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Business

Jay Z Had a Favorite Champagne Brand, So He Bought It

By Marc Schneider
11/6/2014
By Marc Schneider
11/6/2014
Jay-Z attends the Armand de Brignac 'A Taste of Gold' party
Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Jay-Z attends the Armand de Brignac 'A Taste of Gold' party hosted by Jay-Z and the editor of GQ Magazine Dylan Jones at Automat on July 2, 2008 in London, England. 

Jay Z's champagne of choice is now part of his portfolio. The rapper and entrepreneur extraordinaire has purchased the gilded Armand de Brignac (nicknamed "Ace of Spades") brand of bubbly, which retails for $300 a pop but can go as high as $200,000 -- if you like 30-liter bottles made of gold. A new company led by Jay Z, real name Sean Carter, acquired the brand from New York-based Sovereign Brands, which announced the sale this week.

"We are proud to announce that Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company owned by the Berish family, has sold its interest in the Armand de Brignac ('Ace of Spades') Champagne brand to a new company led by the globally-renowned Shawn 'Jay Z' Carter," the company said in a statement.

Artist Mentioned

Sean Carter

Terms of the deal -- as well as the name Jay's new company -- were not disclosed, but spokesperson for Sovereign told the New York Times in an emailed statement that the Brooklyn native "made us an offer we simply couldn't refuse." A representative from Jay Z's Roc Nation did not return a request for comment at press time.

The best-selling artist, label owner, entertainment mogul, sports agent and now-champagne maker is reportedly worth over $500 million, according to Forbes. 

Fans of Hova will remember how he brushed off a bottle of Cristal in favor of some "gold bottles of that ace of spade" in the video for his 2006 single, "Show Me What You Got." He also famously set up a tower of 350 bottles of the stuff at a 2013 fundraiser for President Barack Obama at Manhattan's 40/40 Club, a chain of clubs that Jay Z owns. Also, during his time as part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets he made Armand de Brignac available at a champagne bar accessible to super-luxury box owners.

Each bottle of Armand de Brignac is made by hand by a staff of eight people in Chigny-les-Roses, France. A standard bottle of Brut retails at $300, but if you're really thirsty there's a 100 lb.-bottle (equivalent to 40 regular ones) that sells for over $200,000.

By Marc Schneider
11/6/2014

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