British entrepreneur and luxury champagne connoisseur Shammi Shinh has partnered with the artist behind Bored Ape Yacht Club and The Sneaky Vampire Syndicate to break the World’s most expensive champagne record by selling the NFT for $2.5 Million. Adorned with diamond cut Swarovski stones embedded in an equally lavish NFT illustration, the first limited edition cuvée from Champagne Avenue Foch, is now available on OpenSea. As an NFT artist myself (follow me here!), Noctis Magazine invited me to The Box to interview the man behind the most expensive champagne in the world!
Shammi has hired out the venue, of course. There’s champagne being passed around, gorgeous food, and a sensationally mind bending show. I just watched a woman attach a hook to the bun in her hair and lift herself off the ground. Then she span herself around in circles and fake blood is squirting from the top of her head. Some of it landed on my arms. Phenomenal.
I see Shammi, glittering his way through the people with a huge grin on his face. He’s just surpassed his own world record and made a sale of 2.5 million dollars for his NFT collaboration champagne with the notorious Bored Ape Yacht Club.
We catch eyes and I swan over in my gothic pearl and lace gown, and he kindly compliments my outfit.
I take this moment to ask him some questions about his world. I’m equally as obsessed with web 3, oh and anything diamond encrusted, so I’m just as intrigued as you are about how his mind works…
Mr. Shinh. The ‘Global Nomad’ himself! So great to connect with you, you’re looking dapper! Let’s start from the beginning. You sell the most expensive champagne in the world. How did you get into spirits and champagne in the first place?
Hello! I have been producing champagne for over 15 years. My love for champagne began when my former lead Sahar Elhabashi, head of Spotify then head of Discovery Channel, gifted me a bottle of champagne every Christmas. From this a passion arose and I invested time and money into the production of champagne. My first brand was a diamond themed champagne. I launched this during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the same year of the London Olympics.
Did you have any idea that you’d achieve the things you have? Was it a dream you’ve had in place for a long time?
When working on any activity I zoom in on the immediate objective, but focus on the wider vision. I am a firm believer that hard work pays off. If you remain consistent with your efforts with a vision in mind eventually great things will unfold.
Your champagne is enjoyed by the likes of Royalty, Usain Bolt and the Kardashians – who’s the most inspirational personal you’ve clinked a glass of your own champagne with?
Good question, there’s a few but I’d have to say Larry David. We share the same sense of humour.
You’ve been connected to various societies including The Billionaires Club. I bet you’ve got some serious stories. What’s the craziest experience champagne has led you to?
Champagne has taken me around the world and put me in movie like situations. An experience that comes to mind, in an unnamed country. During an attempted government coup in the middle of a prestigious event, me and my plus one escaped on skis down treacherous slopes. Luckily the pilot was on standby and within the hour I was on a flight out of there.
You’ve also been associated with powerhouse brands such as Christian Louboutin. Do you have any brands that you have your eye on to work with next or have in the pipeline?
Champagne is an event driven industry. My clients range from designer brands, award shows, boating events, sports events and fashion shows. There are a number of ongoing discussions for exciting new partnerships!
How do you see your champagne becoming a part of the future in Web 3?
I have created private label brands for various NFT projects that will take their physical champagne brand and incorporate it into the metaverse for their communities. I have been responsible for bringing the first champagne brands into the metaverse. NFTs will also be used to authenticate my brands and provide the holder with a wealth of associated metadata. Counterfeit goods are a huge problem for producers and web3 can help combat this problem.
Do you own any NFT’s yourself?
I have been trading for over a year, so the NFTs I own don’t stay in my wallet for long as I am constantly buying and selling. Recently I have begun holding workshops educating others on how to enter the NFT space. Some of my favourite collections include The Sneaky Vampire Syndicate, The Bored Ape Yacht Club, and their Mutants collection.
Your latest collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club meant your latest champagne surpassed your original world record at a whopping 2.5 million dollars! How do you plan to beat your own world record again!?
Ten years ago people were buying diamonds for millions of dollars. Today they are buying pictures of apes for millions of dollars, so in the next ten years if there is a record breaker, it will be based upon the public interest at that time!
Do you have any pearls of wisdom to share for anyone who wants to take their first step into Web 3?
Educate yourself by understanding the technology and reasoning behind web3. Ensure you know the answers behind simple questions such as what does blockchain mean? What is the aim of web3? What is a smart contract? How can web3 benefit traditional businesses? Learning the fundamentals is essential.
Please tell us some fun facts about yourself?
I stopped eating animals in 2016 and turned to veganism in 2019, because animals are friends not food.
I direct a successful life sciences company working in precision medicine and Digital pathology. With a goal to bring patients to diagnosis faster.
I am a frequent traveller! In one year I once travelled further than the distance from the earth to the moon. On aeroplanes I prefer food in pots with tin foil tops. I don’t want cutlery and porcelain plates, we are in a flying machine shaped like a bird, not a restaurant. Make me feel like I am on my way to another planet.
I live for experience. I don’t allow myself to become desensitised to meaningful things or the things that bring joy. We already live in fabricated cities. It is up to us to lift the layers of dullness from our senses and soul to live a complete human experience. Actually I write about wellbeing and spirituality on dreamingpeacock.com. Self realisation is a journey one can easily overlook.
Thank you so much for chatting with me, you’re such an interesting person and there is so much to learn from you. I could talk to you all evening but I’ll let you go and enjoy yourself! Congratulations on all of your successes, and for such a huge evening here at The Box. One final question, where did you get that crystal encrusted velvet jacket. It’s to die for.
Thank you, it’s been a successful evening. (laughs), thank you. I get asked this often. It’s a limited edition from Saint Laurent.
www.champagneavenuefoch.com
Words: NAHLI