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 de ...

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, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

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 French 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 advo ...

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

Friendship with Napoleon

Jean-Rémy Moët first met

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

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 lo ...

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 Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, 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 ...

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 (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

.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 Louis XIV as a retreat for himself and his ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of th ...

on his property, complete with original work by

Jean-Baptiste Isabey Jean-Baptiste Isabey (; 11 April 1767 – 18 April 1855) was a French artist during both the First Empire and the Restoration. Early life and education Isabey was born in Nancy, France on 11 April 1767. At the age of 19, following some lessons ...

, for Napoleon and

Empress Josephine The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

was to fall during the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

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

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

'' 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 country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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 Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

William II of the Netherlands William II (; English: William Frederick George Louis; 6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849), known as Koning Willem de Tweede or Koning Willem II in the Netherlands, was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg. Wi ...

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, List of rulers of Croatia, Croa ...

and Czar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", 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 in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moet, Jean-Remy French winemakers 18th-century French businesspeople 1758 births 1841 deaths Champagne (wine) French merchants

Friendship with Napoleon

After the fall of Napoleon

See also

References