The story of the Widow or Veuve Clicquot (‘veuve’ means widow in French) is intriguing. Many years ago, I read the little tag about her that was attached to a bottle of Veuve Clicquot that I had bought for a celebration. I wanted to know more and have been captivated by her (and other champagne stories) ever since. I was very happy to discover the book The Widow Clicquot at my local bookstore, and became a huge fan – not just of the wine, but also of this amazing woman.
The Widow Clicquot was a visionary who took a small business and built a champagne empire. She was a legend in her tumultuous times, and she showed the world how to live with style.
Years ago, after reading the story, I tried to get the film rights to The Widow Clicquot. Having recovered from the disappointment, today I am beyond excited for the release of the movie Widow Clicquot, which is happening this week in the US.
Ever the innovator, Madame Clicquot perfected new techniques of production and was instrumental in creating the quality of champagne that we drink today. She is the original Great Dame of Champagne, and today the prestige vintage label of the house is titled Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame.
At 27, Madame Clicquot became not only one of the first women of Champagne, but also one of the first businesswomen of France. It’s important to acknowledge that this was at a time when women were not even allowed to open their own bank account!
The book that I discovered at my local bookshop all those years ago was simply titled The Widow Clicquot, written by Tilar Mazzeo, a US wine writer and cultural historian. At the time it was difficult to find much information on the Veuve Clicquot and Mazzeo’s book was a godsend, full of meticulously researched information. I read it from cover to cover and then read it again. At the same time, I was pursuing my interest in film production by studying a short course on film producing and starting work on some film projects, which included being an extra in a short film. Inspired by the Veuve Clicquot story, my entrepreneurial spirit was ignited, and I made enquiries to option the film rights to this story. Unfortunately, someone had beaten me to it, but I am still grateful for the experience. It can take years to bring a film to fruition and I am ever so excited to see that it has now become reality.
Widow Clicquot is a 2023 internationally co-produced drama, directed by Thomas Napper, from a screenplay by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger based on the book The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J. Mazzeo. It stars Haley Bennett as the Widow Clicquot, Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley, Anson Boom, Leo Suter, Ben Miles, and Natasha O’Keeffe. Filming took place in Chablis and in the town of Reims in the Champagne region.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2023, and in November 2023, it was announced that Vertical Entertainment had acquired the distribution rights. Initially, when the release date was announced, it said ‘Limited release’, but I notice it is now listed as ‘Wide release’, which means that it is screening across many locations in the US rather than just a few.
The early reviews are looking positive. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 11 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating ‘Generally favorable’ reviews.
I love champagne stories – especially this one – and I know I’ll love the movie regardless of reviews!
The only disappointment at this stage is that there doesn’t seem to be an Australian release date as yet! I’ll keep an eye out, and maybe we can organise a few The Bubbles Review bubbly screenings for our followers to join us!
Like to keep following us, get first look at events, receive bubbly information and be in our giveaway draws and have a chance to win a bubbly prize? You can join our list, it’s FREE to join here.
Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
When it comes to reading, I am a bit of a Francophile, especially when it comes to champagne and champagne stories. I love snuggling up with a good book when I can find the time, and during summer in Australia, I like to take some extra days off and have some lazy days in the sun while I immerse myself in a novel. And what better novels to do that with than the ones that are stories about my favourite things!
I’ve recently finished reading Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg. I am familiar with Madame Pommery’s story having done quite a bit of research on her for our blog Celebrating Madame Pommery, and when creating our Champagne 101 Masterclass, I had the pleasure of interviewing the Australian-based ambassador for Champagne Pommery, which is one of the highlights of this Masterclass in our Bubbly Appreciation Course.
As familiar as I am with her story, any interesting historical research relies on our imagination to fill in the details of what the times must have been like. Her contribution in creating the first brut style champagne is epic enough. Add to that becoming a widow with two children, surviving the Champagne region as a war zone, taking a small fledgling champagne business and creating an empire. Rebecca Rosenberg weaves these historical facts into a beautiful romance novel. If you want to drift off into the imaginary world of Champagne, I highly recommend adding this to your summer reading list!
Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne (Champagne Widows Novels)
1860, Reims, France. Grief hangs heavy, threatening to drown Alexandrine Pommery’s future. Widowed and burdened, she could easily succumb. But a spark ignites within her and she dares to dream of a champagne unlike any other – a dry, crisp masterpiece instead of the traditional sugary sweet champagne. Scoffs meet her vision – ‘Who would drink such a thing?’. But Alexandrine’s spirit is unyielding. In the vineyards, she coaxes grapes to their peak. In the cellars, she experiments. Each trial, each misstep, fuels the fire of her creation – Pommery Brut, a champagne as dry as her resolve, yet bubbling with rebellion.
The Franco-Prussian War shatters the peace in 1870. Son and crew march off, leaving Alexandrine to train women her revolutionary methods. But the Prussian invasion steals all hope, as the army pillages her cellars of precious Brut. Alexandrine refuses to be a victim. She excavates secret caves under the city dump, and hides her champagne from the enemy. Her cellars become a refuge, not just for bottles, but for the French resistance.
To make matters more complicated, two men offer her their love. One, too young, improper, perhaps even scandalous. The other, a Scottish Baron, promises a castle and title, and a life beyond the relentless toil of champagne. Now torn between two men, Alexandrine must find the courage to forge her own path of legacy or love.
Uncork the secrets and taste the audacity of a widow’s dream, and the unwavering spirit of Madame Pommery.
I’ve just discovered that there is another novel in Rebecca Rosenberg’s ‘Champagne Widows’ series. Another of the great women of Champagne and the original ‘Veuve’. Clicquot precedes Madame Pommery and is known not only as the first woman of Champagne, but also the first businesswoman of France. I loved discovering all about her when I researched our blog Cheers to the Widow Clicquot!
I’ve just ordered a copy of this earlier novel by Rosenberg, and I am looking forward to creating some reading time to uncover where her imagination takes us when telling the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot’s extraordinary life.
Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot by Rebecca Rosenberg
Reims, France, 1800s. Young widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot possesses an extraordinary gift: Le Nez, an exquisite sense of smell required to craft the world’s finest champagne. Despite crippling grief and laws against women owning businesses, she negotiates a way to take over her late husband’s struggling winery.
Napoleon’s Code shackles her with business restrictions, his wars strangle the economy, and competitors block her every step. Yet, Barbe-Nicole rises like a defiant bubble, confronting prejudice and even clashing with the Emperor himself.
Then, amidst the chaos, love throws a tempting yet perilous curveball: a passionate connection with her sales manager. But marrying him means forfeiting the winery, forcing her to choose between love and her life’s calling.
Will Barbe-Nicole defy the odds and become the first female champagne mogul, or will her dream be crushed by Napoleon himself?
The captivating story of Veuve Clicquot, a woman who dared to rise above treacherous times, personal loss, and an emperor, leaving an indelible mark on the world of champagne.
The Champagne War is one that I discovered through one of my friends on Facebook. Fiona McIntosh is an international multi-best-selling Australian author, and together with her husband Ian, is also well known throughout the tourism industry as publishers of a successful travel trade magazine. It was from one of Ian’s Facebook posts that I learned that Fiona was in the process of writing this book, adding another to her series of successful novels. The story is about a journey of determination to honour the family business and the traditions of Champagne. There is angst and heartbreak, with a bit of glitz in Paris, but the story is mostly set amongst the vineyards of Champagne.
The Champagne War by Fiona McIntosh
In the summer of 1914, vigneron Jerome Méa heads off to war, certain he’ll be home by Christmas. His new bride Sophie, a fifth generation champenoise, is determined to ensure the forthcoming vintages will be testament to their love and the power of the people of Épernay, especially its strong women. But as the years drag on, authorities advise that Jerome is missing, considered dead.
When poison gas is first used in Belgium by the Germans, British chemist Charles Nash jumps to enlist. After he is injured, he is brought to Reims, where Sophie has helped to set up an underground hospital to care for the wounded. In the dark, ancient champagne cellars, their stirring emotions take them both by surprise.
While Sophie battles to keep her vineyard going through the bombings, a critical sugar shortage forces her to strike a dangerous bargain with an untrustworthy acquaintance – but nothing will test her courage more than the news that filters through to her about the fate of her heroic Jerome.
