Clink, clink fizz

Piper-Heidsieck is hoping to reinvent the way we drink champagne this summer by promoting the idea of serving its bubbly over ice. The idea originated in the South of France as Piper-Heidsieck Piscine, the French for swimming pool. Now the champagne house is trying to widen the appeal of its fizz in the UK, by suggesting drinkers plunge some ice cubes into their glasses here.

As part of the campaign, some fashionable city bars will also be serving the Riviera-style drink in special red curvaceous, stemmed glasses rather than the traditional flutes.

It has been suggested that the company is doing a Magners, after the cider brand promoted itself as a drink to serve with ice, but this is the first time we’ve been encouraged to dilute such an upmarket tipple.