VEUVE CLICQUOT

The intriguing Veuve Clicquot, with their almost unrivalled cachet and unmistakable branding, are the epitome of elegance and daring. With over two centuries of champagne expertise under their belt, Veuve have forged themselves an enviable reputation, built around the mystique of the formidable Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, a visionary and a woman of exacting standards, who at the age of 27 began to drive the business to giddying heights and is largely responsible for the huge profile the brand enjoys today.

She became known as La Grande Dame of Champagne and was said to strive for one quality level – the finest. In a game-changing move in the early nineteenth century the Widow Clicquot, with the aid of cellar master Antoine-Aloys de Müller, developed the riddling process. They rotated the bottles daily for six to eight weeks and removing the sediment that formerly clouded the wine, rendering the crucial process of dégorgement more efficient and economic.

Ever the innovative house, Veuve Clicquot were the first to make a rosé champagne. Their massive scale, producing around 18 million bottles, sees them masters of consistency. The Veuve Clicquot vine-yards cover 393 hectares, spread over 12 of Champagne’s 17 Grands crus and 18 of the 44 Premium crus. The whole range, right through to their exquisite prestige cuvée, is quite simply superb.