‘A fresh, fabulous tale, meticulously researched, and perfectly executed.’ Better Reading
A Letter from Paris … is a memoir written by my friend Louisa Deasey who, when we first met, was already a best-selling author and just beginning the process of writing this, her second book. It’s not a champagne story as such, but there are mentions of drinking champagne with artists and other writers. It’s an extraordinary story of how she received a letter one day that led to her discovering the life that her father had lived during his time in France after the Second World War. It’s compelling reading.
A Letter from Paris: a true story of hidden art, lost romance, and family reclaimed
by Louisa Deasey
When Louisa Deasey receives a message from a French woman called Coralie, who has found a cachet of letters in an attic, written by Louisa’s father, neither woman can imagine the events it will set in motion.
The letters, dated 1949, detail a passionate affair between Louisa’s father, Denison, and Coralie’s grandmother, Michelle, in post-war London. They spark Louisa to find out more about her father, who died when she was six. From the seemingly simple question ‘Who was Denison Deasey?’ follows a trail of discovery that leads Louisa to the libraries of Melbourne and the streets of London, to the cafes and restaurants of Paris and a poet’s villa in the south of France. From her father’s secret service in World War II to his relationships with some of the most famous bohemian artists in post-war Europe, Louisa unearths a portrait of a fascinating man, both at the epicenter and the mercy of the social and political currents of his time.
A Letter from Paris … is about the stories we tell ourselves, and the secrets the past can uncover. A compelling tale of inheritance and creativity, loss and reunion, it shows the power of the written word to cross the bridges of time.
The Paris Model is one of the books that got me through our COVID lockdowns. It was such a delight to read, immersing myself in these stories of Paris at a time when we couldn’t physically travel there. I loved the contrast of moving from the Australian outback to post-war Paris. I hope you love it as much as I did!
The Paris Model by Alexandra Joel
‘Captivating and evocative’ Tania Blanchard, author of The Girl from Munich
After a shocking discovery, Grace Woods leaves her vast Australian sheep station and travels to tumultuous post-war Paris to find her true identity.
While working as a mannequin for Christian Dior, the world’s newly acclaimed emperor of fashion, Grace mixes with counts and princesses, authors and artists, diplomats, and politicians. But when Grace falls for handsome Philippe Boyer she doesn’t know that he is leading a double life, nor that his past might inflict devastating consequences upon her. As she is drawn into Philippe’s dangerous world of international espionage, Grace discovers both the shattering truth of her origins – and that her life is in peril.
Inspired by an astonishing true story, The Paris Model is a tale of glamour, family secrets and heartbreak that takes you from the rolling plains of country Australia to the elegant salons of Paris.
‘A wonderful, immersive historical novel’ New Idea
‘A charming tale rich with family and fashion’ Belinda Alexandra
‘The cracking plot and the general glamourcarry the reader along’ TheSydney Morning Herald
‘This gorgeous historical is the perfect summer escape. Post-World War 2 Paris literally drips from the page. Grace is a wonderful protagonist and surrounded by well-drawn and often fabulous characters, and Joel’s prose is rich and descriptive. Highly enjoyable.’ Better Reading
This book by Tilar Mazzeo, a US wine writer and cultural historian, is the book that I first read on Veuve Clicquot. At the time it was difficult to find much information on her and I read this book cover to cover and then read it again! I credit Tilar in our blog on Cheers to the Widow Clicquot! It is narrative non-fiction storytelling that has been well researched and creates amazing insight into the life of the Widow Clicquot.
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
Veuve Clicquot champagne epitomises glamour, style, and luxury. In The Widow Clicquot …, Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life – for the first time – the fascinating woman behind the iconic yellow label. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who, after her husband’s death, defied convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together. Steering the company through dizzying political and financial reversals, she became one of the world’s first great businesswomen and one of the richest women of her time.
As much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered woman, The Widow Clicquot … is the captivating true story of a legend and a visionary.
You can probably find these titles at your local bookstore. To make it easier for you to purchase, we’ve provided Amazon links to all these book titles. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, however this doesn’t affect your pricing.
I’d love to hear what you think of any of these books, and perhaps you have some bubbly story recommendations of your own that you would love to share with us?
Like to keep following us, get first look at events, receive bubbly information and be in our giveaway draws and have a chance to win a bubbly prize? You can join our list, it’s FREE to join here.
Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
To celebrate International Women’s Day this week, we are so excited to share this series of interviews with the Sparkling Women of Influence!
I’m the Founder of The Bubbles Review and Creator of The Bubbles Festivals. I’m a serial entrepreneur from Melbourne, Australia. My career starting in banking, but after taking some time out for travel, I realised that it was a better industry for me. Travel is a big part of my life and my career. I’ve travelled a lot and lived in different countries around the world. After learning the ropes as a tour manager in Europe, I returned to Australia at age 28, and established my first business — an inbound travel company bringing visitors from around the world to see Australia. It didn’t occur to me at the time, this was long before the ‘start-up’ trend but it was unusual for women, especially at my young age to be starting a business.
Since then, I have founded multiple businesses, with both 6 and 7 figure success stories and I have had my share of triumphs and so called ‘failures’. After closing my travel company during the GFC, I established a successful consulting, mentoring and speaking business. I like to operate from my core values, one of which is ‘fun’, which we can forget to make a priority in business. I love being able to share this knowledge with others, to help them to take their business and daily life from surviving to thriving.
I have had a love of bubbles for all my adult life. For my 18th birthday I had a champagne luncheon, and not long after that I did the tour of the historic ‘drives’ in the Great Western region in Victoria – arguably the birthplace of Australian sparkling wine, and that created an interest and love of the understanding of the methods used to create this bubbly drink.
Since then, my love of bubbles and travel has taken me to many sparkling wine regions including Champagne (several times!), and I have had the joy of meeting and interviewing many champagne and sparkling winemakers. I love everything about drinking it, as well as the stories, the romance, the glamour of bubbles, and I particularly love meeting the people.
It was around seven years ago, that I had the idea to turn my love of champagne and sparkling wine into a business and I created The Bubbles Review, which allows me the great joy of sharing stories through our blog and incorporating my 30 years of travel industry experience to run events and tours. Creating a business that means you get paid to drink champagne is awesome, and we have been listed in the top champagne blogs in different countries around the world, which is also pretty amazing! We’ve amassed a very engaged following of more than 12,000, and we receive such wonderful feedback on the sparkling wine discoveries and information that we share in our blogs, giveaways, emails to our subscriber lists and at our events.
In the last few years, I’ve ventured into writing and publishing and achieved International Best-Seller status in a series of co-author books. As an author and entrepreneur, I’m often interviewed in the media and recently I was featured in a US publication in an article on Wisdom from the Women Leading the Wine & Spirits Industries.
With almost 30 years as a serial entrepreneur, I do have examples of being treated differently as a woman in business, and have heard similar stories from the women I’ve interviewed. When women do well, so does everyone else. Businesses thrive, and families and relationships are mutually supportive. Today we are very fortunate to have had strong women come before us, but there is still more that can be done.
In this interview series for International Women’s Day, we discover the women working as communicators in sparkling wine and ask “Is it different for women in the industry?”.
In Champagne, we know of historical names of great women of Champagne, and I’ve written articles about the widows (veuves) Clicquot, Pommery and Bollinger, but little is known about the women in Champagne and sparkling wine today. Around 70% of champagne is purchased by women, but women are still under-represented on the industry side with less than 20% of winemakers who are women. It is changing, and I am excited to share these stories of these remarkable women from around the globe who each in their own way are influencing the world of sparkling.
Essi Avellan MW
Essi Avellan MW, Champagne Specialist
We’re so excited to include you in this interview series. Tell us a bit about you, where are you located and what your role is as someone who has influence in the Sparkling Wine industry?
I am a champagne specialist and bubbles aficionado residing in Finland but working internationally, and of course spending as much time as possible in Champagne.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, is your main work in the wine industry or is what you do for sparkling wine a passion project? What was the impetus to start doing what you do and do you have a favourite way (online platforms) to connect with your audience?
I write for Club Oenologique magazine and The World of Fine Wine in the UK and have written several books about Champagne and sparkling wines. Right now, I am working on a grower champagne report for the Club Oenologique magazine. Champagne education is a passion of mine. Furthermore, I organise a great, 3-day champagne event – Grand Champagne Helsinki – every year.
Can you remember when you first sipped ‘bubbles’ or when your passion for sparkling wine started?
When I started to study for the Master of Wine in 2004, I felt a need to specialise to eventually get to know one region intimately. For me the choice was easy – Champagne – as I had long been an admirer of the finesse and energy of its wines. I also thought that the region not well-known at all, its wine was misunderstood and totally underrated as a gastronomic companion. A lot for me to do!
