Hip-hop and metal

GIMMICKS and free publicity are one thing, but you still need a decent product to succeed.

In a crowded champagne market, for a new entrant to stand out from the pack it not only needs to taste good it also needs be to eye-catching.

So the makers of Armand de Brignac, Cattier Champagne, decided to put their wine in an opaque metallic bottle when it launched the brand in 2006.

Being gold, fflashy and expensive, the bottle naturally caught the eye of rapper Jay-Z (who’d had a falling out with the owners of his previous fizz of choice, Cristal). Jay-Z put the bottle in the music video of Show Me What You Got and the wine, which had a production of just 60,000 bottles, became a cult item.

It helps that it’s also a quality drop. Armand de Brignac has received praise from wine critics and in a blind tasting of 1000 wines by Fine Champagne magazine last year Armand de Brignac Brut Gold was ranked number one. The champagne is now available in Australia. Expect to pay between $500 and $600 for the Brut Gold.

Armand de Brignac