In the early 1950s, whilst on his first trip to the United States to promote Taittinger champagne, Claude Taittinger met Rudy Kopf, who would later become their partner for the distribution of Taittinger champagne on the other side of the Atlantic. After getting to know each other better, Kopf asked Claude the following question: “In tomorrow’s world, there will only be space for big corporations and artists. Which side will you choose for Taittinger champagne?”. Instinctively, Claude Taittinger replied: “The artists!”; thus, setting out the direction in which he would take Champagne Taittinger when he took over as President 10 years later.

Having forged strong links with several artists, Claude Taittinger created the Taittinger Collection in 1983. He received support from some of the greatest names in contemporary art to showcase the best vintage Grands Crus produced by the Champagne House. The bottle becomes both the canvas and the inspiration for a creation, signed by a distinguished artist. The Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely was the first artist to produce work for this unique art gallery, which to date includes a long line of designs by artists such as André Masson, Roy Lichtenstein, Imaï, Rauschenberg and Amadou Sow.

Artist: Victor Vasarely was born in Hungary in 1908. By the time he was seven, he was showing a particular talent for drawing. He studied the work of Kandinsky and Le Corbusier closely and, from 1947 onwards tackled abstract art, developing his own defined style. Co-founder of the ‘Galerie Denis René’, which exhibited leading ‘abstract paintings’, he advocated the gradual and complete rejection of traditional easel painting and conventional techniques. Vasarely died on the 19th March 1997, aged 89.

Art: The artist was the first to design a bottle for the Taittinger Collection in 1983. The image created for the bottle is a great example of Vasarely’s style. It shows his desire to achieve harmonious compositions using constructive solutions by retaining just the geometric shapes needed. The design on the bottle is a perfect example of kinetic art - a movement which originated with Vasarely and which can be seen in his Vega series (world-renowned geometric designs which create an illusion of relief).

Vintage: The bottle contains a Brut Millésimé 1978, which blends 40 % Chardonnay from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs region, and 60 % Pinot Noir from the Grands Crus of the Montagne de Reims, just outside the city.

Weather: The 1978 harvest was significant as it was one of the smallest that the Champagne region had ever experienced in the post-war period. Picking had been preceded by hot and dry conditions late on in the season, which resulted in a high sugar alcohol content in the black grapes and a superb quality of yield.

Due to the limited nature of these bottles, they are becoming increasingly difficult to source - particularly the original vintages from the 1980s. Full collections are especially rare.

We're happy to put prospective buyers in touch with David Cox, the private collector and well known wine trade veteran who has stored each of the Taittinger Collection vintages in his private cellar. He reports all are in perfect condition.

Read more about the full collection here