Obituary: Claude Taittinger dies aged 94

Claude Taittinger, the former president of Champagne Taittinger, died on 3 January in Paris at the age of 94, the family has confirmed.

Claude took over Champagne Taittinger in 1960 following the death of his brother. He served first as managing director and then president of the company until 2005. Under his stewardship, Champagne Taittinger grew from a niche label into a brand with international scale.

He originally joined the family business that was founded by his father, Pierre Taittinger, in 1949. His brother Francois then sent him around the world to promote the family’s wines and he became not only an ambassador for the Taittinger label but also for the wider Champagne category, promoting the region and its wines in markets across the globe.

As well as his love of travel, Claude was known as a gifted storyteller and communicator, which shone through in the way he spoke to amateur wine lovers about the emotions behind Champagne, rather than focussing simply on the technicalities of production.

In 1962, he commissioned a survey into the French public’s attitudes towards Champagne, the results of which led Taittinger to become one of the first Champagne houses to communicate with consumers directly through sophisticated and effective publicity campaigns.

Claude also formed links with the culinary and artistic worlds. In 1967, he created the Pierre Taittinger International Culinary Prize in honour of his father – a knowledgeable food lover – and in 1983 he launched the Taittinger Collection, with artists designing labels for the house’s vintage Champagnes.

In 1987, Claude led the family’s investment in Domaine Carneros at the foot of Napa Valley in California, a final international adventure that he shared with his nephew and successor as president, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.

Champagne Taittinger joined UK distributor Hatch Mansfield in 1998. It currently supports the Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year award, which is widely regarded as the premier accolade in UK wine service. Past winners number some of the industry's leading lights when it comes to wine knowledge, including the late Gerard Basset, Ronan Sayburn and Xavier Rousset.

Today, Champagne Taittinger remains one of the few top houses owned and run by the family named on the label.