Leonardo DiCaprio buys stake in green-friendly champagne house

theguardian.com:

Leonardo DiCaprio has bought an equity stake in the French champagne house Telmont, its majority owner Rémy Cointreau has announced.

The Hollywood A-lister and environmental activist, 47, said he was drawn to the 100-year-old brand based in Damery due to its ecological credentials.

“From protecting biodiversity on its land, to using 100% renewable electricity, Champagne Telmont is determined to radically lower its environmental footprint, making me proud to join as an investor,” the star of Titanic, Inception and Don’t Look Up said.

Telmont was founded in 1912 near Épernay in northern France by local winegrower Henri Lhôpital in the wake of the Champagne Riots – a series of disturbances caused by four years of bad harvests. In 1911, he wrote the song Gloire au Champagne, the lyrics of which urged winemakers to uphold the high standards of quality that went into making the sparkling beverage.

His son, Andre Lhôpital, took over as cellar master following his father’s death in 1937. Two years later, he joined the second regiment of the Cuirassiers, the oldest surviving cavalry regiment in the French army, dating back to the 17th century. Telmont’s logo – a knight’s helmet – honours the Cuirassier insignia.

The French drinks company Rémy Cointreau bought a majority stake in Telmont in October 2020.

DiCaprio’s investment is the latest in a series of celebrity endorsements for luxury brands attempting to entice younger customers.

In February 2021, LVMH’s Moët Hennessy bought a 50% stake in rap star Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac champagne brand.

Last year, Lady Gaga and Dom Pérignon teamed up to create The Queendom, a limited-edition rosé. She also designed 110 custom sculptures to be sold exclusively at the brand’s flagship stores.

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