To mark Champagne Day on October, 27, glasses were raised across the African continent in the company of the world’s premier champagne for celebration, Moët & Chandon.
For nearly three centuries, the Maison has been synonymous with exceptional winemaking through its honouring of terroir, its craftsmanship, and its savoir-faire. Moët & Chandon is also recognized as an innovator, both in the cellar and in the vineyards, with sustainability at the heart of its vision for the future.
These unique qualities were highlighted as part of this year’s Champagne Day festivities, as Friends of the House gathered in each country to celebrate the enduring qualities of the Maison’s iconic wines and the timelessness of marking unique and historic moments with champagne. Guests were invited to arrive at celebrations across Africa at 17:43. As we are in 2023, toasts were made at 20:23, appropriately honouring Moët & Chandon’s milestone 280th anniversary this year since its founding in Epernay, France, in 1743.
With a shared appreciation for the joy of champagne, friends of the Maison gathered at glamorous venues from Nigeria and Ghana to Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and South Africa, in homage to Champagne Day and to the tradition and refinement of Moët & Chandon, which has come to be integral to the enjoyment of all life’s finer moments.
Hosts for the events included Nigerian actress and humanitarian Osas Ighodaro, Kenyan media personality Anita Nderu, award-winning South African actress Nambitha Ben-Mazwi, Cameroonian model and entrepreneur Fredy Manyongo, as well as Delali Damessi from Ivory Coast, Lydia Laryea from Ghana and Tanzania’s George Williams.
Hosts had the opportunity to share with guests at their respective celebrations the highlights of their visit to Epernay earlier in the year, where they had the rare chance to experience the annual harvest and workings of the cellar first-hand. A key feature of their itinerary was an exploration of the Maison’s progressive agroecology programme. Natura Nostra is Moët & Chandon’s movement to preserve the unique natural heritage of Champagne. This program has been designed to accelerate the ecological transition in favour of greater biodiversity in Champagne.
From the Hyatt Regency in Dar es Salaam to the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi and The Westcliff in Johannesburg, the settings for each regional celebration aptly reflected the Maison’s ethos of nature in harmony with luxury. Whichever their country, guests were united in their love for champagne, their appreciation for the Maison’s connectedness to the Terroir, and belief in the importance of preserving the earth for future generations, in true African style.
“For a Maison with such a rich history of winemaking excellence, Champagne Day is an opportunity not only to celebrate how we have shaped the industry but also to communicate our Natura Nostra programme and sustainability efforts to ensure that the joy of Moët & Chandon continues to be shared with Africa and the world,” says Aimee Kellen, Head of Consumer Engagement for Moët Hennessy Africa and the Middle East. “In this most memorable of celebrations, connections were honoured between our past and the present, with Moët & Chandon as timeless and modern today as it has always been.”
