand for sparkling wine. Moët expanded rapidly and by the end of the eighteenth century was exporting the drink all over Europe and to the United States. Claude's grandson Jean-Remy Moët brought the house to international prominence catering to such elite clientele as Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte. Chandon was added to the company name when Jean-Remy Moët turned over half the company to his son Victor Moët, and half to his son-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles in 1832. Following the introduction of the concept of a vintage champagne in 1840, Moët marketed its first vintage in 1842. Their best-selling brand, Brut Imperial was introduced in the 1860s. Their best known label is Dom Perignon, named for the Benedictine monk fondly remembered in legend as the "Father of Champagne". Moët & Chandon merged with Hennessy Cognac in 1971 and with Louis Vuitton in 1987 to become LVMH-Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the largest luxury group in the world, netting over 16 billion euros in fiscal 2004.
"Moët & Chandon" holds a Royal Warrant as supplier of champagne to Queen Elizabeth II. [2]
"Moët & Chandon" says that at least one bottle of its champagne is popped open somewhere in the world every second. [1]
[edit] Domaine Chandon
In 1973, the then Moët-Hennessy company founded Domaine Chandon, an outpost winery in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. It was the first French-owned sparkling wine venture in the United States. The restaurant "Etoile", on the premises of the winery, is consistently rated one of the finest restaurants in Northern California.[citation needed]
Domaine Chandon in Australia was established in 1986 at Green Point (Victoria).
[edit] Pronunciation
Commonly mispronounced "mō-way and shon-don", the actual pronunciation is "mo-wett" if the entire name is used as the 't' is followed by a vowel. The 't' at the end of 'Moët' only becomes silent when ending a phrase or if followed by a consonant. Moët is indeed French champagne, but it is spelled with a diaeresis, and this is where the confusion lies. Claude Moët was born in France in 1683; however, his name is not French, it is Dutch.
The manufacturers like to say it "mō-way and shon-don"
[edit] References
- ^ a b K. Gargett, P. Forrestal, & C. Fallis The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine pg 166 Global Book Publishing 2004 ISBN 1740480503
- ^ http://www.royalwarrant.org/
