Ruinart

Ruinart is a French Champagne house based in Reims and widely recognized as the oldest established Champagne house. It was founded on 1 September 1729 by Nicolas Irénée Ruinart, who carried forward the commercial vision of his uncle, Dom Thierry Ruinart. The house emerged shortly after a 1728 edict of Louis XV allowed wine to be transported in bottles rather than only in barrels. That regulatory change made it commercially practical to ship sparkling Champagne beyond its immediate production area and created the conditions for a dedicated Champagne business. Ruinart initially treated sparkling wine as a commercial gift for customers of the family’s cloth business. The early activity was connected to the family’s textile trade, but demand for the wine grew sufficiently that the house abandoned cloth selling six years after its foundation and concentrated exclusively on Champagne. This exclusive focus has remained central to the brand’s identity. Ruinart presents its history, production expertise and Reims location as a continuous tradition extending over nearly three centuries. The brand’s portfolio is centered on Chardonnay-led Champagne, alongside blends incorporating Pinot noir and, depending on the cuvée, other traditional Champagne grapes. Its principal families include R de Ruinart, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Ruinart Rosé, Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rosé. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is a flagship expression made entirely from Chardonnay. Dom Ruinart is the prestige blanc de blancs line and was first released from the 1959 vintage, while Dom Ruinart Rosé, introduced later, combines the prestige Chardonnay profile with vinified red Pinot noir. Ruinart’s production identity is also closely associated with its underground chalk cellars, known as crayères. Acquired by the house in 1768, these former Gallo-Roman chalk quarries extend approximately 38 metres below ground and form a cellar network reported to be about eight kilometres long. Their chalk environment helps maintain a stable temperature of roughly 11 degrees Celsius, supporting the extended maturation of the wines. The cellars were classified as a historic monument in 1931 and are an important part of the brand’s cultural and architectural identity. The house has cultivated a long relationship with the arts. In 1895, André Ruinart commissioned the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to create a Ruinart poster, an early example of the brand using contemporary visual culture to express its Champagne identity. In the modern period, Ruinart has continued to associate itself with contemporary art, design fairs and international cultural events, including ARCO, Art Basel Miami and other design-focused gatherings. It has also commissioned or supported bottle and accessory designs by figures including India Mahdavi, Christian Biecher, Patricia Urquiola and Maarten Baas. Today, Ruinart operates as part of LVMH’s wine and spirits portfolio. The brand competes in the premium and prestige Champagne segment, emphasizing heritage, Chardonnay expertise, cellar maturation, distinctive bottle design and links with art and design. Its wines are sold in France and international markets, while its historic Reims cellars remain a major physical symbol of the house.

Ruinart traces its origins to the religious and commercial environment of early eighteenth-century Champagne. Dom Thierry Ruinart recognized the potential of sparkling wine, but the business opportunity depended on changes in transport and packaging. Before 1728, wine was generally moved in barrels, limiting the practical distribution of Champagne and making long-distance commerce difficult. An edict issued under Louis XV authorized the transport of wine in bottles, enabling Champagne producers to send bottled wine to more distant markets. Nicolas Irénée Ruinart acted on this opportunity by establishing the House of Ruinart in Reims on 1 September 1729. The first recorded shipment of sparkling wine left the house in January 1730. In its earliest phase, the wine functioned partly as a commercial gift offered to purchasers of the family’s cloth business. This gave the emerging product an existing route into commercial relationships while allowing the family to test demand for Champagne outside its immediate production region. The sparkling-wine activity expanded rapidly. By 1735, approximately six years after foundation, Maison Ruinart had ended its cloth-selling business and devoted itself to Champagne. This transition established the house as a specialist producer rather than a diversified merchant. Its subsequent identity was built around the exclusive production of Champagne, a characteristic the brand continues to emphasize. The physical foundations of Ruinart’s production were strengthened in 1768, when the house acquired extensive chalk cellars in Reims. The cellars originated as Gallo-Roman chalk quarries and provide a naturally stable environment for wine maturation. They reach roughly 38 metres underground and extend for approximately eight kilometres. Their temperature is reported at around 11 degrees Celsius, allowing the wines to age in consistent conditions. The crayères were classified as a historic monument in 1931 and remain one of the defining heritage assets of the house. Ruinart also developed an enduring relationship with visual culture. In 1895, André Ruinart commissioned Alphonse Mucha, the Czech artist associated with Art Nouveau, to design a Ruinart poster. The commission helped establish a precedent for presenting Champagne through sophisticated artistic imagery rather than relying only on product description. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the brand continued to connect itself with contemporary art, architecture and design, participating in international events such as ARCO, Art Basel Miami, the Foire de Bale, London Design and the Carré Rive Gauche. This cultural strategy has included collaborations on objects associated with Champagne service. India Mahdavi designed the Champagne Spoon bottle stopper in 2006; Christian Biecher created the Flower stopper in 2007; Maarten Baas designed the Bouquet de Champagne in 2008 and the Melting ice bucket in 2010; and Patricia Urquiola designed the Fil d’Or stopper in 2010. These projects extended Ruinart’s presentation beyond the bottle and reinforced its association with design-led luxury. Ruinart’s product history has increasingly emphasized Chardonnay and prestige maturation. Dom Ruinart, a blanc de blancs prestige cuvée made entirely from Chardonnay, was first released with the 1959 vintage. Dom Ruinart Rosé followed in 1962 and added vinified red Pinot noir to the Chardonnay-based style. The broader portfolio includes the R de Ruinart range, non-vintage and vintage expressions, Blanc de Blancs and Brut Rosé. Non-vintage wines are matured for several years, while vintage wines generally spend substantially longer periods in the chalk cellars. Ruinart is now part of the LVMH group through its wine and spirits operations. Under LVMH ownership, the house remains focused on Champagne rather than expanding into unrelated beverage categories. Its current brand proposition combines a long-established Reims origin, historic cellar infrastructure, Chardonnay-centered wines, premium packaging and ongoing cultural partnerships.