Considering International Women’s Day. Do you think it is different for women working in the wine communicator/influencer industry? Can you share some thoughts on this?
Regrettably, the world is not equal, but we have come a long way in the last decades, at least in the Western world. Lots of glass ceilings have been smashed and women have more and more opportunities. I am loving the development, especially in Champagne, where we have started to have lots of female enologists, even cellar masters – a job traditionally reserved for men.
Is there someone in the sparkling wine industry who inspires you? Can you share a bit about how or why?
I gain so much inspiration from discussing and tasting with the world’s best sparkling winemakers. For the last two weeks I have been touring Champagne growers and getting to known so a many different philosophies as well as taste profiles. Its versatility is such a richness, and what is exciting is that the sparkling wine world is ever-expanding.
Do you only share information about champagne or do you feature other sparkling wines? How do you think that ‘New World Sparklings’ compare to ‘Old world’ European sparklings including champagne?
Great sparkling wines are already made at different terroirs around the world. Very often it has been the Champenois who have ventured to the New World and shown how it is done – and the culture of sparkling wine has spread all over. There are fine sparkling wines made in many cool or moderate climates of the New World. South of England is an exciting, relatively new terrain for sparkling wine. Italy is the most dynamic sparkling wine country right now, and the climate, especially in the mountain vineyards of Trentino, is superbly favourable. The development in Eastern Europe, like Hungary and Romania, is rapid and the results are most encouraging.
I believe that champagne and sparkling wine is one of the joys of life and something to be shared. Can you share a fun story or one of your most joyous moments that happened in the bubbly work that you do?
I loved doing a scientific experiment in the countryside of England, where I and two other Masters of Wine rose to different heights with a hot air balloon to experiment how altitude affects the taste sensation of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. It felt like more fun than work , but we were able to come to the conclusion that champagne tastes best at ground level!
If you were to describe how you feel about what it means to you to be sharing your love of sparkling wine in three words, what would they be?
Founder and Jewellery Designer, Champagne Every Day
We’re so excited to include you in this interview series. Tell us a bit about you, where are you located and what your role is as someone who has influence in the Sparkling Wine industry?
Having worked in the wine industry for 13 years, I am a self-confessed champagne nerd. I am passionate about bringing more interesting cuvées to wine lovers and collectors of the Asia Pacific region through my export consultancy, and I enjoy sharing everything champagne through my jewellery designs, blog and contributions to various online publications including Richard Juhlin’s champagneclub.com and glassofbubbly.com.
I’m flattered to be included here on The Bubbles Review.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, is your main work in the wine industry or is what you do for sparkling wine a passion project? What was the impetus to start doing what you do and do you have a favourite way (online platforms) to connect with your audience?
My career in wine started in 2009, when I worked with the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce on the organisation of the Concours des Vins du Victoria, a wine show where Victorian wine meets the French palate, with over 600 wines judged and tasted by a group of French-Australian critics.
I then went on to work for the second largest producer in Champagne – Vranken-Pommery Monopole. Since 2020, I have been consulting to independent wineries looking to expand their presence in the Asia Pacific region. I also share my musings on champagne through my blog and Instagram.
Can you remember when you first sipped ‘bubbles’ or when your passion for sparkling wine
started?
I come from a family of restaurateurs and hoteliers who have an appreciation for fine food and wine, and having grown up in France, champagne was a regular on our festive tables. However, it was only when I returned to Melbourne in 2009 that I was veritably seduced by champagne. At the time, I was working at the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce, and my job was to strengthen trade between France and Australia. I was conducting a trade mission with a smaller champagne house from the Marne Valley, and was expecting a very formal and ostentatious winemaker, which was the image I had of the industry at the time. The third and fourth generation owners couldn’t have been more affable, authentic, and charming, contrasting the less-than-hospitable welcome we received from some of the tough players of the market. We managed to secure two distribution agreements, which made a significant difference to their bottom line, and helped them have their organic conversion certified. From that moment on, I knew I would always have a soft spot for champagne, and decided to commit my career to the world’s most revered wine.
Considering International Women’s Day. Do you think it is different for women working in the wine communicator/influencer industry? Can you share some thoughts on this?
I think there is severe under-representation across the entire industry!
In 2020, only 27% of wineries in France are run by women. This certainly has increased since my birth year (the horrible vintage of 1987) when there were less than 14%, but it highlights the fact that it’s an industry that with not achieve parity any time soon.
As a woman working in the champagne business for the last 14 years, I have seen my fair share of sexism. Men offering to buy my wine in exchange for sexual favours, men with less experience being promoted before me, or male buyers telling me that my female palate was irrelevant (even though women are twice as likely to be super-tasters than men. FACT.)
Unfortunately, this is the same issue in every industry – unconscious and conscious bias is pervasive. And if young women don’t see people who look like them in all ranks of the industry, they can’t imagine themselves in those roles. This is particularly true in for communicators, who become the face of the industry.
Therefore, it is our role, as “influencers” or “communicators” to create the new face of the wine industry.
One in which women are present and represented in equal proportion. One in which young women can see themselves building career.
One in which female students can recognise a true career path that will enable them to reach new heights.
For too long, and for generation after generation, we have seen men take over, leaving little room for women to make their mark on the industry. And although I have the occasional bout of imposter syndrome, this is something that drives me to put myself and my ideas out there, and help other women to do so as well.
For centuries, champagne has been known as the Wine of Kings, and King of Wines. With 70% of champagne is bought by women, I think it now needs to be baptised The Queen of Wines and Wine of Queens!
Is there someone in the sparkling wine industry who inspires you? Can you share a bit about how or why?
I have always been inspired by the story of Madame Pommery, who took up the reins of their newly purchased wine business after the untimely death of her husband in 1858, just months after the birth of their daughter. Not only did she create the first commercialised brut champagne and build up the business to over one million bottles per annum, but she was also the first person in France to create retirement and health funds and a workplace creche for her employees. She founded an orphanage and became a war hero when she scared off Prussian soldiers with a revolver hidden under her crinoline, and saved French doctors on death row during the Franco-Prussian war.
Do you only share information about champagne or do you feature other sparkling wines? How do you think that ‘New World Sparklings’ compare to ‘Old world’ European sparklings including champagne?
Although I do love the occasional English sparkling, and have a soft spot for Ed Carr’s late disgorged vintage Arras, my specialty is champagne, and why I named my website Champagne Everyday! And as they say: Il n’est champagne, que de Champagne – champagne only comes from Champagne.
I do, however, work with wineries from all regions of France and Australia through my export development business CED Agency.
I believe that champagne and sparkling wine is one of the joys of life and something to be shared. Can you share a fun story or one of your most joyous moments that happened in the bubbly work that you do?
When I started working in champagne, I fell head over heels in love with the wine. I wanted a way to share my love for the wine, so I started making sterling silver corks to be worn as necklaces, earrings, and charms. Fast forward four years, and I have expanded the range to create small quantities of handmade jewellery including a collection of 18ct vermeil muselets.
During my visit to Champagne in September last year, I was lucky enough to have private tours of some of the iconic houses. Whilst in the reception area of Billecart-Salmon, I met a wonderful American champagne educator who exclaimed “We are wearing the same necklace!” It just so
happened that she was the first person to buy one of my rose gold muselets! It made me feel like we were part of this secret champagne lovers club and spurred me on to create more exceptional pieces. I am now expanding the collection to include matching sets as well as limited edition pieces with gemstones.
If you were to describe how you feel about what it means to you to be sharing your love of sparkling wine in three words, what would they be?
Joyfulness, conviviality, and the eternal thirst for knowledge
We’re so excited to include you in this interview series. Tell us a bit about you, where are you located and what your role is as someone who has influence in the Sparkling Wine industry?
I am Canadian and have been living in Paris for over 30 years. I founded Delectabulles five years ago. “Delect” means to savor, and “bulles” means bubbles. It started as a champagne networking club for expat women living in Paris. At the beginning I only hosted champagne workshops specifically geared towards women. The goal was to give women the tools and confidence to understand what style of champagne they preferred and why, for them to experience pairing different kinds of food with different styles of champagne, try the same champagne in different styles of glasses to see how the shape affects the bubbles and aromas, to give them tips about how and where to shop for champagne, and all that while getting to know other like-minded women living in the City of Light.
