Madame Clicquot: The Grande Dame of Champagne

Madame Clicquot:
The "grande dame of Champagne"

Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin was born in 1777, the daughter of a textile manufacturer in Reims, Champagne. Widowed at the age of only 27, she took control of her own destiny and became one of the first modern entrepreneurs. In an era when women were excluded from the business world, she dared to assume the head of the company founded by her father-in-law in 1772, a role she undertook with passion and determination.

Her creativity and lust for innovation led to many firsts in Champagne: the first known vintage champagne; the invention of the riddling table; the first known blended rosé champagne. Three inventions that revolutionised champagne making and were widely adopted by producers, becoming the basis of modern champagne production.

Madame Clicquot made her name into a brand of excellence and had it shine the world over. Her formidable contributions earned her the nickname of "la grande dame of Champagne".

Madame Clicquot Portrait by Cece Philips

"Only one quality,
the finest."

Champagne is a wine of legend. The entire history of the Veuve Clicquot House is marked by mythical wines, all of which respect the demand for quality that was the force that drove Madame Clicquot. True to this heritage, the House is proud of its motto: "Only one quality, the finest."

A short lineage of just 11 Cellar Masters has led this quest for quality, thereby ensuring the continuity of the Veuve Clicquot style: strength and complexity. Veuve Clicquot priors itself on excellence and quality. Only the juice from the cuvée (the first and most noble pressing) is used.

The Maison

Foundation of the Clicquot House

Philippe Clicquot, from a family of bankers and textile merchants, already owns vinyards and decides to establish a wine business. From the very beginning, the House states its ambition of "crossing borders".

Madame Clicquot takes over the business

When François Clicquot, the founder's son, dies, his widow is 27. It takes her only a few weeks to come to a decision. She thus becomes one of the first businesswomen of modern times.

Creation of the first vintage champagne

Madame Clicquot proves her innovative prowess by creating the first recorded vintage champagne in the region.

Comet Vintage

The year 1811 brings an exceptional harvest, whose quality is attributed to a comet that flew over the area, and enabled the production of a remarkable wine: the Comet Vintage.

Shipping of 10,550 bottles to Russia

Madame Clicquot ships 10,550 bottles of 1811 Veuve Clicquot champagne to Saint Petersburg to be the first on the scene when the Russian blockade on French goods is lifted. Her champagne receives a triumphant welcome in Russia, and will be praised soon by Pushkin, Chekhov and Gogol.

Invention of the riddling table

Madame Clicquot invents the first riddling table, which guarantees a crystal-clear wine. This process continues to be used today. Madame Clicquot becomes known to her peers as “la grande dame of Champagne".

Creation of the first "Rosé d'assemblage"

Breaking away from the tradition of adding an elderberry-based preparation to create rosé champagne. Madame Clicquot creates the first "rosé d'assemblage" by blending some of her Bouzy red wines with her champagne.

Registration of the first Yellow Label Trademark

The House continues to innovate by dressing its bottles in a yellow label, an unusual colour for the time. The ‘V.Clicquot P. Werlé’ Yellow Label trademark is registered on 12 February 1877. Customers demand this distinctive, original label, which was to become one of the main distinguishing features of bottles produced by the House.

Acquisition of the Crayères

Veuve Clicquot implements new techniques and improves its wines yet again with the important oenological discoveries of the times. It extends its industrial heritage, setting up home on the outskirts of Reims in 482 crayères (chalk cellars), former quarries, where the production site and the visitors'centre are now located.

Creation of La Grande Dame and Business Woman Award

To mark its 200th anniversary, the House launches its prestigious vintage cuvee La Grande Dame and creates the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award (renamed BOLD by Veuve Clicquot), a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of Madame Clicquot.

Veuve Clicquot joins Louis Vuitton

LVMH (Moët-Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) is founded the following year.

Launch of Veuve Clicquot Rosé

Launched in Japan during the cherry blossom season, Veuve Clicquot Rosé, the House’s non-vintage Rosé, is so successful that the rest of the world has to wait until 2006 before the House can supply the remainder of the cuvée.

A Veuve Clicquot hidden treasure discovered in the Baltic Sea

In July 2010, some truly unique bottles of champagne, comprising 47 of Veuve Clicquot, were discovered in a shipwreck off Finland’s Åland Islands, at the mouth of the Baltic. Despite having spent almost two centuries at the bottom of the sea, their contents are extremely well preserved.

The Crayères are listed by UNESCO World Heritage

On 5 July, 2015, the World Heritage Committee announced its decision to list the Saint Nicaise Hill in Reims and its crayères, comprising those of Veuve Clicquot, as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Solaire Culture by Veuve Clicquot - The 250th anniversary exhibition

On occasion of its 250th anniversary the House presents its first ever global travelling exhibition, offering a complete immersion in Veuve Clicquot’s legacy – a journey exploring the House’s heritage, savoir-faire and cultural imprint, from 1772 to the present day.