The Person Who Changed the Course of Champagne

                                        Veuve Clicquot's cellars will be visited in next year's trip

If you’re thinking Dom Perignon (whom many mistakenly attribute as the person who invented Champagne), think again.   Fast forward 150 years to the early 1800’s.   The person who undeniably changed everything for Champagne was Veuve Clicquot…whose name translates to the 'widow' Clicquot. 

                                              The widow Clicquot was a formidable force

Madame Clicquot was widowed unexpectedly at the age of 27 with a six year-old child.   The year was 1805, and veuve Clicquot was left with her husband’s  company which was involved in banking, wool trading and Champagne production.  In this era it was unthinkable for a woman to work outside the home, and it was simply unimaginable for a women to run a business.  The fact that the woman was from a wealthy family (who were friends of Napoleon), made it all that much more inconceivable that she would run a business.

The widow Clicquot broke all of the stereo-types of women in her day.  Never-mind that France was in the middle of the Napoleonic wars.  Not only did she run her husband’s business but she took all facets of the company to new soaring heights…especially the Champagne part of it.   Here are just a few of her many contributions that championed an entire Champagne industry:

 

                  "Riddling" bottles was a game-changer for marketing a beautifully clear Champagne

• The widow Clicquot developed a process (“riddling”) which turned the unappealingly cloudy Champagne into a brilliant clear wine.

• Veuve was the first Champagne producer to sell wine outside of France…her customers were the Royal families of Europe.

• Madame Clicquot pioneered the making of Rosé Champagne.

• Widow Clicquot was the first person to use colored labels…all labels at this time were white.

 

Today, the much-heralded Champagne company still bears her name, Veuve Clicquot.   Travelers who will be joining Wine-Knows’ September 2024 tour next year may even have the opportunity to see Madame Clicquot’s office, left much as it was after her death in 1856.   You’ll also have a private tour and tasting at the winery.   There are 3-4 spaces remaining on this harvest trip to Champagne, Burgundy and Provence.

Burgundy & Champagne – Wine-Knows Travel (wineknowstravel.com)