A tremendous milestone occurred for Champagne Bollinger in December 2024. It was not just the end of a successful year; it was when the Maison learned the welcome news that King Charles had bestowed his Royal Warrant on it. It was especially significant for Champagne Bollinger, because it marked precisely 140 years since The King’s great-great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, first granted Champagne Bollinger a Royal Warrant in 1884. Bollinger has been appointed to The Royal Household of every reigning monarch since Victoria, making it the only Champagne House to hold this honour continuously over such a lengthy tenure. The heritage of Champagne Bollinger goes back to 1829, and it is one of the few ‘Grandes Marques’ which continues to be family-owned.
Étienne Bizot on Bollinger’s Royal Warrant Record
18th May 2025
The Champagne Bollinger Royal Warrant has now been held for 140 consecutive years. As the only Champagne House to reach such a milestone, Chairman and Chief Executive, Étienne Bizot, explains the key to Bollinger’s success and what the new Royal Warrant means to the family and firm.
At the helm is Étienne Bizot, Chairman and Chief Executive, and the Grantee of the Royal Warrant – Warrants are always granted to an individual. Asked how he felt when he received the news of the appointment by The King, Bizot speaks with immense pride: “It was a great, great, great satisfaction. The Royal Warrant is part of the DNA of Bollinger. It’s a pillar of the brand and an important part of our story. Holding the Royal Warrant for 140 years is a key element, not the only element, of Bollinger being so strong in the UK.” Despite the unmatched track record among Champagne Houses, Bizot is not complacent: “Being a Grantee is not something you can take for granted. I have never considered that it’s a given. As the Grantee, I am just ‘passing by’, a custodian. We are proud to display the Royal Arms on every bottle of Champagne. For me, the Royal Warrant is a recognition of the quality of the job that all the team is doing."
To mark the milestone, Bollinger is collaborating with The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, to launch a craft competition in 2025. This will engage QEST Scholars to design a bespoke piece for a new boutique hotel at the House’s historic home in Aÿ in France’s Champagne region. Bollinger has a long and distinguished track record in the UK. It was first introduced to the British market in 1858 by the London wine merchant, Ludwig Mentzendorff, who became Champagne Bollinger’s agent. Today, Bollinger is a shareholder brand in the agency, so has direct involvement in the UK market. Bizot also attributes Bollinger’s success in Britain to the style of the wine: “It is a full-bodied wine with a lot of personality. We call it ‘le goût anglais’ – English taste. A French journalist once said to me, ‘Bollinger is a British brand which has been dislocated in France!’ He’s not wrong!” The wine even has its own nickname in the UK, affectionately known as ‘Bolly’. Bizot plays tribute to the commitment of the Bollinger family to the UK market over decades, indeed centuries.
His great-aunt, the celebrated Madame Lily Bollinger, was in his words, “very connected with the market. She was the first woman to be welcomed at the Wine Trade Benevolent Dinner.” His late father, Christian Bizot, a highly respected figure in the Champagne business, spent a great deal of time in the UK. His son is following suit and takes a long-term view: “To develop the right position in this market is not done overnight. It is a long work.” Asked what he would highlight from Bollinger’s heritage as the key ingredient to longevity and success, Bizot is unequivocal: “There is one word: consistency. Consistency in the quality of the wine, which depends on our vineyards, the cask fermentation, the reserve wines which are matured in magnums and the Pinot Noir style. Our vineyards are 65 to 70 per cent Pinot Noir. It would be impossible for a winemaker to change the style of Bollinger.”
The consistent style is found across the whole range from Special Cuvée to La Grande Année through to Bollinger PN and Bollinger R.D., which was boldly invented by Madame Bollinger as a prestige cuvée with the date of disgorgement on the label. For Bollinger Grande Année, made only in exceptional vintage years, and Bollinger R.D. about 95 per cent of grapes come from Bollinger’s own vineyards and for Special Cuvée, approximately 65 per cent. “This helps the winemaker to make a consistent wine,” says Bizot. Consistency is certainly demonstrated by the uninterrupted renewal of Royal Warrants, and also by the famous partnership built up over 45 years with the Broccoli family around the James Bond franchise, a relationship cultivated by Christian Bizot. Bollinger is always sipped and savoured by James Bond, and hopefully Amazon, who has taken over the franchise, will allow 007 to continue to enjoy his favourite Champagne.
There is a clue in the name of Bollinger Special Cuvée that it is no ordinary non-vintage Champagne. Bizot explains what’s so special about it: “When you press grapes, you take 4000 kilos, you get 2,500 litres of juice. These 2,500 litres are split into two: ‘la taille’ which is the worst part, and ‘la cuvée’, which is the best part. So ‘la taille’ may be 500 litres and ‘la cuvée’ may be 2,000 litres. That’s the meaning of ‘Special Cuvée’. What I’m telling you about ‘cuvée’ is not just consistency for Special Cuvée, it’s for all our wines.” Now that King Charles is the principal Grantor, it is no surprise that sustainability has been a key criterion in the recent granting of Royal Warrants. As part of its dedication to standards in wine-growing and wine-making, Champagne Bollinger has been committed to sustainable viticulture for many years. In 2023, it became one of the first Champagne Houses to obtain international B-Corp certification, the most rigorous test in social and environmental responsibility. Bollinger has been a Living Heritage Company since 2012, which means it maintains traditional methods.
This includes planting vineyards with ungrafted vines, training vines ‘en foule’ (planting ‘in droves’ in rows close together) and working the vineyards by hand. It is the only Champagne House to employ an in-house cooper, who tends to 4,000 barrels. The process of ‘remuage’ (the tilting of bottles in racks to move sediment) and disgorging are also done by hand. So what is the next milestone for Champagne Bollinger? In 2029, the Maison will be celebrating its 200th anniversary and has already set out an ambitious plan. It is renovating its historic site, developing a boutique hotel and has many other initiatives in the pipeline, many related to sustainability and nurturing its people. And the next 100 years? Hopefully it will still be bearing a Royal Warrant, although we have no idea who the Grantor will be and Bizot is not taking it for granted.
