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23-438: Courvoisier has also been described as the most untypical of the big four. It controls every step of its production process but does no distilling of its own, changes the process for different vintages and regional variations in eaux-de-vie , and has never owned vines. In 2019, it exported approximately 1.4 million nine-litre cases of its cognacs. The brand has been owned by several companies in recent years from Allied Domecq in

46-883: A career as a designer. In Paris he lived with Prince Nicolas Ouroussoff (December 17, 1879 – April 8, 1933) until the prince's death in 1933. The decision to move to Paris was made despite strong objections from his father, who wanted Romain to continue the family tradition and become a naval officer. Romain assumed his pseudonym to avoid upsetting his family. He worked for Paul Poiret from 1913 to 1914. In 1915, he secured his first substantial contract with Harper's Bazaar magazine, and thus launched an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets. During this time, Erte designed costumes for Mata Hari . Between 1915 and 1937, Erté designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar , and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News , Cosmopolitan , Ladies' Home Journal , and Vogue . Erté

69-580: A combination of nine core global brands, plus a selection of local market leaders. Ert%C3%A9 Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990), known by the pseudonym Erté (from the French pronunciation of his initials: [ɛʁte] ), was a Russian -born French artist and designer. He was a 20th-century artist and designer in an array of fields, including fashion , jewellery , graphic arts , costume , and set design for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor . Tirtoff

92-476: A major rejuvenation and much lauded interest in his career during the 1960s with the Art Deco revival. He branched out into the realm of limited edition prints, bronzes, and wearable art . Two years before his death, Erté created seven limited edition bottle designs for Courvoisier to show the different stages of the cognac-making process, from distillation to maturation. In 2008, the eighth and final set of

115-802: Is aged in barrels handmade from 200-year-old oak sourced from the Tronçais forest in France. Courvoisier headquarters are still stationed in Jarnac, about ten minutes from the Cognac region. Courvoisier is run from the original Château Felix Courvoisier and Jules Gallois moved to in 1828. Today, the Courvoisier Château has a boutique and museum, offering private tastings and exclusive tours. The museum features several items linked to Napoleon I. In December 2023, Campari Group made an agreement to acquire

138-476: Is one of Erté's first sculptures, if not the first; it was made in 1907 at the age of 15 years while he studied in Paris. This work is less precise than his other sculptures, but still Art Nouveau . Erté considered this work so minor and uninteresting that it does not appear in his official biography, but the cartouche on the back indicates 'ERTE PARIS 1907', in a triangle. In 1910–12, Romain moved to Paris to pursue

161-430: Is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the art deco period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys who died in 1920. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognisable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. His costumes, programme designs, and sets were featured in

184-720: The Napoleonic Wars . Legend has it that Napoleon I later took several barrels of cognac with him to St Helena , a treat much appreciated by the English officers on the ship, who named it "the Cognac of Napoleon". In 1869, Napoleon's heir Napoleon III personally requested Courvoisier and bestowed the honourable title of "Official Supplier to the Imperial Court" which is still displayed at the Courvoisier museum in Jarnac. In 1828, Felix Courvoisier and Jules Gallois,

207-693: The Ziegfeld Follies of 1923, many productions of the Folies Bergère , Bal Tabarin , Théâtre Fémina , Le Lido , and George White's Scandals . On Broadway, the celebrated French chanteuse Irène Bordoni wore Erté's designs. In 1925, Louis B. Mayer brought him to Hollywood to design sets and costumes for the silent film Paris . There were many script problems, so Erté was given other assignments to keep him busy. Hence, he designed for such films as Ben-Hur , The Mystic , Time , The Comedian , and Dance Madness . In 1920 he designed

230-457: The "Mixability" promotion. In 2009 Courvoisier created an "Architectural Punchbowl" in conjunction with Bompas & Parr . It was intended as immersive brand experience, featuring cocktails served from a structure filled with 4,000 litres of a punch containing Courvoisier. The event was a homage to Admiral Edward Russell, who in 1694 created a large punchbowl that had to be served by a boy rowing across it. In 1988, famed Art Deco designer Erté

253-460: The 1990's, Beam Global (later Suntory Global Spirits ) thereafter, and most recently Campari Group since May 2024. in 1835, Emmanuel Courvoisier started a wine and spirit company in the Parisian suburb of Bercy with Louis Gallois, then the mayor of Bercy. Originally, the pair would act as traders for the best cognacs of the region. Eventually they decided that the only way they could guarantee

