Even if you don’t know much about wine, you’ve probably heard of Cristal Champagne. Made by the house of
Louis Roederer, Cristal has always enjoyed a position of ultra prestige. Even from day one, when it was created for Czar Alexander II in the 19th Century, this extravagant wine in its distinctive clear glass bottle has been enjoyed by royalty, aristocracy and the super rich for over 100 years.

More recently, the stars of Hip-Hop and Rap have taken Cristal to their hearts and made it their own. Ever since Sean “P Diddy” Coombes famously served the wine at a lavish party, Cristal has become the only Champagne to be seen with by a rapidly growing, wealthy, young, high octane, black community.

It seems to have got to the point where its new followers would rather not drink Champagne at all if Cristal is unavailable. How many brands can boast such loyal customers?

It is possible, however, that the party might be over.

In a recent article, rapper Jay-Z, (who has even written songs about Cristal), accused Roederer boss, Frederic Rouzaud of racism after he described the phenomena of Cristal having become the darling of “Bling Culture” as “Unwelcome attention”.

Rule one – Respect your customers. Rule two – See rule one!