When a champagne house can name Marie Antoinette and Marilyn Monroe as fans, you'd think the brand couldn't get any more glamorous - then they announce a collaboration with shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Viva speaks to Piper Heidsieck's Christian Holthausen.
Christian Holthausen stepped off his flight from Singapore just four hours ago. So just how does the New York-born, Paris-based brand manager for Piper Heidsieck manage to be as effervescent as the contents of his wine glass? "I've discovered a wonderful cure for jet-lag," he says, confidentially. "Champagne. A few sips of Piper never fail to revive me."
As home remedies go, it's a glamorous one. And you'd expect nothing less from Piper's international house communications manager, who leads the kind of lifestyle most of us dream about. Spending half the year travelling, and the remainder visiting the vineyard in Champagne from his Paris apartment (just a stone's throw from the Pompidou Centre), his life is nothing if not varied. "Last week I was in the winery at Reims in jeans and a T-shirt, working on preparing for the 2010 harvest," he says. "This week I'm in a suit, giving champagne-tasting masterclasses here in Auckland and Wellington, then back to Singapore to design menus with top chefs. That's what I enjoy most about my job. Sometimes you'll find me cleaning out a tank, sometimes I'm at a glamorous party talking to VIPs about champagne."
It's a subject that keeps Holthausen busy, considering that Piper Heidsieck has a long and distinguished history to talk about. In fact, it stretches back to 1785, when vintner Florens-Louis Heidsieck first presented his wine to Marie Antoinette at the court of Versailles. "It became her drink of choice, and Piper Heidsieck was served in court, at parties and in literary salons until the French Revolution," says Holthausen. "It's absolutely thanks to Marie Antoinette's patronage that the name Piper Heidsieck is famous today."
Although there is one other decadent, doomed beauty who cemented Piper's reputation as the starlet's choice: Marilyn Monroe. In 1953 the bombshell famously declared that, just as she finished each day wearing nothing but Chanel No. 5, she began each day with a glass of Piper Heidsieck.
Over the past century, Piper Heidsieck has collaborated with top fashion designers to create limited edition bottles and accessories. In 1885, to celebrate the House's 100th anniversary, jeweller Carl Faberge created an extravagant bottle coated in diamonds, gold and gemstones. In 1999 Jean-Paul Gaultier dressed the champagne bottle in a bondage-inspired latex corset, in much the same way as he was dressing Madonna at the time. In 2007 the irrepressibly subversive Viktor & Rolf designed an upside-down bottle. And now, shoe-designer of the moment Christian Louboutin has created "Le Rituel", a stunning crystal shoe to replace the traditional champagne flute. "In the days of the Moulin Rouge at the end of the 19th century, drinking champagne from a chorus girl's shoe - post high-kicking performance - became a traditional gesture of ardour among the amorous gentlemen in the audience," explains Holthausen. "It's a fabulously debauched, decadent piece of history, and when we approached Christian Louboutin about a collaboration, this was a ritual he seized on."
Amazingly, it's possible to sip from this champagne slipper without dribbling bubbles down your chin. We checked. But Piper isn't just about fashionable flourishes. "One thing about my job I really enjoy is the process of demystifying champagne," says Holthausen. "Many people think of champagne as a single flavour, rather than a wine variety with many different nuances. This weekend I'll be designing a menu with top chefs in Singapore, with a champagne accompaniment to every course."
It seems there is a variety of Piper for every occasion. Piper Heidsieck Brut Non Vintage? "A great breakfast wine, light and refreshing," says Holthausen. Piper Heidsieck Vintage 2000? "Perfect for a picnic, and amazing paired with truffles and field mushrooms." Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage? "This rose is wonderful with a barbecue."
It's a lot of fun daydreaming about a lifestyle where you can drink champagne for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But to Holthausen, champagne is an affordable luxury. "Champagne is an immediate symbol of celebration and decadence, and it's something everyone can afford from time to time," he says. "Growing up in New York, my mother would keep a half-bottle of champagne in our fridge at all times, and on days when she felt like a treat, she'd pop the cork. Friends considered this wickedly decadent, but her reply was, 'If my husband can come home to a glass of single malt whisky, I can treat myself to the occasional glass of champagne'." We're inclined to agree.
VIP Viva
Viva and Piper-Heidsieck are delighted to give away New Zealand's only available pair of the handmade crystal champagne slippers created by French shoe designer, Christian Louboutin - so you can enjoy the opulence and style of the Le Rituel tradition. To go in the draw, simply email your name, address and contact phone number to vipviva@nzherald.co.nz with "Piper-Heidsieck" in the subject line. Entries close October 11. Winners will be announced October 13.
