Usain Bolt treated to £80k Champagne at Movida

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt celebrated his triple Olympic gold medal win in style at the weekend when he was treated to an £80,000 bottle of Champagne on Saturday night after breaking the world record for the 4x100-metre relay. As reported on db.com, a 15l Nebuchadnezzar of Armand de Brignac Champagne, known as Ace of Spades, was brought to Bolt’s table at Movida nightclub in Mayfair.

The bottle, the equivalent of 20 75cl bottles, has a retail price of £80,000. “Usain Bolt was given a Nebuchadnezzar of Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV,” said Movida spokeswoman Martina Pokorna. The Champagne house only produces one bigger size bottle – the 30-litre, 40-bottle Midas, which has to be ordered in advance at clubs.

Bolt, who scooped three gold medals at the London Olympics, was joined in the VIP area of the club by Jamaican sprinting teammate Yohan Blake, who Bolt affectionately calls “The Beast.” The pair partied with boxer Amir Khan, double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah and swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who picked up a bronze medal in London.

Across town at Chinawhite in Piccadilly, gold medalists have been treated to a cocktail priced at the Olympic sum of £2,012. American swimmer Ryan Lochte and South African swimmer Chad le Clos are among the recipients of the cocktail, which contains Hennessy Paradis Imperial Cognac and Luxor 24-carat gold leaf Champagne. Lying at the bottom of the glass is a pair of 18-carat gold rings.

“The golden cocktail is our special creation, and we have given some away. Every night we have a presentation for the gold medalists, and it has been very well received,” said Chinawhite director James Spallone. On arrival at the club, gold medalists are handed a 75cl gold bottle of Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial. 

Largest rosé Champagne in the world released

Armand de Brignac has released the worlds largest rosé Champagne onto the market. As reported on the drinks business, the 15l Nebuchadnezzar of Armand de Brignac Rosé, equivalent to twenty regular 75cl bottles, is housed in the brand’s signature metallic bottle finished with a pewter ace of spades. Only a limited number of bottles will be produced each year for the global market.

The Nebuchadnezzar made its debut at private members club Nikki Beach in St Tropez on 1 June. “This was the perfect time for us to release the Nebuchadnezzar as rosé is synonymous with summer,” said Philippe Bienvenu, commercial director of Armand de Brignac, adding, “Armand de Brignac Rosé is fresh and full-bodied with a rich bouquet of red fruits and aromas of strawberries and blackcurrant – perfect for enjoying in the sunshine.” 

Last year the company released the world’s largest Champagne bottle format onto the market – the 30l Midas, named after the mythological god that turned everything he touched to gold. Equivalent to 40 regular 75cl bottles, the Midas weighs a hefty 45kg. Earlier this year young financier Alex Hope splashed out £125,000 on a Midas of Armand de Brignac Brut Gold at a nightclub in Liverpool, racking up the most expensive bar bill in the world in the process.

Yvonne Lardner, Armand de Brignac’s director of PR has reported a large interest in Nebuchadnezzar’s of Brut Gold NV in emerging market Nigeria, which are being used for weddings and large family celebrations. Lardner also reports an interest in Ace of Spades Rosé from men: “We’ve found our Rosé to be really popular with men, the stigma towards the style seems to have gone,” she said. 

Ace of Spades recently appeared in Nigerian singer D’banj’s music video for the song Oliver Twist. D’banj is signed to rapper Kanye West’s record label. Last month Wine and the City reported that Nigeria was developing a third for wine, and particularly high end Champagne, with its wine industry expected to reach US $370m by 2015.