Delectabulles has since expanded. Non-members from around the world can attend the champagne workshops (but men need to be accompanied by a woman). Once a month I also partner with a female entrepreneur and we co-host a bubbly event to showcase her business (e.g. artist who paints champagne, chef, writer, inventor of shoes with interchangeable heels, makeup artist, etc.). I also host fun workshops about other sparkling wines (e.g. Boules et Bulles – guests learn how to play pétanque and about fizz). I also organise and lead bespoke tours to Champagne to learn even more about le champagne (the wine) and la Champagne (the region). The excursions now occupy most of my time. I also occasionally judge champagne at international wine competitions.
What makes me different from other champagne educators or guides is that I only use champagnes made by women during my workshops in Paris, and I only take guests to visit champagne houses where women play an important role. It is my small way of supporting women in the male-dominated wine industry. I am also currently researching the role of women in the history of Champagne for a book project. I think I will call the book ‘Bubbly Badasses’.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, is your main work in the wine industry or is what you do for sparkling wine a passion project? What was the impetus to start doing what you do and do you have a favourite way (online platforms) to connect with your audience?
I obtained a BA in Fine Arts (Photography) in Canada, then came to France to do a Masters in Art History at the Sorbonne. My love of wine and cheese kept me in France. After 20 years working at the Canadian Embassy in France and the OECD, I hung up my international civil servant hat and pursued my passion. I studied wine at L’Académie du Vin and L’École du Vin, and am certified Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 3 with Merit.
At wine school I realised two things: 1) the more you learn about wine, the more you realise there is to learn about wine because it touches on everything – history, geography, chemistry, agriculture, etc. That is why I decided to specialise in champagne – the king of wines and the wines of kings! 2) I also realised that the wine industry in France was male dominated. That is why I decided to only use champagnes made by women, and to teach women about it. They buy 70% of champagne, so it is important for them to understand the different styles, champagne, and food pairings, and how to get the best bang for their buck.
My favorite way of connecting with champagne-lovers is definitely in person, especially during harvest. I love bringing guests to witness the beehive in the vineyards, tasting the juice fresh off the press, and introducing them to the women behind the bottles.
Can you remember when you first sipped ‘bubbles’ or when your passion for sparkling wine started?
I vaguely remember splurging on a bottle to bring to a champagne party when I was a starving university student in Canada. That was about 35 years ago! I don’t remember what any of the bottles tasted like. I only remember the festive side of it, and feeling like a queen drinking champagne all night! It wasn’t until I left wine school six years ago that I developed a passion for champagne. That is when I really started discovering just how complex its production was compared to other wines. A still wine made from just one grape variety from just one year seemed boring compared to a champagne, which can be a blend of eight different grape varieties, single or multiple plots, single or multiple villages, vintage or multi-vintage, stainless steel or oak winemaking vessels, etc. The diversity of styles of champagnes fascinates me!
Considering International Women’s Day. Do you think it is different for women working in the wine communicator/influencer industry? Can you share some thoughts on this?
This might be a generalisation, but when I look at Instagram accounts, I find that accounts managed by men tend to be a series of photos of bottles. The more expensive the bottle the better. Captions usually include lots of very detailed technical notes. It feels like they are showing off and saying: “Look how big mine is!”. When I look at accounts managed by women, I see mostly selfies of young women all glammed up, often revealing lots of cleavage, holding a bottle. Captions hardly say anything. I call that: “Bottles and Boobs”. And it drives me NUTS! It goes against everything I am trying to do with Delectabulles. I joke that I try to empower women one bottle of champagne at a time.
Is there someone in the sparkling wine industry who inspires you? Can you share a bit about how or why?
It isn’t one person in particular. It is an association of nine women in Champagne called “La Transmission, Femmes en Champagne”. They are from different sub-regions in Champagne, different ages, and play different roles is their champagne houses. They formed this association to support each other and transmit their knowledge. You can find out more information about them here.
Do you only share information about champagne or do you feature other sparkling wines? How do you think that ‘New World Sparklings’ compare to ‘Old world’ European sparklings including champagne?
I host workshops about other styles of sparkling wines. In April, for example, I will be co-hosting one with a fellow Canadian wine professional. She will be bringing over some sparkling wines from Nova Scotia and British Columbia, made using the traditional method, and by women of course. We will explore the differences between these wines and Pet Nat, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Cava, Sekt, Crémant and Champagne – so different styles from both sides of the pond. One is not better than the other. They are different, and understanding the differences is the fun part.
I believe that champagne and sparkling wine is one of the joys of life and something to be shared. Can you share a fun story or one of your most joyous moments that happened in the bubbly work that you do?
Champagne has the magic power of transforming an ordinary moment into an extraordinary moment. My Instagram account is chock-a-block full of stories of precious champagne moments that I have created and shared with fellow champagne-lovers. Perhaps one of the moments I am most proud of was taking a deaf person to Champagne for the day and witnessing his joy learning about the wine with Charlotte de Sousa, a producer who knew sign-language. That said, champagne doesn’t always have to be shared. I have been known to pop a cork when I finally get around to vacuuming my apartment. Definitely a cause for celebration!
If you were to describe how you feel about what it means to you to be sharing your love of sparkling wine in three words, what would they be?
Onwards and upwards, like a champagne bubble!
You can find Cynthia at the Delectabulles website here
Blaine Ashley
Blaine Ashley, Founder, New York Champagne Week
We’re so excited to include you in this interview series. Tell us a bit about you, where are you located and what your role is as someone who has influence in the Sparkling Wine industry?
I’m based in New York City and I’m the founder of both New York Champagne Week (NYCW) and The FIZZ is Female, the latter of which promotes and celebrates empowerment of women around the world in the bubbly wine business be they winemakers, boardroom execs, or sparkling wine lovin’ side hustlers.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, is your main work in the wine industry or is what you do for sparkling wine a passion project? What was the impetus to start doing what you do and do you have a favourite way (online platforms) to connect with your audience?
I’ve been in the hospitality business for 22 years, and the wine and spirits event/marketing focused business for the past 13 years having launched NYCW 10 years ago. YAY! This year, we’re celebrating our 10-year anniversary!
I’ve fully dedicated my work to this business since launching NYCW in 2013 and in 2018, I debuted The FIZZ is Female making this year our 5th anniversary. The impetus for me to launch NYCW was to market the champagne lifestyle in an accessible, approachable, affordable fashion to remove the stodginess from traditional champagne marketing and make it an everyday wine sipping beverage consideration. The goal was to make champagne FUN! and to demonstrate that champagne isn’t just for traditional celebrations – weddings, birthdays, bridal showers. Rather, every day is cause for celebration and a great day to open a bottle of champagne.
The FIZZ is Female was born out of my own trials and tribulations of launching a wine-centric business in an extremely male dominated industry. I wanted to create a forum and a safe space to encourage conversations, direction, and programming for women in wine with aspirations to have the courage and confidence level up and evolve. The FIZZ is Female is a support system and connecting tool for all women in sparkling wine around the world – not just champagne.
Can you remember when you first sipped ‘bubbles’ or when your passion for sparkling wine started?
Yes! I was 19 and was working as the head hostess at famed beachfront restaurant in O’ahu, Hawai’I – Michele’s. Michele’s is an authentic, French restaurant in my home state of Hawai’I, boasting the most stunning sunset views over the ocean and is well known for countless proposals. I always got to see champagne bottles being opened at proposals and often got to taste the champagnes that were being poured at the celebrations. My passion for the art of champagne was born and bred during my time at Michele’s. Shout out to my GM-Philip Shaw who really groomed me for the champagne lifestyle 🙂
Considering International Women’s Day. Do you think it is different for women working in the wine communicator/influencer industry? Can you share some thoughts on this?
Of course! We’re totally outnumbered. This said, I’m blown away by the progress we’ve made in the past ten years since I started NYCW. There are many more women in C-suite positions and an influx of women winemakers. When I started, family-run wineries almost always put the women in marketing positions. That was a female’s place.
This said, I can’t say how many times I’ve told someone I work in champagne, and they say “For which brand?” or I mention NYCW and they say “So what’s your role?”, or “Who’s your boss?”.
Is there someone in the sparkling wine industry who inspires you? Can you share a bit about how or why?
