THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHAMPAGNE BUBBLES NOW

Since we are celebrating Beautiful Bubbles this week, we are excited to share the most beautiful bottles of bubbly we could find. Check out these incredible Champagnes -- and tell us, which is more beautiful, the bottles or their contents?!?!?

1. ZARB CHAMPAGNE: SURFACE

The bottles in ZARB’s Design Collection are fantastic. Each series is designed by artists or photographers. The the set above, called “Surface” was photographed by Zena Holloway, with costume design by Vin Burnham and made by Sten Vollmuller.

Apple, peach, and pear bubbly notes will dance on your tongue. Made with 30% Chardonnay, 50% Meunier, and 15% Pinot Noir grapes, grown near Charly-sur-Marne, in the western side of the Champagne region, ZARB Champagne is slightly fruity, yet sophisticated. These bottles will thrill you inside and out.

2. MOET & CHANDON MIDNIGHT GOLD

Indulge in the Moet & Chandon Midnight Gold limited edition. French designer Camille Toupet was commissioned to create this spectacular piece.

The case is made of gold lambskin, enhanced with hand sewn Swarovski crystals and gold beads that look like beautiful champagne bubbles.

The removable “tie”, can be worn removed and worn as a statement wrist accessory, although we doubt we’d ever do that. The case also features a matching bottle stopper.

It is available exclusively at Selfridges in London.

3. GOÛT DE DIAMANTS

Its claim to fame is that it is the World’s most expensive bottle of champagne, worth $1.8 million. Why? Goût de Diamants, the ultra-luxury Champagne brand,  commissioned designer Alexander Amosu, to make this champagne for one of its private clients.

Of course, it sports a real flawless 19 carat diamond, embedded in the graphic 18K gold diamond shaped label emblazoned on custom made black glass bottle. You can also get your own name engraved, in case after indulging, you forget.

4. PERRIER-JOUËT BELLE EPOQUE ROSÉ 2005

Brazilian artist-designer Vik Muniz decorated this special bottle which is described as “the most extravagant and graceful Perrier-Jouët wine of the Belle Epoque Collection,” by Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps.

Muniz created a melange of fantasy illustrations, including a visit from the iconic Perrier-Jouët anemones as a golden bird. But the real nectar is held safely inside the bottle.

5. ORFÈVRE CRISTAL 2002 JEROBOAM

It was a very, very, very good year -- and to honor it, Louis Roederer commissioned artist Philippe Di Meo to design a spectacular Jeroboam bottle. There were only 200 bottles produced, so they won’t be easy to find.

Di Meo, founder of Reso Design Band Studio, was inspired by French jewelry design in conceiving this brilliant work of gold lattice and center medallion.

The design does not cast any shadow on the bottle, but rather creates reflections from light. Each bottle casing is made from more than 20 feet of plated brass band gilded with 24K gold, with 158 silver welding points. It took two master goldsmiths four days to create each bottle.

All this to house the best Champagne in decades, made from perfectly ripe chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, with concentrated fruity flavors and superfine bubbles. It’s pure bubbly liquid gold.

6. BEAU JOIE

Wearing a gorgeous handcrafted copper suit of armor which helps this bubbly stay colder longer, Beau Joie touts a happy tongue-in-cheek message: “Tonight’s the Knight.”

Beau Joie is made with 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from Epernay, France, and, unlike many other champagnes, it has no added sugar. It tastes bright and clean.

7. ARMAND DE BRIGNAC BRUT GOLD

“Brut Gold,” an elite bottling by Armand de Brignac, plated with gold, with labels stamped out of pewter. It comes protected in a plush velvet bag, housed in a black lacquered wooden box.

The champagne inside is also golden, with round and creamy golden apple and white grape flavors. The bubbles are tiny and gentle in nature.

8. REYNOLDS & REYNER

Design firm Reynolds & Reyner let bubbles go to their heads when they created this super-cool super-limited edition champagne bottle and case. The orange-skin textured egg-shaped case keeps things chilled, then opens to reveal precious cargo -- the bottle -- a gleaming studded fantasy, with a necklace around its neck.

Only 23 sets of Classic Brut and 5 sets of Premium Vintage Brut were made, so you will have to search hard to find them.

9. HEIDSIECK 1907 DIAMANT BLEU

There’s vintage champagne… and then there’s the amazing Heidsieck cuvée!

If you are a history buff, you might know about this fantastic tale.

The Imperial Court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia ordered 2,000 bottles of this extraordinary Champagne and commissioned a wooden freighter, called Jönköping, to deliver it from Sweden.

On 3rd November, 1916, en-route to its destination, the ship was sunk by a German submarine. The precious cargo has rested 67 metres below the surface of the Baltic Sea for over 70 years until Swedish divers rescued them. They’ve been milling around the auction circuit ever since.

If you value stories as much as you value bubbles, you’ll want to track this down!

10. VAN PERCKENS NR. 8 CHAMPAGNE COOLER

If you’re going to spring for an over-the-top bottle of bubbly, you’ll want a cooler to match, no doubt. This Van Perckens Nr. 8 Champagne Cooler set is crafted from more than 7 kilograms of solid 20-carat gold and full lead crystal. You can further embellish it with diamonds if you wish.

The cooler comes in a fully lined high gloss rosewood case embellished with intricate gilded detailing. It features a sliding drawer that houses a pair of signature black gloves and 6 Van Perckens champagne goblets.

Read more about Beautiful Bubbles, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink,Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Bubbling Beauty Now and Frozen Bubbles are Beyond Beautiful Now.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Bubbles in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 01.04.2015. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Photo: by John Wardell. Strawberry in Champagne.
2. Photo: by Zena Holloway. ZARB Champagne bottles.
3. Photo: Courtesy of Moet & Chandon. Midnight Gold.
4. Photo: Courtesy of Goût de Diamants. World’s Most Expensive Champagne.
5. Photo: Courtesy of Perrier-Jouët. Belle Epoque Rosé.
6. Photo: Courtesy of Louis Roederer. Orfèvre Cristal 2002 Jeroboam.
7. Photo: Courtesy of Beau Joie Champagne. Beau Joie Champagne.
8. Photo: Courtesy of Champagne Cattier. Armand de Brignac.
9. Photo: Courtesy of Reynolds & Reyner. Colier Elite Champagne.
10. Photo: Courtesy of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Heidsieck 1907 Diamant Bleu cuvée.
11. Photo: Courtesy of Van Perckens. Van Perckens Nr. 8.
12. Photo: by Karl Nilsson. Champagne.  
13. Photo: Courtesy of Ibizalxry. Armand de Brignac Aging.