Jean-Rémy Moët (1758–1841) was a French

vintner A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

and merchant seaman who helped bring the

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

house of Moët et Chandon to international prominence. He inherited the house from his grandfather and founder

Claude Moët Claude Moët (1683–1760) was a Dutch vintner and wine merchant who founded the Champagne house that later became Moët et Chandon. Moët was the first winemaker in Champagne to exclusively produce sparkling wine. An expert salesman, Moët advoc ...

.D. & P. Kladstrup ''Champagne'' pg 61 Harper Collins Publisher

Friendship with Napoleon

Jean-Rémy Moët first met

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

in 1782 at the military academy of

Brienne-le-Château Brienne-le-Château () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. It is located from the right bank of the river Aube and 26 miles northeast of Troyes. History It was the centre of the medieval County of Brienne, whose lords ...

when Moët was soliciting orders for his family champagne firm. The two kept in touch and developed an enduring friendship that would last both their lifetimes. During his military campaigns, Napoleon would always make it an objective to visit the Moët estate at

Épernay Épernay () is a commune in the Marne department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it. Ép ...

to pick up cases of champagne. The only exception was when Napoleon had to rush to confront Wellington at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

.D. & P. Kladstrup ''Champagne'' pg 65 Harper Collins Publisher Napoleon's friendship and patronage greatly benefited the Moët house and as a tribute, Moët built a replica of

Grand Trianon The Grand Trianon () is a French Baroque style château situated in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles in Versailles, France. It was built at the request of King Louis XIV of France as a retreat for himself and his '' maîtresse- ...

on his property, complete with original work by

Jean-Baptiste Isabey Jean-Baptiste Isabey (11 April 1767 – 18 April 1855) was a French painter born at Nancy. He was a successful artist, both under the First Empire and to the diplomats of the Congress of Vienna. Life At the age of nineteen, after some lesson ...

, for Napoleon and

Empress Josephine An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

to stay in when they visit. On 14 March 1814, just a few weeks before

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

was to fall during the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

, Napoleon stayed at his friend's estate and awarded him the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' cross for his distinguished service to France in increasing its worldwide reputation for wine.D. & P. Kladstrup ''Champagne'' pg 67 Harper Collins Publisher

After the fall of Napoleon

Following Napoleon's abdication, the region of

was occupied by

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n soldiers of the Sixth Coalition. In retaliation for Napoleon's earlier conquest, the Champenois were subjected to large fines and ordered to pay requisitions. Most of Champagne's cellars were plundered. Moët's was particularly hard hit, with more than 600,000 bottles emptied by the Russian encampment. Instead of resisting, Moët told his friends ''"All of those soldiers who are ruining me today will make my fortune tomorrow. I'm letting them drink all they want. They will be hooked for life and become my best salesmen when they go back to their own country."''D. & P. Kladstrup ''Champagne'' pg 68 Harper Collins Publisher Moët's words were prophetic as in the ensuing years, the House of Moët saw a boom in sales and prestige with clients from around the world visiting their cellars and making purchases including the former Napoleonic foes

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

, Frederick William III of Prussia,

William II of the Netherlands William II ( nl, Willem Frederik George Lodewijk, anglicized as William Frederick George Louis; 6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849) was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg. William II was the son of Willia ...

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...

and Csar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moet, Jean-Remy French winemakers French businesspeople 1758 births 1841 deaths Champagne (wine)

Friendship with Napoleon

After the fall of Napoleon

See also

References