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276-505: The company that owned the brand. On 1 May 2024, it was announced that this transaction had been completed. Courvoisier launched the Joséphine bottle in 1951, named after Napoleon's first wife. The shape of the bottle, with a thin neck and wide base, has become synonymous with Courvoisier, and speculation still exists whether the shape is meant to mimic Josephine's love of corsets or an inverted replica of early brandy glasses. Courvoisier

299-703: The overlapping spirits brands to U.S.-based competitor Fortune Brands and British-based multinational Diageo . On 12 December 2005, Pernod Ricard announced that it had agreed to sell the restaurant businesses ( Dunkin' Brands ) to a consortium of three US private equity firms (Thomas H. Lee Partners, the Carlyle Group and Bain Capital LLP ) for $ 2.43 billion. The closing of the sale occurred on 1 March 2006. Many malt distilleries were operated by Allied Domecq and former company Allied Lyons. Some are still open under new owners: Allied Domecq's operated

322-496: The set and costumes for the film The Restless Sex starring Marion Davies and financed by William Randolph Hearst . By far, his best-known image is Symphony in Black , depicting a somewhat stylized, tall, slender woman draped in black holding a thin black dog on a leash. The influential image has been reproduced and copied countless times. Erté continued working throughout his life, designing revues, ballets, and operas. He had

345-531: The sons of Emmanuel and Louis, wanted to improve the quality of cognac, moving the company to the heart of the Cognac region in the town of Jarnac. After Felix's passing in 1866, his nephews, the Curlier brothers, took over the management of the business. By 1909, the business was sold to the Simon family from England, but still maintained its production and headquarters in the Jarnac region. Located ten minutes from

368-628: The town of Cognac, the main Courvoisier business operations still operate from the Château on the banks of the Charente river which was established in the 1870s. Courvoisier sources eaux-de-vie from the following crus to create its blends: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fin Bois. The harvest season begins in October, followed up by distillation from November to March. Courvoisier cognac

391-535: The very finest cognac was relocate to the region and become producers themselves. The 200-year-old crafting process has not changed since Courvoisier's establishment in Bercy. Emperor of the French Napoleon Bonaparte visited Bercy in 1811 as documented in a historic painting by Etienne Bouhot, and later was credited with saying he wanted his artillery companies to have a ration of cognac during

414-517: The world. Allied Domecq Allied Domecq PLC was an multinational company , headquartered in Bristol , United Kingdom , that operated spirits , wine , and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent and the world’s second-largest spirits group but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard . Allied Domecq was the result of a 1994 merger between Allied Lyons and Pedro Domecq S.A. Allied Lyons itself

437-654: Was born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (Роман Петрович Тыртов) in Saint Petersburg , to a distinguished family with roots tracing back to 1548, to a Tatar khan named Tyrt. His father, Pyotr Ivanovich Tyrtov, served as an admiral in the Russian Fleet . Early in life Erte became interested in a career in the theater or dance. But eventually, as he remembered years later, I came to the conclusion that I could live without dancing but could not give up my passion for painting and design. Demoiselle à la balancelle

460-562: Was commissioned to create limited edition Courvoisier bottles containing Grande Champagne cognac dating back to the year of his birth, 1892. The seven unique designs represented various stages of the cognac distillation process interpreted by Erté's unique designs. Courvoisier's next fashion partnership was in 2005 with English designer Vivienne Westwood . Sold exclusively at Harvey Nichols , The Courvoisier XO dressed by Vivienne Westwood only released 150 limited edition bottles. The oldest bottle of Courvoisier, with liquid dating back to 1789,

483-447: Was the first cognac brand to appear on TV with an advertisement on UK television broadcast to nine million viewers. In 2009, Courvoisier was the first alcohol brand to release a 3D advertisement, titled "Cognac With Another Dimension", on TV and in cinemas, ahead of the viewing of the biggest-grossing film of all time, Avatar . A special iPod app was created to teach consumers how to use Courvoisier as an ingredient in cocktails as part of

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506-424: Was the result of a 1978 merger between Allied Breweries and the food and catering group J. Lyons and Co . In 1999 the 3,500 strong pub division was sold to Burton-based Punch Taverns for £3bn after a bidding war with Whitbread . In early 2005, a takeover bid for the company was launched by French-based rival Pernod Ricard S.A. Pernod Ricard successfully completed acquisition on 26 July 2005 and sold off

529-577: Was unveiled at Harrod's for the Alchimie L'Atelier event. Discovered in Dutch collector Bay van der Bunt's vault, the bottle went on sale for €90,000. Courvoisier was granted the 'Prestige de la France' in 1984 for providing quality products in France and remains the only cognac house to have received the award. Liquor ratings aggregator Proof66 lists the Courvoisier 21 among the Top 20 rated brandies/cognacs in

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