• 1962

  Dom Ruinart Rosé introduced

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  The house introduces Dom Ruinart Rosé, combining its prestige Chardonnay expression with vinified red Pinot noir.

• 1959

  First Dom Ruinart vintage

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  Dom Ruinart, the house’s prestige blanc de blancs, is first released from the 1959 vintage.

• 1931

  Crayères classified as historic monuments

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  The Ruinart chalk cellars receive historic-monument classification.

• 1895

  Alphonse Mucha creates a Ruinart poster

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  André Ruinart commissions the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, beginning a notable chapter in the house’s art-related communications.

• 1768

  Historic chalk cellars acquired

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  Ruinart acquires the Gallo-Roman chalk quarries that become its principal underground maturation cellars.

• 1735

  Ruinart becomes exclusively a Champagne business

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  The family ends its cloth-selling activity and concentrates on Champagne production and commerce.

• 1730

  First sparkling-wine shipment

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  The first recorded delivery of Ruinart’s sparkling wine leaves the house in January.

• 1729

  House of Ruinart founded

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  Nicolas Irénée Ruinart establishes the Champagne house in Reims on 1 September.

• 1728

  Bottle transport is authorized

  [1]Ruinarten.wikipedia.org

  An edict under Louis XV permits wine to be transported in bottles, helping make wider commercial distribution of Champagne possible.

Luxury Champagne positioned around historic authenticity, Chardonnay expertise, extended cellar aging, Reims heritage and sustained engagement with contemporary art and design.

• Brut Champagne

  R de Ruinart

  R de Ruinart is the house’s core cuvée family, including non-vintage and vintage wines. The non-vintage expression uses a blend led by Pinot noir with a substantial Chardonnay component and reserve wines. It represents the broader Ruinart house style rather than a single-vineyard or exclusively Chardonnay expression.

• Blanc de blancs Champagne

  Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is the house’s flagship Chardonnay expression. Made entirely from Chardonnay, it presents the grape variety at the center of Ruinart’s identity and is positioned as a refined, premium Champagne for both direct consumption and gastronomic use.

• Rosé Champagne

  Ruinart Rosé

  Ruinart Rosé is a non-vintage rosé Champagne generally built from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot noir. Its style combines the freshness and elegance associated with the house’s Chardonnay-led wines with the color and red-fruit character supplied by Pinot noir.

• Prestige Champagne · 1959

  Dom Ruinart

  Dom Ruinart is Ruinart’s prestige blanc de blancs cuvée, made entirely from Chardonnay. First released with the 1959 vintage, it is associated with longer cellar maturation and a more elevated expression of the house’s Chardonnay expertise than the standard range.

• Prestige rosé Champagne · 1962

  Dom Ruinart Rosé

  Dom Ruinart Rosé is the prestige rosé counterpart to Dom Ruinart. First released in 1962, it retains a strong Chardonnay foundation while incorporating vinified red Pinot noir, creating a more structured and expressive rosé style.

• 2009Contemporary art and design event participation

  International

  The brand maintained a visible presence around international art and design events, including Art Basel Miami and other cultural fairs.

  Outcome. Ruinart continued to use cultural partnerships as part of its international luxury-brand identity.

  Source
• 2006Designer bottle-stopper collaborations

  International

  Ruinart expanded its art and design program through objects created by designers including India Mahdavi, Christian Biecher, Patricia Urquiola and Maarten Baas.

  Outcome. The projects reinforced the brand’s positioning at the intersection of Champagne, luxury objects and contemporary design.

  Source
• 1895Alphonse Mucha poster commission

  France

  Ruinart commissioned Alphonse Mucha to create a poster, linking the Champagne house with the visual language of Art Nouveau and establishing an early precedent for art-led brand communication.

  Outcome. The commission became a landmark example of Ruinart’s long-running association with art.

  Source

• 1735

  Concentrate exclusively on ChampagneStrategy

  Background

  The family’s sparkling-wine activity grew from a commercial gift associated with its cloth business.

  Action taken

  Maison Ruinart discontinued cloth selling and made Champagne its sole business.

  Aftermath

  The decision established the specialist Champagne-house model that remains central to the brand.

  Source

1. 1Ruinarten.wikipedia.org