Weddings are big business.  Everybody knows that.

Google Analytics tells us that 9.23% of all the visitors to the Park Lane website last week visited the special wedding category.  We certainly know that we process plenty of labels for personalised champagne that relate to weddings:  from parents to children, from friends to friends, from siblings to siblings, from bride to groom, from bride and groom to best man, chief bridesmaid, etc.  Last week, we even had a proposal on a label with a picture:  WOW - imagine that!  What if the champagne bottle was the first the lucky lady knew of the proposal… does that make Park Lane cupid and is personalised champagne cupid’s new arrow?!

Quite often we produce much larger quantities of personalised champagne for wedding receptions and toasts.  Also last week we produced two different sets of ponies (quarter bottles) for two different wedding customers; 120 for one couple as wedding favours;  96 for another with straws!  Both the labels were very cool and we designed them individually and offline for both customers.

So from the South of France, I read with great sadness that Confetti had been placed into administration on Monday.  Sadness because as a leading provider of wedding champagne, gifts and favours, we understand the importance of planning and peripherals involved with every wedding.  We also understand that it is a tense time for those organising a wedding, and you really do not need any glitches - let alone major suppliers going down the tubes leaving your plans shredded.  Do hope today’s reports that all outstanding orders will be fulfilled are true and the heartache is minimal.

Now here’s the thing.  We find wedding business booming and we will be really focusing on building up our offer over the coming months.  We were approached a while back by Confetti to be their personalised champagne supplier but - aside from the huge margin they insisted on making - we just felt that it was another link in a chain that could cause confusion.  They also wanted to take the money from the customer up front but pay us 60 days after delivery and that didn’t feel right either.

So here’s the message,  Confetti may be gone.  They might phoenix or they might not.  Either way, make Park Lane Champagne the destination of choice for your wedding champagne and wines, especially if you want them personalised.  Abi or Suzie are always on hand to handle any wedding related queries as this is their specialist subject and they have plenty of experience in that department.

And in passing, spare a thought for the poor suppliers to Confetti who are unlikely to get a promise of having their outstanding bills paid.  Maybe that would satisfy the “something borrowed” box?

In victory you deserve it [champagne] and in defeat you need it!

All in the justification of needs must:  as Churchill reminded us (seemingly of Napoleon’s quote before him) “in victory we deserve it [champagne] and in defeat we need it”.  Simple.  You need it so we import it to keep the supply of personalised champagne flowing.

But I am amazed.  In this modern World where even the VAT returns must be filed online, the manual paperwork that accompanies each champagne import is huge with stern penalties if a single bit doesn’t get to the right place - whoever’s fault it is.

And at the coal face, this is what it looks like when Eric (on this occasion) the French haulier pulls up at Frith straight off Le Tunnel ready to discharge 8 pallets of France’s finest.

BUT, to redress the balance in part we have been delighted to send another tranche of animals across La Manche to the ever-fragrant and delicious Helena (and her hubby Patrick).  This was not without tribulation as “monsieur le chauffeur” encountered animal rights first hand; while having a tacho rest after leaving us before heading to Poole, his truck was pounced on and the police called.  I had to negotiate an emergency resolve (and get the woman lying down in front of the wheels in protest at the cruelty of moving animals - to move), as well as getting the Old Bill to let him on his way.  Oh, and did I mention the paperwork for live animal export?  No?  Probably best as it is beyond belief in complexity and depth: ministry license, animal health license, BCMS cross-check, TB test (don’t mention the badgers), vet inspection, journey log, etc.  Didn’t see a box for animal rights protesters, though.

Is this all a day in the life of?  Maybe.  Perhaps I need to have a word with new neighbour Peter Andre about getting an autobio going as I understand he has some experience in that arena?!

At least the beasts did not look too traumatised when they headed off in search of forage (or frog’s legs, or vin de table, or whatever) on arrival in France.

Bonnes vacances!

I am sure no one forgets the impact of war on serving soldiers but to cover 851 miles to raise money for bereaved military families is just so amazing.

Sustained largely en route by Wild Trail lifestyle bars, the boys certainly looked eager to crack open their special personalised champagne when they reached Lands End.

AND they kept the bottles as souvenirs, rather than popping a message in and despatching them for our Allies in America.  Bet the Yanks would have got a bit of a shock to find perfectly labelled champagne bottles arriving on their shores - becuase our personalised labels are guaranteed to stick for 7 years and the inks are totally waterfast!

Which brings me neatly on to friendly fire:  I am visiting the producers in France again tomorrow and Friday and this time will definitely add a detailed update and who knows, maybe a You Tube video as well.

Well, miracles can happen!

In the meantime, why not make a quick donation to recognise the boys’ enormous efforts?

AND personalised champagne!

