Virginie Taittinger, the ‘Princess of Champagne’ from the Taittinger Dynasty hosted a champagne showcase of her exclusive own independent label – Virginie T – in aid of a Yorkshire Brain Research Appeal on March 7 2014.
Councillor Bernard Atha, Lady Emma Ingilby, Harry and Helen Gration
Hosted at the magnificent Bramham Park, Virginie supported the launch of the Yorkshire Brain Research Centre Appeal, which seeks to raise £2m by 2015 towards a final total of £6m.
Virginie worked at the great champagne house Taittinger with her father Claude for 21 years until he retired in 2006; her mother is part of the Piper-Heidsieck family. The Taittinger champagne house is one of the few to remain owned and actively managed by the family on the label.
She launched her own winery, six miles away from her family business. Her champagne, Virginie T, sells online to private customers in Europe. The independent label is renowned for its elegance, a boutique bubbly with just one brut and one rosé to the label’s name so far.
The Yorkshire Brain Research Centre fundraising appeal will create a world-class research centre to help tackle life-limiting brain conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia.
By 2030 there will be a 20% increase in Parkinson’s disease alone, while numbers of dementia patients will soar by 80% – there are already 58,000 people in the region with the condition.
It is the biggest healthcare problem of a generation. The University of Leeds is partnering with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals, one of the largest higher education institutions to create the new research centre. The Yorkshire Brain Research Centre will help attract the very best clinicians from around the world and grow a strong neurosciences community in Yorkshire.
Virgine said: “I’m proud to be raising awareness for the Yorkshire Brain Research Centre, it’s a global concern and brain diseases deserve the very best in research. I love champagne and the finer things in life, but you can’t put a price on your health. I’m very passionate about supporting this crucial campaign, which will help generations to come to help protect the most precious thing in life -our minds and our health.”
This event was made possible by Clair Chadwick of Cause UK in partnership with Rathbone Investment Management.
If you are planning a special gift for Mother’s Day, how about a bottle of champagne? Virginie Taittinger is donating 5% of sales to the Yorkshire Brain Research Centre. Type BRAIN at the check out http://www.virginie-t.com/