Bermuda will be a second tier launch market for Moët Ice Impérial, a new Champagne that is especially made to be poured over ice, and produced for the outdoor, summer market.Matthieu Florentin, the marketing manager at Moët Hennessey for the Caribbean region was in Bermuda last week when he made the announcement.Mr Florentin was here to meet with members of the hospitality and restaurant industry and talked to The Royal Gazette at the Flying Fish restaurant along with April Gosling Naude and Mark Harrington, members of the Gosling’s marketing team, where he demonstrated how Moët champagnes such as Rosé Impérial, known for its structure and fruitiness, can be paired with seared fresh fish and other dishes.The new Champagne, Moët Ice Impérial, is a higher end Champagne, even thought this innovation is a direct result of the recession, he explained.Moët & Chandon has been producing Champagne since 1743. In their literature, they explain: “Champagne drinking is traditionally seasonal with a peak in the last quarter of the year. Extending Champagne consumption to other periods of the year appeared as a great opportunity, particularly in summer time as it is often synonymous of holidays, with more time for leisure to be shared with family and friends, breaking with the routine, changing ties and suits for casual wear.“In hot and sunny places, people look for freshness, they need to quench their thirst. They like chilled sodas, long drinks, fresh rosé wine.”Moët has observed a trend: drinking wine and regular brut Champagne on ice on the French Riviera. “But Champagne on ice loses its identity with the dilution of the ice and low temperature constrains the wine.”Mr Florentin said: “This is the first Champagne that has been made to be poured over ice. It’s for drinking around the pool or on the beach,” he said.” It’s a stronger flavour, more fruity and forward.“It’s for a new kind of customer,” explaining Moët Ice Impérial comes in a white bottle and there are special white ‘balloon’-shaped glasses for it that are rounder in shape than the traditional Champagne glass. “It’s already a success in St Barts and St Maarten,” he said.Gosling’s, the agents for Moët Hennessey, see a natural market for the product at Bermuda’s ocean and poolside restaurants and bars, and outdoor lifestyle.They hope to launch the Champagne in Bermuda during the summer.Moët Hennessey says the wines used in this blend are a predominance of winey, angular Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier for that grape’s richness and finally Chardonnay with a touch of sharp acidity for a refreshing finish.They describe it as having an “aromatic intensity” that “strikes immediately, with aromas of tropical fruit” — mango, guava, candied pineapple, ripe stone fruits such as plum, nectarine, soft spices including liquorice, cinnamon and nutmeg; red fruits including cherry and raspberry as well as aromatic plants such as blackcurrant and peppermint.“The attack in the mouth is ample and fleshy, with a rich explosion of fruity savours: fruit salad, wild strawberries, raspberries in syrup, and sweet aromas including coffee and quince jelly, then the acidity emerges for a refreshing finish with notes of grapefruit, ginger and quinine.“Moët Ice Impérial, served on ice, can be harmoniously complemented by "fresh" ingredients that highlight its fresh finish. We recommend a sprig of mint, a zest of lime or white grapefruit, or a few cardamom seeds.”