Champagne named after Marilyn Monroe

A Norwegian beverage company has bottled the legend of Marilyn Monroe in an effervescent bubbly to be served in a curvy, voluptuous champagne flute in her honor.

Champagne Marilyn Monroe Premier Cru Brut debuts at the world's largest wine trade fair in Bordeaux this week, where 50,000 attendees from 47 countries are expected to converge.

The bottle of sparkling bubbly was created to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the blonde bombshell's death which will be observed next summer. Monroe died August 5 at the age of 36.

Produced by the French champagne house JM Gobillard & Fils for Norwegian company Rosmersholm, the Marilyn Monroe champagne is 50 percent Chardonnay, 25 percent Pinot Noir and 25 percent Pinot Meunier and is produced in the Hautvillers, Cumières and Dizy areas of Champagne.

Described as fruity, silky and delicate, the champagne has an elegant nose and has been cellar-aged for three years.

It's expected to retail for about €65. The champagne also comes with a set of six curvaceous flutes that retail for €159 alone.

Almost 50 years after her death, the blonde icon continues to make headlines. Over the weekend, the ivory-colored dress Monroe wore while standing over a subway grate in the film The Seven Year Itch fetched a cool $4.6 million at a Beverly Hills auction.

Monroe isn't the only Hollywood diva to get her own bottle of bubbly. After delivering a loopy, champagne-fueled acceptance speech at the Palm Springs International Film Festival last year, Carey launched her own line of the sparkling stuff called Angel, blended and cellared in Reims, France.

Vinexpo is the world's largest wine trade event and is commonly used as the launching pad for wine and champagne makers.

Champagne Baron Fuenté, for example, launches its Ecocert-certified champagne les Galipettes at Vinexpo.

Bailly Lapierre will also be showcasing its white and rosé Vive-la-Joie Crémants or sparkling wine made from Burgundy's hallmark grapes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Vinexpo wraps up June 23: http://vinexpo.com/en/.

http://champagnemarilynmonroe.com/