When Champagne Meets Space

by Pamela Tailor | September 2018

A GLASS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SAVOURING CHAMPAGNE IN SPACE CAPTURES DROPLETS OF BUBBLES FLOATING IN ZERO GRAVITY. | CREDIT: QUARTZ

When Dom Pierre Pérignon was producing wine and couldn't get rid of the bubbles, he tasted his accidental creation and exclaimed, “Come quickly! I am drinking the stars!”. Be it a myth or not, it’s being reported that this moment marked the birth of champagne. Three centuries later, my feeling is that champagne will be coming closer to the stars more than ever before!

CREDIT: G.H. MUMM

Created by Maison Mumm in partnership with Space – a young agency specialized in space design – the revolutionary Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar will make it possible for astronauts and other future space travelers to enjoy champagne in the challenging conditions of zero gravity.

At first glance, the new bottle design is a combination of the elegant curves typical for the champagne category, with a high-tech system that uses the pressure within the bottle to expel the wine into a ring-shaped frame. The extraordinary droplets of bubbles coming out of the bottle, float in the air and finally get captured by a specifically designed glass. An amusing ritual, a dance of free floating – lively bubbles, uplifting the celebratory personality of champagne!

ARTISANAL PRODUCTION OF THE FIRST CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES | CREDIT: G.H. MUMM

The extraordinary experience is also reflected in the way the champagne tastes in zero gravity. When the foam enters the mouth, it automatically transforms into liquid. “It’s a very surprising feeling”, explains Mumm’s Cellar Master Didier Mariotti. “Because of zero gravity, the liquid instantly coats the entire inside of the mouth, magnifying the taste sensations. There is less fizziness and more roundness and generosity, enabling the wine to express itself fully”.

SPACE ENGINEER ALEXANDER PILZ IN ZERO GRAVITY DURING SCIENTIFIC AIRCRAFT PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGN | CREDIT: A. PILZ

I decided to talk to someone from the space industry about Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar and met with the German space engineer Alexander Pilz, founder and managing director of the companies Blue Sky Solutions and Berlin Space Consortium, who is also an experienced zero gravity flyer for space hardware experiments on aircraft parabolic flights.

Norbert said it would be simply phenomenal to see such a fine terrestrial and traditional product like champagne being combined with the innovative force of space technology. He could not imagine a better ceremony to celebrate future historical milestones in space exploration than opening a bottle of champagne and enjoying it with your fellow pioneers in space. He said that he would also love to experience the pleasure of drinking champagne on one of his next zero-g campaigns.

This revolutionary design brought me to the following thought: when the first men stepped on the moon in 1969, during the context of the space race, they left the American flag as a symbol for the endeavor. Wouldn’t a toast to humanity with a glass of Champagne work better as a symbol to this major achievement in world history?

OLYMPIC CHAMPION USAIN BOLT TRIES CHAMPAGNE IN ZERO GRAVITY. | CREDIT: G.H.MUMM

“The tourists will be enjoying the view of the earth, the view of space, weightlessness, and they will celebrate. So maybe there is not a market for a lot of bottles in space, but there is a market for some bottles.”

- JEAN-FRANÇOIS CLERVOY – EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) ASTRONAUT

CREDIT: QUARTZ

- This article has been published on the Edition 168 of the Creativ Verpacken Magazine -

VISIT MUMM WEBSITE

IMPRESSUM