Enjoy a truly sparking Bastille Day as Rafaella Fontes, US Brand Director of Champagne Bollinger, leads a special festive tasting of two distinguished Champagnes, perfect for celebrating among friends.
Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée offers a sophisticated combination of ripe fruit and spicy aromas whereas Ayala’s Brut Major is a more effervescent expression of the terroir with a balanced freshness of citrus and floral notes. From the commune of Aÿ in the heart of Champagne and crafted from a traditional blend of Pinor Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, these two bottles show the range of tasting notes from the region.
Fontes will explore the process behind the creation of these exceptional wines and delve into the history of the two renowned Champagne maisons.
The Champagnes will be paired with caviar from Petrossian. Serguei Aver, General Manager and Project Development Specialist at Petrossian Boutique New York, will present two of the maison’s favorites, a Royal Baika, the perfect caviar for brine-lovers, and a Royal Shassetra, the “caviar lover’s caviar.”
Duration: 45 minutes with Q&A
The two featured Champagnes are available for purchase:
- Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée (750ml bottle)
- Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur (750ml bottle)
Two bottles: $100 (one of each)
Six bottles: $290 (three of each)
Includes free ground-shipping
Place your order with Millesima USA by Sunday, July 12 for NY delivery (July 8 for outside NY) to ensure that you receive the wines in time for the tasting.
A portion of the proceeds go to support FIAF.
Special Prize Drawing: Purchase either kit and you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win another pair of bottles, courtesy of Champagne Bollinger. A lucky winner will be selected during the tasting.
Buy Wines
The two featured types of Caviar are available for purchase:
- Royal Shassetra Caviar
- Royal Baika Caviar
Two 14g tins (one of each caviar): $99
Two 30g tins (one of each caviar): $120
Includes shipping in the US (excluding Hawai)
Place your order with Petrossian by 10am on Friday, July 10 to receive the caviar in time for the tasting.
Email order to serguei.aver@petrossian.com
Rafaella Fontes
Rafaella Fontes is the US Brand Director of Champagne Bollinger and US Director of Champagne Ayala. A first generation American with Brazilian and Italian roots, Rafaella has been in the food, beverage and hospitality industry since she was 16.
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While living in Bordeaux, she first discovered an intrinsic draw to French vineyards in St. Emilion. Later, while living in Bologna, the lifestyle around food and wine confirmed her desire to pursue wine full time. Upon completing her degree in economics and sociology from Columbia University, Rafaella took her first step towards realizing her dream of working in the wine industry by accepting a role at Wölffer Estate in the Hamptons and then transitioning to assist the winemaker Roman Roth for the Fall harvest and later joining the tasting panel for blending and dosage trials. Rafaella followed this with a stint in Wolffer Estate’s marketing and sales team and committed to WSET certifications. Finally, she returned to New York to pursue sales full-time for a boutique Wine Importer and Distributor. However, since starting in the wine business, she has always dreamed of working in Champagne – initially unsure if she could pursue wines because she assumed all somms only wanted to drink reds while she was always at the champagne table. Now that she represents Houses Bollinger and Ayala, she is content that she is in the right place and making Champagne living a reality. As if walking seven miles a day through New York isn’t enough, Rafaella also counts teaching yoga and running marathons among her favorite hobbies.
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Serguei Aver
At 25 years old, Serguei Aver has already worked with decorated star chefs, 5-star properties in three continents, five countries and seven cities. An MBA graduate of Vatel San Diego, Aver is currently General Manager at Petrossian Boutique New York.
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Born and raised in France, Aver discovered a passion for wine and “Art de la Table” when he was 14, which he followed to the prestigious Ferrandi gastronomy school in Paris.
He received a Bachelor’s degree from Vatel Martigny in Switzerland before pursuing an MBA with a concentration in hospitality. He completed his final 12 months management training in at New York City’s trendy Bagatelle restaurant, which offered him a management position at their corporate office.
In addition to his position at Petrossian, Aver oversees projects and the development of the brand in the USA, including openings in cities across the country.
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