Champagne Taittinger

The much-lauded Taittinger began life as Champagne Fourneaux in 1734. The Fourneaux family were themselves no slouches, acting for a time as advisors to Veuve Clicquot.

During World War I, cavalry officer Pierre Taittinger spent time near Epernay. He subsequently returned to the region in 1932 to buy the Fourneaux holdings and founded the House of Taittinger, in the process buying up large swathes of valuable vineyard at a time when Depression-ravaged land prices were at rock-bottom.