Women in this industry have been the most inspiring to me. Two standouts are Rita Jammet and Michelle DeFeo. Rita is a force in NYC’s food and beverage industry, having co-owned former restaurant La Caravelle in mid-town Manhattan. La Caravelle was a stomping ground for NYC aristocrats and glitterati alike, as well as a hub where several of the city’s best chefs cut their teeth, or knives in some cases. During her time at the restaurant, Rita launched La Caravelle champagne as an amenity for VIP guests and after its closure following 9.11, Rita continued with the champagne as Chief Bubble Officer (aka owner, ambassador) and today, it continues to be one of the top-poured brands at some of the best restaurants in NYC. Rita continues to expand La Caravelle’s footprint nationally having launched in California a few years ago. Being a pioneer in the private label champagne space is incredibly inspiring, as are Rita’s close relationships in the business. Everyone loves Rita and her reputation precedes her, proving that relationships are everything in the business.
Michelle is the President of Champagne Laurent-Perrier. Michelle has over two decades of experience in the wine industry and has spent over 15 years with Champagne Laurent-Perrier US. Michelle is responsible for growing the brand presence and awareness throughout the country as she leads a pre-dominantly female sales and marketing team. Michelle’s role is quite entrepreneurial, filled with calculated risks, and twists and turns. Let’s just say as an avid entrepreneur, I can relate!
I also admire Michelle’s determination to expand her knowledge and skillsets while climbing the corporate ladder. During her ascension at Laurent Perrier US, she invested in attending business school, attained the WSET Level 3 certification and is a Certified Sommelier. Michelle is an exemplary example of doing it all!
Do you only share information about champagne or do you feature other sparkling wines? How do you think that ‘New World Sparklings’ compare to ‘Old world’ European sparklings including champagne?
New York Champagne Week strictly promotes and markets champagne made in the Champagne region of France.
I do appreciate other sparkling wines however, and that’s where the Fizz is Female comes in. With this platform I get to shine a spotlight on other regions that produce stellar, premium sparkling wines. I’ve been thrilled to get to work with the Cava DO the past few years to get Cava Discovery Week off the ground and pay homage to top notch Spanish sparklings.
Franciacorta and Trentodoc continue to impress me with their méthode traditionnelle styles.
And, surprisingly, I was recently introduced to Armenian sparkling, and it totally blew me away, in particularly – Keush – the first traditional method sparkling wine crafted from only Armenian Indigenous varieties. Keush’s grapes are sourced from vineyards 1,750 metres (nearly 6,000 feet) above sea level and grown in volcanic soil. They are some of the highest vineyards in Armenia and the world. They also practice méthode traditionnelle.
Other than this, being a beach and bubbly lover, I’d love to get to know Baja sparkling a bit more – many of which, I understand, are female made. Vinos espumosos boast a wide spectrum from traditional-method wines styled after champagne to minimal-intervention natural sparklers such as pét-nat. The region has minimal appellation-based rules and is thus more flexible and creative when playing with grapes and styles.
I believe that champagne and sparkling wine is one of the joys of life and something to be shared. Can you share a fun story or one of your most joyous moments that happened in the bubbly work that you do?
I’ve been fortunate to have many memorable and joyous moments throughout my 10 years of NYCW. At the core, I believe that good food and drink is best experienced with friends and family. My 40th birthday was pretty special and absolutely joyous. I spent it at my best friend’s family beach condo in San Diego with some of my nearest and dearest.
Many brands I’ve worked with through the years sent me a magnum or special bottle to celebrate with. I was overjoyed, as I didn’t expect so many beautiful bottles to be sent my way for my milestone birthday. I was thrilled to get to enjoy them with some of my best friends and family over a beachside sunset, reggae music, build your own taco bar and an epic Flour Shop confetti cake that Rita Jammet shipped over to me from NYC. It was the PERFECT day!
If you were to describe how you feel about what it means to you to be sharing your love of sparkling wine in three words, what would they be?
Bubbly (quite literally), Happy, FUN!
Anything else you would like to add to your comments?
I hope to clink glasses with you all this year at one or ALL our 10th Anniversary festivities for New York Champagne Week!
We’re so excited to include you in this interview series. Tell us a bit about you, where are you located and what your role is as someone who has influence in the Sparkling Wine industry?
Based in Cape Town, South Africa, I grew up on a wine farm, although I don’t drink wine at all, I only drink champagne, a whisky every now and again and I love cocktails – even better if they’re champagne cocktails. Having a son who is a mixologist who crafts bespoke cocktails is definitely a perk as well.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, is your main work in the wine industry or is what you do for sparkling wine a passion project? What was the impetus to start doing what you do and do you have a favourite way (online platforms) to connect with your audience?
The Champagne Chick is my Passion Project. It came to life a few years ago purely out of my love for Champagne, initially sharing fun quotes and info on my Facebook and Instagram to a small following. Fast forward about two years, one specific champagne quote later, and the pages went viral. My aim is to share everything and anything champagne-related – from industry news, to where to get the best deals on champagne, locally as well as abroad, champagne-inspired merchandise, and everything a girl would need to live the champagne life. My favourite platform currently is Instagram. What gives me most joy is introducing people to new, unknown champagne houses and growers, and to get people to broaden their tastes to experiment with new champagnes that they would not normally try.
Can you remember when you first sipped ‘bubbles’ or when your passion for sparkling wine started?
Growing up in a wine producing country where local sparkling wine has risen to enviable heights, I have been drinking “bubbles” since my late teens/early twenties, but my very first encounter with champagne was on my 21st birthday and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Considering International Women’s Day. Do you think it is different for women working in the wine communicator/influencer industry? Can you share some thoughts on this?
Yes, I do feel that as women in this industry we are not taken quite as seriously as our male counterparts. However, today there are many, many highly successful female influencers and educators that are making great strides to carve out their place, and there are more and more people willing to listen to what they have to say.
Is there someone in the sparkling wine industry who inspires you? Can you share a bit about how or why?
The tenacity, innovation, and the sheer determination of the founding mothers of Champagne such as the widow Clicquot, Lily Bollinger and Louise Pommery to name just a few, is truly inspiring. What these women managed to achieve in the 1800 and early 1900s is nothing short of greatness.
Do you only share information about champagne or do you feature other sparkling wines? How do you think that ‘New World Sparklings’ compare to ‘Old world’ European sparklings including champagne?
I only share information about champagne. Although there are many sparkling wines produced in many countries across the globe, the intrigue and romance surrounding champagne and the history of the region is really something quite special.
I believe that champagne and sparkling wine is one of the joys of life and something to be shared. Can you share a fun story or one of your most joyous moments that happened in the bubbly work that you do?
The most joyous moments of what I do in and around champagne and the industry is undoubtedly when I get to travel to Champagne. Ideally, I try to visit the region every 18–24 months, and with the COVID lockdowns, I really had Champagne withdrawal, so the moment the borders re-opened I booked the first of a few trips to Champagne during 2022.
If you were to describe how you feel about what it means to you to be sharing your love of sparkling wine in three words, what would they be?
Passion, Inspiration, Joy.
Anything else you would like to add to your comments?
I like to not take myself too seriously and love a good champagne quote. My most favourite is actually one of my own – “You don’t eat the same meal every evening, why would you drink the same champagne every day?”
You can find The Champagne Chick on her website here.
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Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
When it comes to waking up feeling fresh after a night out, bubbles often get a bad wrap, and I see it as one of my missions in life to help people understand what the issue might really be and develop the art of indulging without the headache.
When I tell people about The Bubbles Review, mostly I get an excited response, but sometimes people tell me that “I tried champagne when I was younger and it made me sick, so I haven’t drunk it since.”
My next question is to ask when that was. If it was as a teenager, I then ask if they know what they drank? My response is usually that is more likely the quality of the fizz they were drinking, than it was champagne. And it is probably more than likely that they were not actually drinking champagne!
“Bubbles gives me a headache.” Once I again, I tend to ask a few more questions. I would suggest that it was the quality (and perhaps the quantity) of the drink, not the bubbles.
If I am handed a glass of bubbles at a function and I don’t know what it is, and at first sip I get a hint of a headache in the making, I’ll sit out and drink a glass of something else, even sparkling water. I’d rather feel good the next day than drink bad wine, and life is too short to drink bad sparkling!
I also ask what they drank after the champagne? The story then leads onto the other drinks they had. I find mixing the drinks is often the issue. If I stick to good champagne or sparkling and drink water in between, I wake up fresh the next day.
Tasting sparklings in tasting pours and having little food tastes in between is one of my favourite ways to try sparkling wine. It’s a great way to test to see the different wine styles that you like, and it is why we chose this format for one of our main events – The Bubbles Festival. Even with tasting pours though, the amount you taste can be surprising. We do indicate that to our guests before they come, and a 2-hour tasting session is the perfect amount of time to taste a responsible amount and still leave bubbly. If you then go and drink more afterwards, that’s not the result from our event!
