Madame Clicquot would turn down orders if the champagne didn’t meet her standards, because she understood that if you cheated or deceived customers in any way, you’d lose them. She developed such strong, confident connections with her customers that, even if they sometimes ordered 100 bottles and only received 50, they were happy to wait a year to get the other 50. Even during times of crisis and great commercial challenges, Madame Clicquot always refused.

That also meant that prices were never, ever cut. The marketing masterstroke and subsequent growth bought such acclaim that Madame Cliquot was “La Grande Dame of Champagne” while her personal motto – and that of the company – became “only one quality: the finest.”įrom bottles to corks and, of course, grapes, she insisted that everything was of the highest quality. The ground-breaking business woman would refuse orders if she felt the champagne wasn't up to standard. It reached Russian aristocrats and the royal family, proving such a tremendous success that in time the Russian name for Clicquot became a general term for champagne.Īlexander I of Russia declared that the 1811 vintage was the “only thing he would drink,” while folklore even had it that “sabering” – opening a bottle of champagne by removing the neck with a sword – started with Russian army officers. Petersburg and ensured that it was in place at the border for delivery. She did so with a brilliant commercial and marketing move, namely by ensuring that hers was the first champagne to enter the lucrative Russian market once the blockade had lifted.Īmid great secrecy, she prepared a massive shipment to St. It was only after the end of Napoleon and the French Empire that she was truly able to move the business forward. With ports closed, trade routes were devastated and her markets disappeared. Unfortunately for Madame Clicquot, the majority of champagne clients were international. The timing could not have been worse as her husband’s death came days before the Battle of Trafalgar, a decisive naval battle that led to both France and Britain putting embargoes and blockades on trade. Madame Clicquot therefore had to prove that not only that she could take on the business, but that he should invest to help her do so. Her father-in-law, Veuve Clicquot founder Philippe Clicquot was devastated at his son’s passing and set about selling the company. Women weren’t even allowed to hold bank accounts, let alone make personal decisions about money. They were under the responsibility of their father until they were married, when they then became the responsibility of their husband. This was a period when women were legally considered as minors. The idea of a woman of her status working would have been completely unthinkable, so her decision to take over her husband’s business was a stunning move. Veuve ClicquotĪs a wealthy, aristocratic French widow, she would have been expected to devote her life to raising her child. Madame Clicquot came up with a revolutionary technique for producing rosé champagne. She was just 27 years old at the time, mother to a six-year-old daughter. In October 1805, Madame Clicquot’s husband died of fever at the age of 30. This alone would prove be an impressive legacy, but it almost pales into comparison with her other achievements, most of which were marked by a desire to go against every norm, and certainly against what early 19th century French society expected of women. Up until then white wine had been colored with berries to give it its unique pink hues. The French champagne house takes its name (which translates as “Widow Clicquot”) from an extraordinary, pioneering lady who overcame unimaginable hurdles to transform Veuve Clicquot into one of the world’s most sought-after fine wines.Ģ018 marks 200 years since Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot invented a revolutionary technique for producing rosé champagne – blending red grapes and white grapes together. Veuve Clicquot’s famous yellow label may be immediately recognizable around the world, but the remarkable woman behind the brand? Less so.

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