Hollywood's biggest stars weren't the only ones glowing at the Oscars last night. For the 93rd Academy Awards, hosted at a socially-distanced event in L.A.'s Union Station, limited-edition magnums from Champagne sponsor Piper-Heidsieck and new reserve bottlings from Francis Ford Coppola lit up the culmination of a dark year for the movie industry.
And the glow wasn’t metaphoric: Piper-Heidsieck's special-edition brut cuvée features a battery-powered label that illuminates with the push of a button. The Champagne house's general manager, Benoît Collard, said the purpose of this year's design is to "light up" at-home celebrations around the world.
At the ceremony itself, winners weren't allowed to pop Champagne backstage (looking at you Rami Malek), but were able to enjoy a glass at the outdoor patio before the show and after their categories were announced.
Six-time Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola’s California winery provided two Sonoma wines, marking Coppola’s fifth consecutive year pouring at the Academy Awards. The 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon featured a gold look similar to that of last year's bottles.
"What allowed us to make the 2021 bottles even more stunning and gold is a bottle-making process I came across that's done by Bottega," Coppola told Unfiltered via email, referring to Italy-based Bottega S.P.A. "I contacted the family to see if they would make the bottles for us and they agreed, and the result is an extraordinary bottle that is truly reminiscent of the award itself."
Bottega CEO Sandro Bottega says that the golden bottles have been perfected over many years, and are inspired by Venice and its mosaics. Each coating is made with a specific metallization process, and he explains that the mirrored gold becomes an integral part of the glass frame.
"These two unprecedented bottles containing Francis Ford Coppola Winery wines have been designed and created to pay a visual tribute to the talent, passion and hard work that distinguishes the entire world of cinema," Bottega told Unfiltered.
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