I sat in on an interview with Clovis Taittinger from Champagne Taittinger a few years ago, and I loved one of his quotes – “Taittinger will look after you.” You’ll still wake up fresh the next day.
But let’s add a bit of scientific research into the mix.
Bubbles go straight to my head!
There have been a few scientific studies conducted at different universities around the world that indicate that with bubbles, you get a faster rate of absorption. It is thought that the carbon dioxide (bubbles) move the alcohol through your system more quickly. This can produce higher blood alcohol levels (and brain levels), if you drink sparkling wine as opposed to something non-carbonated. It’s also been mentioned that this effect may also occur with carbonate mixers in other alcoholic drinks and drinking carbonated water along with wine. I’ve then read interpretations that some scientists go on to say that it is this that makes the hangover worse and to avoid champagne. I would argue that there could still be a range of factors to consider. My personal interpretation is that if it moves the alcohol through your system more quickly, and you pace yourself accordingly, and have a gap between glasses and stay hydrated in between, then you’ll be more likely to have it out of your system earlier.
We want to keep those beautiful bubbles! Not only do they add to the mouth feel and experience of them bursting onto your palate, but they also contribute to the flavour and aroma of champagne, because they oxygenate the wine after it’s poured and this diffuses compounds in the wine with them as they rise.
And you’re consuming less alcohol than with a lot of still wines (or spirits), as most sparkling wines are lower in alcohol. Proseccos are usually around 11%, and champagne and other sparklings around 12–12.5%. Other wines are usually around 13–15%.
This article includes my interpretation of information and personal opinion. I’m not a scientist, or a medical expert, so if you are having reactions from drinking bubbles then please seek further advice. We do not suggest that anything in this article represents medical advice or a replacement for medical advice.
A small sip gives me a headache – let’s explore some possible causes.
It’s the sulfites
There is a heap of research about this, and at The Bubbles Review we try to keep things simple, rather than quoting all the scientific data. I’ll break it down to a few points that might be of interest, and if it piques your interest or concern, I suggest you investigate further.
At our Sparkling Masterclasses and The Bubbles Festivals, I often get asked about sulfites. It’s like a ‘buzz word’ that people have decided they are bad without really knowing anything about them.
Sulfites are found naturally on grapes, and sulfur is also commonly added in small amounts at the beginning of fermentation and prior to bottling. Typically, red wines have about 50–350 ppm (parts per million), and white wines have more because of the sensitivity to light, heat, and discoloration with about 250–450 ppm. The general litmus test for sulfites sensitivity is dried fruit. Dried mangos and apricots contain about 4–10 times as many sulfites as wine (1,000–3,000 ppm).
Preservative (INS 220) (popularly known as sulphur dioxide), is a food additive that is used as a food and wine preservative. Its main role is to prevent enzymatic and bacterial spoilage of food products. The use of sulphur dioxide goes back to Roman times, where they would use it to help preserve wine. It is commonly added in foods and beverages like dried fruits, pickled vegetables, sausages, fruit and vegetable juices, cider vinegar and wine.
Preservative (E 224) is a food additive that is a well-established and proven preservative used in the wine and food industries. It is a white crystalline powder that is a potassium salt of sulphurous acid. Preservative (E 224) is commonly added to wine or must (crushed grape juice – that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit) in which it forms sulfur dioxide gas (SO2). This helps prevent micro-organisms from growing, and it acts as an antioxidant, protecting the colour and delicate flavours of wine. It is also used to preserve the taste of dehydrated foods and makes these foods more palatable. It is also used to preserve frozen vegetables, frozen shellfish, fruit juice, and pickles and increases their shelf-life.
About 1% of the population is allergic to sulphites and some people have a reaction to certain preservatives – namely 220 and 224 – that are often found in wine. These allergic reactions can be severe, and if you think it is a concern, it is a good idea to get tested. It is because of the health concern for the sensitive population, depending on the country you’re in, wines with sulfites (the limit amount may vary in different countries), anything above 10 ppm must be labeled with ‘contains sulfites’.
From the research that I have read, for most of us it is probably more likely the tannins or a reaction to another compound. Here is a breakdown of a few:
Sulfites – Naturally occurring substances in wine that are created as part of the fermentation process. Additional sulfites are often added to wine prevent oxidation and maintain freshness. Sulfites also naturally exist in eggs, teas, and other fermented foods, plus sulfites are added to other foods (like baked goods) to help maintain freshness.
Tannins – Naturally-existing compounds in plants with extremely astringent properties, contributing to bitterness and the dry mouth feeling present in bold wines (such as cabernet). Tannins are heavily present in all parts of the grape plant (seeds, skins, and stems), therefore red wines (that are typically fermented with these parts), tend to have more tannins than white wines. They are less present in most sparklings, as they don’t typically spend time on skins after pressing. This is certainly something to keep in mind, as some people are sensitive to tannins.
Tyramine – Another natural food-based phenomenon, this compound is created from the breakdown of a specific amino acid and is also often found in aged or fermented foods like cheese and wine. High amounts of tyramine in the blood can affect blood pressure.
Histamine – Yet another compound created through the fermentation process, histamine is also produced by the body’s immune system. A specific enzyme is needed to process histamine and those with lower levels of this enzyme may experience adverse effects.
There are some producers making sulfite-free wines, and this could be something for you to explore. If you’re have a reaction with sulfite-free wines, some recent research suggests that the culprit is more likely to be a group of compounds called biogenic amines (BA). Present in all fermented food and drink, BAs increase with food spoilage. They’re produced from amino acids via enzymic activity in living organisms like microbes, most often a subset of bacteria. The best-known biogenic amine – histamine – is produced when microbes remove carbon dioxide from the amino acid histidine. Histamine is also produced by the body and is involved in immune and allergic responses.
Cheap Fizz
There are many methods and tools that winemakers use to make wine, and with sparkling this includes the first fermentation process to create the still wine, and then the second fermentation process to create the bubbles.
For the second fermentation, it takes years to create a traditional method sparkling, which is why this wine will usually have a higher price tag. Quicker methods are the Charmat or Tank Method, which can be done in weeks. It has spent time on lees (yeast), which creates complexity, but not a great length of time or concentrated as it is not in bottle but in a large tank. It creates a wine displaying more fruitier characteristics. Another method that is used that is the cheapest method is pure carbonation. This is adding Co2 to a still wine – yes just like a soda stream!
Spumante just means Sparkling Wine in Italian. But if you were drinking sparkling wine in Australia in the 70s and 80s, you may remember colloquially the ‘spu’ part of this word was used to describe some wines. The trend was for very sweet and cheap wines on the market. Don’t let the name fool you, we have some lovely sparkling wines from Italy available in Australia today. If you see the name Spumante on the bottle, it just means sparkling, no need to think back to your teenage years.
Cheaper wines can often mean cheaper processes, or additives to try to emulate qualities of more complex wines. This can include higher alcohol and added sugar. Price is not always an indicator, but it often is.
Sugar in wines
We are noticing a trend for low or no sugar wines on the market. Looking after your health by seeking drinks that are low in sugar is a good idea. The good news is most sparklings are already low in sugar! If it says Brut on the label, which most champagnes are, it is somewhere between zero to less than 12 gms of residual sugar. If it says Extra Brut, it is the drier scale of Brut at below 6 gms, and Brut Nature or Brut Zero is 0–2 gms. Confusingly, higher than Brut on the sweetness scale is Extra Dry – you’ll often see Italian sparklings like Prosecco in this range, which is 12–17gms. Then it goes Dry, Half Dry then Doux, which is sweet at 50gms or more. I have noticed some companies promoting champagnes in the Brut Nature or Extra Brut as Keto wines. Yes, they are ‘Keto’, but they are designed for the wine style not a diet, just look for Brut Nature on the label. In the Extra-Brut range, it calculates at up to around 0.9 carbs per serving. Brut is up to 1.8 carbs per serving. Compare that to a potato at around 37 carbs. And your glass of bubbly is low calorie too, with the Brut range at less than 100 calories. You don’t need to buy bubbly sold as low sugar, just learn to read the labels. If you are interested to discover more about sweetness levels and labels, we cover this in our Tasting Techniques Masterclass in our online Bubbly Appreciation Course.
Now that we’ve finished the research bit, here are a few tips for staying bubbly!
Moderation – of course, consumption of alcohol in moderation is recommended.
Keep hydrated – it’s often easy to forget but keep hydrated and drink a glass of water for each glass of bubbles.
