Belarusian Lena is a wine blogger and sommelier with over 20 years of experience in the industry. She shared with us the story of how she put together the "perfect order" for a Hollywood actor at the "Festus" store in Sopot
“On Saturday, an American came in. He asked if we had Cristal and Dom Pérignon. We only had one bottle — Cristal Rosé 2013 for 3529 zlotys, but he needed four. I suggested supplementing the order with champagne from another house. He refused: ‘a strict rider for the actor’ — only Cristal, only four bottles,” Lena recounts.
The sommelier proposed a solution: to gather the required amount from other stores in the chain and asked the customer to return later.
“He really came back on Monday, picked up the order, and made us a sale,” Lena adds.
The actor’s name was not mentioned — but considering that Henry Cavill was in Sopot during those days, conclusions can be drawn.
Why Cristal?
The chosen drink has its own story — no less interesting. Cristal champagne is produced by the house of Louis Roederer, and it was originally created not for the general public. In 1876, it was developed specifically for Russian Emperor Alexander II: at his request, the bottle was made transparent — hence the name — and the bottom flat, without the usual indentation. It is said that the emperor feared assassination attempts and wanted the bottle to have no place to hide explosives. For a long time, Cristal remained an exclusive for the imperial court and was available for public sale only in the mid-20th century.
Later, in the 1990s, the champagne found a second life — in American hip-hop culture. It was sung about by Jay-Z and other stars of the scene until a public conflict erupted between the brand and the industry. Jay-Z distanced himself from Cristal after an ambiguous statement from the company’s management, urged colleagues to follow his example, and ultimately launched his own champagne brand.
In Sopot, however, the story ended mundanely: the customer came, picked up the order, and left.