Nick was inspired to produce this label by bottles customers have ordered for christenings via Park Lane online - either for drinking at the event of as champagne gifts.

Unfortunately, there is no accounting for taste when it comes to the label design…

And neither when it comes to the Vicar!   Padre Leviseur can properly be described as a “marmite” man of the cloth.  Several attendees needed champagne sustenance simply to alleviate the fear of God which Padre’s sermon had struck into the entire congregation when he retold Jezebel’s grizzly death.

I wonder what reaction a congregation would have if champagne was substituted for communion wine?  Now there’s a thought!

Amen.

About the only significant thing I remember from A-level economics - aside from Adam Smith’s invisible hand - was the likening of the UK economy to an economic car which was so very difficult for the Chancellor to steer given that there was only the rear view mirror to look out of for guidance; seems that difficulty still stands twenty years on!

It is certainly this way with the champagne producers.  They remember from bygone years how different qualitites of juice need blending differently in order to maintain the consistent style of champagne that is the trademark style of their house.

This, in fact, is the genius and very essence of Non-Vintage champagne in that the blend of cepages (grape varieties) from different crus (villages) and different years gives the blender all the natural tools at their disposal to allow the development of their familiar “house style” and the magical champagne.   Just as it was back in day of the so-called inventor of “champagne”, Monsieur Dom Perignon.

And so it is with us at Park Lane - to a point.  We now know that personalised champagne is a product that is well suited to the internet.  We have high quality champagnes and excellent service.  Together this makes a winning and proven coalition.  The web site we built needs plenty of work as it evolves but we can deliver that based around the constructive and helpful feedback we receive from our lovely customers (or rather that Nick receives as all feedback goes direct to him!);  effectively the rear view mirror telling us what we are doing right and what would make it even better.

So there we are;  learning from where we have been to navigate to where we are going; rear view all the way… EXCEPT on my recent visit to the producers in Epernay when, while boarding the channel tunnel, the rear view was horrendous and the only thing I knew was that I didn’t want to be there!  And that just goes right to the heart of things - add expect the unexpected into the mix and thank you Iceland for another round of UK disruption.

Of course, it is important to be specific about which rear view you are looking into and hoping to learn from…

Bottoms up!

8-0: WOW!  Unlike the UK general election, great to have a clear winner in the English Premier League football competition!

Seizing the Barclays Premier League silverware from Manchester United is a mammoth acheivment for Chelsea;  I am sure everyone involved from Abramovich downards are still revelling in the glory and long may it last.

In our own little way, supplying the personalised champagne to Barclays as sponsors of the English Premier League for this season is part of the day job BUT seeing it in action at such a global event is a huge thrill.  The only drawback is that it would be great to do the spraying….

Well done guys and good luck when 2010/11 dawns;  I am sure the competition will be even more fierce but we look forward to seeing which winners will spray the bubbly yet again in May 2011!

To join the celebrations, we are offering our own little incentive:  order personalised champagne from us until the end of  May and receive £10 discount from your order value.  This is for each and every order, with no limit on the number of times you come back.  Test our services; tell your friends; tell your colleagues; tell your family and then tell us what we should be doing better.  PLEASE!

Simply add voucher code BPL09 when you get to the checkout.

And all this on the day I get back from an epic road trip last week down to Italy to watch stages of the Mille Miglia;  hope in future years that we will be competing - but is a Fiat Topolino really the right call?!

Ciao!

7NFFRZPVBNH2

Our involvement with Geek n’ Rolla courtesy of Mike Butcher (Techcrunch Europe) and Petra Johansson (Twisted Tree) signalled the imminent launch of our great Park Lane online adventure last year;  what an adventure it has been!

Thanks due to Ben and the boys at award winning design agency Fhoke for coming up with the excellent label design - all over again!  Beware, there is likely to be an interactive competition with free champagne for the next Techcrunch awards…

And here we are a year on, thrilled to be the official supplier of personalised champagne again for the #gknr awards today and this is a photo of one of the speaker’s bottles before despatch from our cellars yesterday.  Hope that is a good image of Mike and wonder who will be taking this one home

So, for all those interested and keen (especially to tune into @hermioneway’s background chat!), checkout the live feed of events and the after-party at SE1, London.

And for all those who get a bottle, give us your comments please!

Chin chin.

Maybe it is the time of year;  maybe it is collective joy at emerging from the toughest winter for thirty years, or maybe some of those economic green shoots are for real as opposed to imaginary?

Either way, busy busy in Epernay - field report from France next week when I visit our producers - and busy busy in the UK.  At Park Lane, personalised champagne orders and enquiries continue to arrive at all times of day and night - which is just SO exciting!  I know the internet never sleeps, but why are some users never sleeping either?!

