As popping corks announce the New Year, champagne lovers can expect some radical new trends in the art of savouring a tipple that for centuries has been associated with celebration.

The true connoisseur should ditch the traditional long-stemmed flutes and the saucer-shaped coupes and instead start drinking the sparkling white wine from elongated, tulip-shaped glasses, say the experts.

And those seeking to be truly avant-garde should start serving the finest bubbly from carafes.

Champagne makers Piper Heidsieck have worked with master shoe maker Christian Louboutin to create a unique box set: “Le Rituel” Box Set.

The set consists of a bottle of champagne and a glass shoe designed by Christian Louboutin.

The project has been named Le Rituel after a French ritual popular in the 1880’s where one would drink champagne from a woman’s shoe.

Viktor & Rolf have never been ones to follow the conventional rules of design. Last year they redefined classical style and reinterpreted the iconic object of champagne on behalf of Piper-Heidsieck bringing an upside down twist to their Rosé Sauvage champagne bottle to create a really striking and sophisticated objet d’art.

The Rosé Sauvage bottle becomes a phial. The inverted flute of champagne becomes a goblet. The base of the bottle, now at the top, which reproduces the proportions of the legendary champagne cork and its wire cage and foil, is enhanced with a pink and black gold ribbon stamped with the Piper logo. The secret? A tightly-fitting sleeve slipped over the preformed plastic shell that encases the bottle, all of which enhanced by classic labels in pure champagne tradition.

And while their imaginations are limitless, the bottle certainly is not. It’s priced at 65 euros ($90) and has been available since November 2007 from an exclusive selection of retail outlets, including Colette in Paris. Piper-Heidsieck « upside-down » has recently been awarded at the Monaco Luxe Pack fair !