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Timeless Bubbles
Located on the 49th parallel in the north of France, the region of Champagne has a long and varied history from war and riots to the evolution of the drink itself. Our Head of Wine, Louise Gordon, highlights a few of the turning points and people without which, we would not have champagne as we know it today.
The Champagne Riots
A culmination of years of disease and frost, along with the Commissionaires—who were hired by the champagne houses to buy grapes as cheaply as possible from growers—drove grape prices so low that many growers lived in poverty. This led to the riots that began in 1910 and lasted until 1911. With livelihoods lost and property damaged, the governor of Aÿ telegraphed Paris to declare, “we are in a state of civil war!” However, the riots ultimately became a catalyst for the protection of the Champagne region under law.
The French government worked with vineyard owners and Champagne houses to delineate an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. This meant that only wines produced from grapes grown within the geographical boundaries could be entitled to use the name Champagne, and minimum grape prices were set to protect growers. The start of the First World War had a unifying effect, ending any residual hostilities in defense of the country and the region.
The Grande Dame
Known as the “Grande Dame of Champagne,” Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, or Veuve (Widow) Clicquot, was a true pioneer. Widowed at the age of 27 when her husband François died in October 1805, she was left with one daughter, Clémentine, and no male heir, meaning the property reverted to her father-in-law.
Barbe-Nicole presented her father-in-law with a proposal to take over the business, with his only stipulation being that she learn how to make wine. She began an apprenticeship with winemaker Alexandre Fourneaux, eventually becoming the first female winemaker. On 21 July 1810, she launched her own company, Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, and that same year, she created the first vintage champagne.
“If, in the search for perfection we can take two steps at a time, I do not believe we should be content with just one.”
Madame Clicquot, 1839
In 1816, she invented the riddling process to clarify champagne, and in 1818, she made the first blended rosé—both techniques that are now industry standards. In 2024, the film Widow Clicquot, starring Haley Bennett, was released, showing a wider audience the lasting impact she had on Champagne. We simply would not have champagne as we know it today without her.