Count claims glamour model stunt degrades his champagne
THE use of a former erotic film star turned cabaret singer to promote a pink champagne has infuriated the aristocratic family whose forefathers founded the celebrated Charles de Cazanove brand.
Count Loïc Chiroussot de Bigault de Cazanove has started legal proceedings in an attempt to force the current owners of the brand to remove his family’s name from its “Champagne by Clara Morgane” vintage.
Ms Morgane is shown in a provocative pose in advertisements for a limited edition pink champagne bearing the former glamour model’s name alongside that of the count’s family. Each bottle, sheathed in lace, costs £45, but the count argues that the brand is being cheapened.
“My ancestors are in tears,” he told Europe 1 radio. “Associating this brand with a person who has made pornographic films is a bit of an outrage.”
The count insisted that he had “nothing against this lady” but wanted to defend his “heritage and patrimonial rights”.
The count’s great-great-grandfather, Charles de Bigault de Cazanove, founded the champagne house in 1811, but the family sold it in the Eighties although the brand name remained unchanged. Representatives of the current owners were not immediately available to comment.
The case is due to come before a court in Lille on Jan 9.