Stained Glass Product Placement- 09.05.08
On fascinating lore (surrounded by rumors and speculation) ~ in Notre Dame de Reims (where nearly all the kings of france have been crowned) in the stained glass windows of the south transcript… there are yellow labeled champagne bottles which we heard from someone who heard from someone that Veuve Clicquot played such a large role in the history of the region over the centuries that you even see it in the stained glass. Speculate as to whether its complete fabrication, conspiracies of the past, the first product placement, etc as you wish… i’m just showing you what we found in those windows, so you can join in on the fun too. See larger images of these wine making panels on the next page!
By the way, standing in such a large cathedral, late for the bus, trying to play the equivalent of ‘where’s waldo’ on a huge wall of stained glass is harder than expected…
And for those of you who want to see the process of wine making via these intricate stained glass panels up close… click the image below to view in high res… or as steady as i was able to take it (sorry for slight blur!)
Tags: champagne - france - travel - veuve clicquot
Um, not to burst your (champagne) bubble, but those windows are all 20th Century replacement. Notre Dame de Reims, stunning though it is, was firebombed and the facad was burnt down during World War I. It’s totally possible that those windows are a sly hommage to Veuve Cliquot, but it’s absolutely certain that they are not “ancienne.”
Not to be missed in Reims are the chalk caves at the Pommery and Ruinart houses!!!
----- Adam in NY 05.09.08 11:38