Eat something when you drink – food helps absorb alcohol. Champagne and sparkling wine is often served as a ‘pre’, an aperitif, the drink that you have before a meal. I do argue that champagne can definitely be paired with a full course menu, and I opt for this and tend to stick to champagne all evening. It’s also why we include food at our events including The Bubbles Festival. A good food match can also enhance the food and wine experience, as well as providing some absorption for the alcohol.
Invest in quality sparkling – if you’re drinking in moderation and staying hydrated, and still waking feeling ‘dusty’, it may be the quality of wine that you’re drinking. As I’ve matured in age (just like a fine wine), I’ve changed my preference to quality over quantity. I’d much rather have one glass of something of quality than more than that of cheap fizz. If you’re getting a headache from bubbles, it could from methods of cheap winemaking, which are often high in residual sugar and other additives.
Investigate the reaction
There are a lot of factors that can be causing a reaction. You could try some alcohol-free days in your week to see if it changes how you wake in the morning. I know when I had some gut health issues, I was still waking with low energy, even if I hadn’t had bubbles, and I understood there were other lifestyle aspects that needed to be addressed. If it is of concern, then seeking medical assistance and getting tested for allergies may be of benefit.
If you think it is a histamine reaction, tannins do cause reactions in some people and headaches are a possibility. If you are sensitive to tannins, then you may also have that reaction when drinking red wine or tea. Tyramine may also be to blame, as it can affect blood pressure and has also been suggested to cause headaches. If you also get a headache after eating aged cheeses, smoked fish or cured meat independently of wine, this may be a sign you have a tyramine sensitivity. You could investigate these and if it is the case with these, it is probably the same with all wines, not just bubbles. Antihistamines might be a relief if you find yourself suffering from this.
While sulfites can trigger reactions, and it seems that this is not typically headaches. There isn’t much science supporting the link with sulfites and headaches. Wine contains about 10 times fewer sulfites than dried fruits and several other foods, and if you’re not having a reaction to these, the sulfites in wine are probably not affecting you either.
On the other hand, for those of you who know or think you might be part of the 1% of the population who is allergic to sulphites or have a reaction to certain preservatives, avoiding products containing these are one solution. There are also a few products making their way onto the market that are aimed at helping you lower tannin and sulfite levels in wine, as well as rehydrate after a couple of glasses. While they are not TGA (or FDA in USA) approved treatments, they offer some interesting options. I recently tested Glow After, a product that you add a drop into your glass to negate the presence of sulphites. I tried it at home with a few different glasses of sparkling, and I detected a slight difference in aroma, bead, and flavour after adding (but I do have a sensitive nose and palate). If you think you’re having a reaction to preservatives, this could be something to try. This brand is Australian-owned by two female entrepreneurs based in Newcastle, NSW. The purpose of the preservatives to keep the wine pristine before you open it, but they are not necessary once the wine is poured. This product claims that by adding a drop, the level of sulphites left in your glass is so little that it is considered preservative free.
Bubbles with low or no alcohol
If you wanted to lower your alcohol consumption, there are new no or low alcohol wines coming onto the market that include sparklings. This can be a good way to still be out enjoying being social drinks with friends. I haven’t tested them but let me know if you do and if you have any feedback. Here are a few things to consider when choosing no or low alcohol alternatives.
Fermentation to create wine is what creates the alcohol. Winemakers work with this fermentation to get the desired end result of alcohol for their drink. It is also part of what creates the body in wine.
Some non-alcoholic wines are created using wine grape varieties that haven’t gone through the vinification process. They are really a varietal grape juice – pressed to get juice, but never fermented. More likely to be fresh and fruity like a juice.
What is becoming more prevalent is dealcoholized wine, going a step further than bottled varietal juice by taking fully vinified wine and then removing the alcohol. This process is more likely to produce something that tastes more like a ‘normal wine’. Some people tell me they can’t tell the difference.
Then there are Proxies. As the name suggests – a proxy is someone with the authority to represent someone else – they are not really a wine but are designed to emulate wine. Unlike dealcoholized wine, which is a wine first and then has the alcohol removed, proxies are made by layering ingredients like varietal wine grapes, fruits, teas, spices, bitters, and more, to produce the complexity, tannin, texture, acid, and body intrinsic in wine. Many proxies are designed specifically with a food pairing in mind. It does make me think it would be more like an iced tea that tastes like wine, or maybe a wine mixed with spice.
Don’t drink late at night
My favourite time for bubbles is lunch, afternoon, or early evening. Start early, home early. Time to recover before bed. You’ll see the timing for our events reflects this trend as well. Alcohol is known to cause dehydration, drops blood sugar levels, depletes minerals, and can disrupt your sleep. A good tip is to finish early (after dinner at latest), and drink a few glasses of water after your bubbles. Make sure you have a few alcohol-free hours before bed. It will help take out that 4am wakeup call you sometimes get after drinking alcohol (which alternative medicine practitioners have told me is the time your liver wakes you up processing the days events).
Have a bubbly morning
Ok, we like it for breakfast too! It’s the breakfast of celebrities, according to the quote from Marilyn Monroe “I go to bed with a few drops of Chanel No. 5, and I wake up each morning to a glass of Piper-Heidsieck; it warms me up.” As much as I love a champagne breakfast (and I do this on special occasions a couple of times a year), I’m not suggesting we take wellness advice from celebrities or that you drink champagne for breakfast daily. I find a glass of good quality sparkling mineral water will give you a lift in the morning – not just soda water, as it is the mineral replacement that makes the difference.
At The Bubbles Review we like to debunk the myths and make the art of drinking champagne and sparkling wine accessible. We do that with our blog, our courses, and events and tours. If you found this article interesting you may also like our:
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Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
There are many examples of amazing women in Champagne, here a few names you might know, and some you would like to know more about. From historical to modern times, if you look at the dates, they are around 50 -100 years apart. In life, we all benefit from the legacy created from those that came before us. International Women’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate that. Here’s cheers to all of the fabulous women of Champagne!
The word ‘veuve’ means widow in French, many of the great women of champagne, were widows and mothers, who became major influencers in the champagne industry. At the time the only way a woman could be at the helm of a business was to take over after the death of her husband. So successful were the veuves, it is rumoured that some producers added veuve into their title, even when there was no veuve at the house!
In 1805, after the death of her husband, Madame Clicquot at 27 years old became one of the first businesswomen of France when she took over the Clicquot business. In an era when women were excluded from the business world, she dared to assume the head of the company – a role she undertook with passion and determination. According to the Veuve Clicquot company description of her, Madame Clicquot’s character might be summarised with two words: audacious and intelligent.
Imagine the audacity of this decision at a time when women
were not even allowed to open their own bank account!
She is credited with many innovations that have steered the
success of champagne – the riddling process to remove the sediment from the
bottle; improving the bottle so it would withstand the pressure of the bubbles;
creating Rose champagne by adding some red wine; and her PR and branding,
creating the first labels on a champagne bottle – the yellow label that still
adorns the Veuve Clicquot bottle today.
I love the story of Veuve Clicquot, you can read more about
her on our blog here:
Madame Pommery – Jeanne
Alexandrine Louise Mélin Pommery
It was upon her husband’s death in 1858, that Madame Pommery, assumed full control of the business. One of her first decisions was to sell off their struggling wool business, and concentrate on the Champagne wine business. And, we are so glad that she did!
“I decided there and then to carry on the business in my husband’s stead”
With those words, the young widow set out to conquer
national and international markets –overturning, without any qualms whatsoever,
one or two corporate management rules. She was a true trailblazer, laying down
the basis for any luxury product promotion; style, brand, communication and
public relations on the estates.
She invented the modern style of champagne with the
introduction of Brut Champagne, Brut being a much drier style was a bold
initiative, as at the time the prevailing taste was for very sweet champagne
(up to 300gms of sugar per litre, compared with now, depending on the level of
Brut, is up to 12 gms per litre).
Only 10 years after taking over the business she built the Pommery Estate which at the time was the biggest building site of the century in Reims. This grand site is still the home of Pommery and is an amazing place to visit. Madame Pommery described her champagne in two words; “Joyful and Lightness”. Now that is something to be celebrated!
