Introducing a new Champagne Direct series.
Winston Churchill – the man, the moment and his most drinkable friendship.
There are some people who drink champagne.
And then there are people who seem to become part of its story.
Throughout history, champagne has found its way into royal courts, artists’ studios, literary salons, wartime celebrations, Hollywood parties and countless moments when someone simply decided that life – or an achievement – was worth marking with a bottle of something special.
So, at Champagne Direct, we’ve decided to go looking for the stories behind some of those people.
Welcome to Champagne & the Famous – a new series exploring the remarkable people, personalities and moments that have shared a little history with champagne.
And who better to begin with than a man whose relationship with one particular champagne house became so enduring that, decades after his death, his name still sits proudly on one of champagne’s most prestigious cuvées?
Churchill and Champagne – a relationship begins.
Churchill’s relationship with Champagne Pol Roger stretches back to the early 20th century. But it was after the Second World War that the relationship became something much more personal.
At a luncheon hosted by the British Ambassador to France, Churchill encountered a 1928 Pol Roger – and Odette Pol Roger.
The meeting between Churchill and Odette sparked an immediate rapport. What followed was a friendship that continued until Churchill’s death in 1965 and created a lasting connection between the Churchill and Pol Roger families.
Churchill apparently never managed to visit Pol Roger’s home at 44 Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. His responsibilities – and, one imagines, his rather full diary – got in the way.
But he had a memorable description for the address nonetheless:
“The most drinkable address in the world.”
It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate endorsement from the man himself.
Champagne for the good times – and the difficult ones
Churchill’s appreciation of champagne wasn’t simply about luxury.
He lived through two World Wars, political triumphs and devastating setbacks, extraordinary periods of public responsibility and long stretches away from political power.
Champagne was there through much of it.
Perhaps that is part of what makes his relationship with it so compelling. For Churchill, champagne could signify celebration, friendship and victory – but it also seems to have represented something wonderfully human: the importance of enjoying life when the opportunity presented itself.
His famous attitude towards champagne is perhaps best captured by another of his oft-repeated observations:
“My tastes are simple. I am easily satisfied with the best.”
Pol Roger clearly took the sentiment seriously.
Then there was the racehorse…
Because no Churchill story would be complete without at least one gloriously Churchillian detail.
He named one of his racehorses Pol Roger.
Honestly, if you are going to have a favourite champagne, you may as well go all in.
His devotion to the house became so well established that Pol Roger’s connection with Churchill eventually became part of its own history. The house continued to honour the relationship long after his death, including the decision to create a prestige cuvée bearing his name.
Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Pol Roger’s Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created as a tribute to the former Prime Minister and reflects the qualities the house says he particularly valued in champagne: robustness, full body and relative maturity.
The exact blend remains a closely guarded family secret. What is known is that Pinot Noir predominates, providing structure, breadth and robustness, while Chardonnay contributes elegance, finesse and subtlety. The grapes come exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards, and the cuvée is produced only in the very best vintages.
The first vintage was the 1975, and the cuvée was launched at Blenheim Palace – Churchill’s birthplace – in 1984.
It is a rather extraordinary legacy.
A man who loved champagne became part of the history of a champagne house.
And a champagne house, in turn, created a wine designed to reflect the character of the man.
Perhaps that’s the real story
It would be easy to tell Churchill’s champagne story as one of excess, privilege and famous people drinking expensive wine.
But perhaps there is something more interesting here.
Champagne has a remarkable ability to become attached to moments.
A victory.
A new beginning.
A friendship.
A milestone.
A thank-you.
A toast to surviving something difficult.
A celebration of having achieved something that once seemed impossible.
Churchill understood the importance of those moments.
And perhaps that is why his relationship with champagne has endured so beautifully.
Because ultimately, champagne isn’t really about the bottle.
It’s about what the bottle means when you open it.
And so our story begins…
Churchill is just the beginning.
In the months ahead, Champagne & the Famous will take us from royal courts to Hollywood, from literary salons to the world of fashion, exploring the characters who have helped make champagne part of our cultural history.
Some will be famous for power.
Some for creativity.
Some for rebellion.
Some for style.
And some, perhaps, simply for knowing when the moment called for champagne.
Join us as we raise a glass to the people, the stories and the moments behind the bubbles.
Champagne Direct – helping you celebrate the people and moments that deserve to be remembered.