Krug

Champagne born from the dream of one man.

More than 170 years ago Joseph Krug took a major risk. He quit his job as a successful merchant to follow his vision: to create the most generous expression of Champagne every year, regardless of climatic unpredictability.

Joseph Krug was born in 1800 in Mainz, then a Germanic city of the Napoleonic Empire. He was a well-educated and bright merchant who arrived in Paris in 1834 and started working at Champagne Jacquesson. Joseph quickly became an influential partner at Jacquesson, but was far from satisfied. He always dreamed of leaving his own mark on the champagne wold. Thus, in 1843, at the age of 42, he took a chance and founded the House of Krug.

He kept a cherry-red notebook, which survives to this day at the House of Krug, and in it he wrote that great champagne could only be achieved using good wines, tasted separately plot by plot. Terroir was crucial. His wish was to create the very best quality champagne regardless of annual variations in climate. He began building an extensive library of reserve wines which he could use each year to blend the perfect champagne.

Today the library consists of 150 reserve wines. Krug transcended all traditional champagne production methods of the time and was the first to be able to produce only premium champagnes every year – a unique and defining trait of Krug to this day.
Krug champagne is characterised by keen attention to detail. Krug’s champagne production is based on three principles: carefully selected base wines, masterly blending, and long ageing time. The latter could even be considered old-fashioned in today’s fast-paced world. Each year, the Cellar Master and Tasting Committee, as well as family members come together to blend the Krug Grande Cuvée of the year.

Krug Grande Cuvée is a blend of 120 individual wines from different vintages which complement each other in total harmony. In total, about twenty years are required to create a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée.

In the 1970s, rosé became popular. Henri and Rémi Krug, fifth-generation owners of the House of Krug, also tried their hand at developing a rosé in authentic Krug style. They succeeded in 1983. They actually blind-tested the rosé on their father, Paul. When the father tasted it, he was alarmed: “We’re in trouble – somebody in Champagne is copying Krug!” When it became clear that this was a test batch of Krug, the rosé was approved and added to their prestigious collection.

Joseph Krug’s legacy lives on. Olivier Krug, the current Director of the House of Krug and sixth generation of the Krug family, has said: “Devoted Krug Lovers have one significant advantage over me: they can recall and describe in minute detail the first time they ever tasted Krug Champagne… a drop of Krug was placed on my lips the day I was born.”

Unhurried luxury

It takes time to create the most luxurious champagne. Only time and dedication provide the opportunity to select for sale the best batches that meet the House’s standards.

Tailor-made

Krug Champagne is a blend of only the finest wines, creating the most generous expression of champagne. Each vintage is created by a group of experts which includes members of the Krug family.

Unique ID

Since 2011, all bottles of Krug Champagne feature a unique Krug ID. It is a six-digit code, the first digit of which indicates the quarter in which the bottle left Krug’s cellars and the following two digits indicate the year. In the case of Krug Grande Cuvées, the code also reveals the oldest and youngest wines in the blend.