The company Soyuzplodoimport seems to have won the argument against Louis Roederer’s champagne. An article in Moscow News explains the trademark dispute between Kristal Vodka and the Cristal Champagne, but it gives an interesting security story as well.

Legend has it that Tsar Alexander II, fearing traditional green champagne bottles could be used to hide an assassin’s bomb, commissioned a brand in a crystal-clear carafe.

Thus Cristal Champagne, with its distinctive flat-bottomed design, was born – though it failed to save the monarch from an explosive end. He survived four assassination attempts but was killed when his carriage was attacked on the streets of St. Petersburg in 1881.

Another fascinating tidbit in the article is that the top rated champagne in a blind taste test by Knights of the Vine was a Novy Svet 2002 Pinot Noir Rose. It costs just $16, whereas Cristal is around $600.