Some French people with diverse profiles are willing to spend fortunes on prestigious champagne cuvées like Dom Pérignon or Cristal Roederer during the holidays. Lionel, a 60-year-old former real estate CEO, opened a 750-euro bottle for his Christmas dinner to celebrate French savoir-vivre. These rare consumers challenge the French market, which is not very receptive to ultra high-end champagnes.
In France, the market for ultra high-end champagnes remains limited, but a handful of passionate enthusiasts break this trend by investing without restraint in exceptional bottles during year-end holidays. Among them is Lionel, 60, a former real estate executive who does not call himself a champagne aficionado. Yet, he chose to open a Dom Pérignon 'Vintage' 2008, priced at 750 euros for 75 cl, for his Christmas dinner. 'I refuse low-end,' he states, explaining the choice as a way to celebrate 'a certain sense of French savoir-vivre' rather than to impress.
Frédéric Rouzaud, director of Louis Roederer, famous for its Cristal cuvée once favored by Tsar Alexandre II, describes the profile of these consumers as plural. 'We of course find wine collectors and great…,' he notes, highlighting the diversity: from collectors to occasional enthusiasts seeking excellence for special occasions. These portraits reveal an attachment to quality and prestige, far from stereotypes linked to nightclubs.
This practice, though marginal, highlights a niche of French consumers who value the most renowned cuvées, like those from Dom Pérignon or Cristal, to mark festive moments with elegance and refinement.
