Where to drink Dubai’s favourite Champagne (and what it costs)

The house of Louis Roederer first began producing Champagnes in 1776, though its notoriety among collectors came somewhat later, via the release of Cristal and its subsequent pop culture ubiquity.

Today, Louis Roederer is one of only a handful of Champagne houses in continuous family ownership, and the only great which owns and farms its own vineyards for the majority of its production of vintage and non-vintage blanc and rosé wines. Yet it is Cristal, originally created as a special bottling for Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1876, for which the house is best known.

Available commercially since 1945, Cristal Brut is produced using the harvest from 45 exclusive parcels of land, with a vintage created only in exceptional years. Even then, some wine experts say Cristal Brut should ideally age for a further ten to 20 years after release to reveal its true complexity.

In Dubai, that’s certainly advice that could be followed, with 28 restaurants stocking at least one vintage released between 1993 and 2014 – the most extensively stocked vintage Champagne among the 42 licensed restaurants given a toque-rating in the Gault&Millau 2022 Guide.

The most loftily priced bottle is to be found at GAIA, where limited stock of the acclaimed 1994 vintage retails for AED13,000. Meanwhile, the city’s most affordable vintage Cristal can be found at Ossiano, where a bottle of 2014 vintage retails at AED3,475.

Read on for the full rundown of vintage Cristal Brut availability in Dubai according to data gathered in Q4 2022, logged according to year and ordered according to price.

Cristal Brut

Value Ranking	Name	Toques	Vintage	Current price	Previous Price
1	Indego by Vineet		1993	AED 9,500	N/A
1	Gaia		1994	AED 13,000	N/A
1	Gaia		2002	AED 12,500	N/A
1	Ossiano		2005	AED 3,765	N/A
2	Al Muntaha		2005	AED 8,390	N/A
3	Pierre’s TT		2005	AED 8,520	N/A
1	Il Borro Tuscan Bistro		2007	AED 5,200	N/A
2	Pierre’s TT		2007	AED 8,520	N/A
=1	Gohan		2008	AED 5,133	N/A
=1	La Cantine du Faubourg		2008	AED 5,133	N/A
3	Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi		2008	AED 5,604	N/A
=4	Brasserie Boulud		2008	AED 6,200	N/A
=4	Social		2008	AED 6,200	N/A
6	Armani/Ristorante		2008	AED 6,500	N/A
7	Hoseki		2008	AED 6,900	N/A
1	Hakkasan		2012	AED 4,950	N/A
2	Mimi Kakushi		2012	AED 5,450	N/A
1	Zuma		2013	AED 3,730	N/A
2	Pierchic		2013	AED 3,800	N/A
3	Talea by Antonio Guida		2013	AED 3,950	N/A
4	COYA		2013	AED 4,000	N/A
5	LPM Restaurant & Bar		2013	AED 4,100	N/A
6	Bull & Bear		2013	AED 4,500	N/A
7	Al Muntaha		2013	AED 4,935	N/A
8	Marea		2013	AED 4,950	N/A
9	Alici		2013	AED 5,200	N/A
10	Clap		2013	AED 5,500	N/A
11	L’Amo Bistro Del Mare		2013	AED 5,900	N/A
12	Social		2013	AED 6,200	N/A
13	At.mosphere		2013	AED 6,400	N/A
14	Il Ristorante – Niko Romito		2013	AED 6,900	N/A
15	MINA Brasserie		2013	AED 7,250	N/A
16	STAY by Yannick Alléno		2013	AED 7,350	N/A
1	Ossiano		2014	AED 3,475	N/A
2	Scalini		2014	AED 4,500	N/A
3	Gaia		2014	AED 4,800	N/A
4	Al Muntaha		2014	AED 4,935	N/A
5	Trèsind Studio		2014	AED 5,500	N/A