Champagne "Cristal", Louis Roederer, FR, 2008

"Cristal" is the flagship cuvée of Champagne Louis Roederer, created in 1876 for Alexander II, Tsar of Russia. As the political situation in Russia at the time of his rule was unstable, the Tsar feared assassination. He ordered that champagne bottles for his Three Emperor's Dinner be made clear, so that he could see the bubbles and also to prevent an explosive being hidden beneath them, as could happen with a typical dark green indented bottle. Louis Roederer commissioned a Flemish glassmaker to create a clear lead glass Champagne bottle with a flat bottom. The Champagne has since become known as "Cristal". 

Louis Roederer is a producer of Champagne based in Reims, France. Founded in 1776, it was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. It remains today as one of the only still independent and family-run Maisons de Champagne (champagne houses). Over 3.5 million bottles of Louis Roederer champagne are shipped each year to more than 100 countries.