Nicolas Ruinart founded the House of Ruinart on 1 September 1729. Their creation “wine with bubbles” (as it was not known as champagne at the time) went out in January 1730. Prior to then, wine could not be transported in bottles. At first, the sparkling wine was a business gift for cloth purchasers, but soon grew in success in the Champagne business. Since then, the Maison has kept the standards of excellence of its founders.
Ruinart has had a long-standing relationship with the Arts. In 1895, Andre Ruinart asked Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to illustrate a poster of Ruinart. Today the brand is still closely involved with contemporary art and plays a role in numerous international events including ARCO, the Foire de Bale, the Carre Rive Gauche, London Design, and Miami Art Basel.
Ruinart's cellars, acquired in 1768, are amongst the largest in the region, and are Gallo-Roman in origin. Like most Champagne cellars, they are the product of ancient chalk mining, and extend 38 metres below the ground and are 8 km long. The chalk helps to keep the cellars at a constant 11 degrees Celsius. The chalk pits were classified as a historic monument in 1931. The Ruinart taste is greatly dependent on the aging in chalk pits: three to four years for non-vintages, and nine to 10 years on average for a Dom Ruinart.