The build process for the totally new website is underway and we should be live testing in June.  This site will offer depth and breadth so usability will be much much better - and thank you to everyone who does send feedback to us as this really does make a difference.

The technological advance also includes state of the art label production on the very best material available coming soon.  This new equipment and technology is an enormous leap - think Rolls Royce Phantom from Rolls Royce Silver Ghost (both brilliant in their context) - and is fabulously exciting for us.   The quality of the personalised champagne labels will actually be better than photograph output from next month so what more of an excuse is needed to break out the bubbly?

I am delighted to announce that James Ingle will be joining the team from 10 May to concentrate on building and reinforcing the bridges we maintain with all our corporate customers.  James is a hugely dedicated and capable gentleman and, above all, someone you really want around as he is just so nice!  The Park Lane quality and service ethos is second nature to James and I know he will be very popular with customers and fellow employees alike.

And what about the Premier League football shoot out?  As I have said before, we love working for Barclays Capital as league sponsors but there is certainly something of a sweat on at the moment within the BarCap sponsorship team:  at the time of writing, any one of the three league leaders could carry the trophy away!  Barclays contingency plans - obviously including personalised champagne! - are being drafted for winning presentations at any of the three possible grounds.  A bit like the apparent Buckingham Palace contingency plans for funerals of leading Royals - except rather less gloomy and with less obscure project names!

As a regular importer of goods from France, there is a certain satisfaction to me that the delicious Hélèna (and hubby Patrik) are buying 20 of our highland cows for live export to France next month!  Vive Le Republic…

And on that bombshell, today’s 8 year old birthday celebrations beckon.  Pip pip.

It was a busy period at Park Lane with our plans for personalised champagne moving forward and gathering traction and shape throughout the month.  If anyone knows someone who would be a super salesperson for the corporate champagne market in London, please email me - in absolute confidence.

At this time of year, the tirage is occurring in the Champagne region.  Literally, this is the bottling of the previous year’s harvest according to the recipe the cellar master has devised from the juice he has to hand.  The blending - or assemblage - will already have been decided.  Remember champagne is a blend of grapes and, in the case of Non-Vintage champagne, a blend of grapes and years.

So each producer has decided what proportions of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier will be blended together to reproduce the house style this year.  Drilling down another layer, the decision should have included what percentage of chardonnay from vineyard 1, what percentage from vineyard 2, etc., to be absolutely sure the resultant style will be as desired.   In addition, how much of the juice from the different grape types (cepages) from earlier harvests (vins de reserve) will be included.  Decisions decisions but these are important ones that cannot be underdone later!

And then the yeast and sugar solution (to feed the yeast) is added at the same time.  The bottles have a crown cap (similar to a beer top) fitted, are shaken and then head down to the cellars for the start of their ageing in bottle.

The yeast live in the bottle, gobble up all the sugar, emit CO2 as their by-product (the source of the magic bubbles) and then die.  It is argued that more lengthy ageing in bottle (the legal minimum is 15 months) gives the wine more time in contact with the yeast, and thus more opportunity to acquire complex overtones with vanilla/brioche type aromas…

I always think that the producer’s cellars resemble a medical operating theatre during the tirage period.  External contractors arrive with special machines to carry out the bottling, pipes and hoses criss-cross the floors from various tanks and vats, bottles rattle through the machine with terrific accuracy, pace and noise (the operators all wear headphones), and people scurry to and fro loading bottles into crates for transportation to and laying down in the cellars.  After the work is done, champagne all round;  how very French!

I am off to see the champagne producers later this month so should be able to report back on the market from the cellar face, so to speak.

Until then, please find me a great salesperson!

Moët’s parent, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), is a global conglomerate of premium brands, headed by the formidable Bernard Arnault. In champagne parlance, LVMH’s houses (brands) include: Moët, Dom Perignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart and Mercier.  In aggregate, between 20-25% of all champagne production falls under the LVMH umbrella.

What is interesting is the way Moët looks to grow its image and market share as the World emerges from recession.  Category sponsorship (champagne) of the 82nd Oscars this year might be a master-stroke.

We note that Moët chose to give away golden jeroboams (or are they bigger?) to specific Oscar winners - which at Park Lane we know our customers also find popular as personalised champagne gifts…

AND - Moet also personalised bottles (or are they mags?) for each category winner.  Not quite a fully personalised label (but then that wouldn’t be brand reinforcement)  but the closest they could get.  Now this is the thing:  it is exactly where we wanted to come from back in 1994 when we started out - personalising a well known brand - but we couldn’t find a house to play ball with us and that included Moët which was a preferred partner.

I doubt Moët will introduce this concept wholescale in the UK but at little old Park Lane maybe we should be content by remembering that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…

Arguably the World’s most important brand of champagne recognises the importance of personalising the bottles for the end recipient;  hmmm - now where have we heard that before?!