The Art of Champagne

The first time I connected the dots between Art and Champagne was during a trip to Prague in the spring of 2010. A visit to the Mucha Museum was all it took to fall in love with the beauty of Art Nouveau and its presence in our daily lives.

Artwork in the style of Art Nouveau created by TheBubblyGal with AI-enhanced effects.

Mucha's illustrations of beautiful women in mythical and metaphorical settings were both imaginative and grounded. The level of details and artistic merits easily qualify as fine arts even though the drawings were mostly commercial. I loved the Seasons and the Arts series in particular, bought the copies to take the inspirations with me.

Mucha was known for his work in advertising and theatre, yet he was not only an artist, but a musician and a philosopher too. He was religious and also interested in mysticism. His multiplicity reflects in his art works, and has inspired generalists like myself.

Two well-known champagne houses, Moët et Chandon and Ruinart, have left their marks in art history through their work with Mucha. I was too young to fall in love with champagne back then in 2010, but now I fully understand the representations of these ladies standing tall and posing for champagne. They were the bubbly girls of the 1900s. Perhaps one day, TheBubblyGal will have her dream come true, to have her own art representation of champagne.

Screenshot of image of Moet Mucha posters from http://www.muchafoundation.org/en/gallery/search-works/display/results

Screenshot of image of Ruinart Mucha poster from http://www.muchafoundation.org/en/gallery/search-works/display/results

Moët et Chandon has recently celebrated its 280th year with the unveiling of it Imperial Creation No. 1, collaborating with contemporary artist Daniel Arsham. Ruinart actively engages with art throughout the years and prides itself in its promotion of the art through the Carte Blanc program.

Art is metaphor. It expresses imaginatively and emotively. The champagne-makers aspire to be like artists, creating their concoctions based on artistic ideas, and in the process, transforms the consumption of wine into the consumption of art, making the drinking of champagne an epitome of living a refined life.