Another amazing legacy, you can learn more about Madame Pommery in our Bubbly Appreciation Course and on our blog here:
Lily Bollinger – Élisabeth Law Lauriston-Boubers-Bollinger
In a new century, another amazing lady, Lily Bollinger took over the presidency of the Bollinger house after the death of her husband Jacques in 1941, and directed it until 1971. She launched the Bollinger RD vintage in 1961 and the vintage Vieilles Vignes Françaises in 1969, putting the brand on the international stage. She is credited with introducing the brand to celebrities of the time. When asked by a journalist from the London Daily Mail in 1961 “When do you drink champagne?” her witty and facetious answer is still quoted today as an exquisite definition of champagne:
“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes
I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I
trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never
touch it — unless I’m thirsty…”
Historically there have been some great women of Champagne. But what is it like today?
We asked Floriane Eznack from Champagne Jacquart about women working in Champagne today.
Floriane explained about the role of the wine maker, and how
in Champagne the main responsibility is to produce the consistency of style in
the non-vintage blend.
As a young winemaker, Floriane earned a Masters Degree in
Oenology in Reims in 2004. Her studies included a couple of harvests in some of
Champagne’s finest Houses, including Moët & Chandon. She joined Jacquart in
January 2011 as Chef de Cave (Chief Winemaker), where she plays a central role
in the creation of the finest quality blends for all of the Jacquart’s
champagnes.
In our interview Floriane shares with us her motivation for working in the industry, and how she gave up her dream of becoming a fighter pilot! When she chose the wine industry, it was clear, she didn’t want to work with any other wine, but bubbles; “Not just bubbles for celebration, but a wine that everyone loves. It cheers you up and makes you happy and there is a magic behind champagne” she says. See our interview with Floriane here:
An update to this post. Floriane moved on from her role at Jacquart and Champagne, at the end of 2019, but you’ll still be drinking her legacy at Jacquart for a little while longer.
More features and stories on the modern era of women in Champagne, coming soon in our blogs and Bubbly Appreciation course. Stay tuned for that.
Until then, let’s raise a glass to celebrate these amazing
women.
Cheers!
Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
Like to keep following us? Sign up to The Bubbles Review list and you will be included in our Subscriber prize draws. The monthly giveaway is usually a chance to win a lovely champagne or sparkling gift. Join our list!
Meeting the Pommery Australia Ambassador at a recent Champagne tasting, I discovered a few things and a few misconceptions. I had thought that Madame Pommery and Louise Pommery were one in the same. As it turns out, Louise was the daughter of Madame Pommery – Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Mélin, who was born in March 18, 1819 in Ardennes and married Alexandre Pommery in 1839.
It was upon Alexandre’s death in 1858, that Madame Pommery, assumed full control of the business. One of her first decisions was to sell off the struggling wool business, and concentrate on the Champagne wine business.
“… I decided there and then to carry on the business in my husband’s stead …”
With those words, the young widow set out in 1858 to conquer national and international markets –overturning, without any qualms whatsoever, one or two corporate management rules. She was a true trailblazer, laying down the basis for any luxury product promotion; style, brand, communication and public relations on the estates. She invented the image of the Pommery brand.
She purchased 120 limestone and chalk pits, so-called crayères, carved underneath the city of Reims by Roman soldiers during their occupation of Gaul. When years later she opened up ‘what was the biggest building site of the century in Reims’ and the metamorphosis of the chalk-pits into caves. These unique cellars allowed her to store and age thousands of bottles in a temperature-controlled environment (a constant 10°C). Many other Champagne houses would later follow suit.
As much as I love champagne, I also love reading and hearing about the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Champagne, and especially the fabulous women of Champagne. As you can imagine, at the time it was very unusual for a woman to be the head of a business, let alone one to create these amazing success stories. Madame Pommery was another one of the great Veuves (French for widow), to be risk takers, leaders and excel in their field.
Long before we heard about corporate responsibility, Madame Pommery also put her fortune to “good use”. A businesswoman she certainly was, but also a compassionate woman; she set up the first “pension fund” and “social security” for her workforce, and it was to her that the town of Reims owed its orphanage and nursery fund. That was how she invented the company’s ethical charter. She supported artists, especially those of her town. She bequeathed artefacts to the Reims Museum as well as the donation of Millet’s The Gleaners to the French state. Madame Pommery felt that “… everything you can reap from working is a saintly thing” – inventing, long before it became the fashion, corporate sponsorship.
Her entrepreneurial journey was surely not planned, but began when of fragile health and with a fortune made in wool, Monsieur Pommery decided to retire in 1856 so that he could enjoy a calm life. With their son Louis grown up, the couple did not have any goals other than a well deserved holiday. That’s when, unexpectedly at the age of 38, Madame Pommery became pregnant. This happy miracle more than 17 years after their first child was going to change the course of their lives forever. To ensure the financial security of his family, Monsieur Pommery decided to start work again. While the wool industry was declining, the champagne business was expanding. However when Monsieur Pommery died in 1858, their daughter Louise had not even had her first birthday.
She was not only a widow, but a single mum with a son and a young baby. Through this, Madame Pommery gathered the strength to create this beautiful champagne story. Today, the Pommery brand states that it is with pride, passion and emotion that they try to reproduce Madame Pommery’s miracle – the birth of their daughter, under the sweet name of Louise. This is the Pommery cuvee de Prestige, the Cuvée Louise.
“I wanted this Estate to be like an open book, facing the world and time. Leave your imprint on it, as I have left mine, for posterity.
And let it be worthy of respect, I have wanted these walls to express each day for this Champagne, a wine that has now become a shared part of our souls and that carries the memory of our art forever.”
It was ten years later, in July 1868, that Madame Pommery opened up “what was the biggest building site of the century in Reims”. Belgian and French miners dug out eighteen kilometres of interconnected rib or barrel vault galleries to create the cellars – a vast and entire underground town. With its squares formed by the old walls, Gustave Navlet was commissioned to sculpt huge bas reliefs as a celebration to wine. They still accentuate the beauty of the galleries. One monumental 116-step staircase connects this underground world to the outside world.
Madame Pommery instituted a tradition of giving the cellar galleries the names of great foreign cities as they conquered them commercially. Above ground, the vast estate that was created is said to be in English gothic style in tribute to the market that favoured the Pommery brand that led to their success.
As she continued to evolve the business, Madame Pommery saw an opportunity when she instructed her Cellarmaster to create a new style of champagne. This would become invention of Brut champagne in 1874.
“Damas, what we need is a wine that is as dry as possible but is not harsh … has to be mellow, velvety and well blended … make sure that it is subtle more than anything else.”
This was a bold request, as at the time the prevailing taste was for very sweet champagne (up to 300gms of sugar per litre, compared with now up to 12 gms per litre), which was favoured by the Russian market. This brut champagne was eventually created by Damas’s successor, Victor Lambert. The first brut in the history of champagne was the Pommery Nature 1874. It was a revolution. You can imagine it would have been quite a shock to the palate. When I did a search for the meaning of the word ‘Brut’, I discovered that it comes from the word Brutal, which a low/no dosage champagne must have seemed to the sweet palate of the time.
It did, however, prove to be a winner. The English market in particular preferred this dry style. Pommery was very popular with the English establishment. A book on the Champagne trade written about thirty years later, records that the 1874 vintage brut fetched the highest prices ever paid in London for Champagne.
One example I read about Madame Pommery’s ingenuity with her PR, was the story of when in the Autumn of 1888 there were nasty rumours being spread about Pommery. To achieve the maturity required to produce her Brut, once again they had delayed the grape harvest, whilst still having to make substantial commitments to the wine growers. Her competitors stirred up worries about her ability to make payments. Ever the fighter, she launched a “media offensive” that put an end to the rumours. Hearing that the painting The Gleaners, depicting peasant life in rural France, by French artist Millet, was being sold at auction, and that there was interest in America to acquire the painting, she set about her campaign. The French public were not happy about these paintings being sold off abroad, as had previously occurred with works by Millet. The order was put out to acquire the picture at any cost, and it sold for 300,000 gold francs to an anonymous buyer. Under great suspense, it was not until four days later it was announced that Madame Pommery had indeed been the buyer, and that she would donate it to the state of France. The painting was originally gifted to the Louvre, and today it is included in the works of art at the Musée Dorsay.
After Madame Pommery died in 1890, her daughter Louise ran the House with husband Prince Guy de Polignac. The Polignac family continued to run the business until 1979. The brand continues the ethos of the Pommery family traditions today. The connection with art continues through support for artists and exhibitions both local and worldwide, and also many fun, contemporary branding through the Pommery POP collections.
Today, the Pommery Estate is owned by Belgian entrepreneur Paul-Francois Vranken and holds more than 20 million bottles in the 18km of underground chalkpit caves. More than 120,000 people from around the globe visit this magnificent property in the heart of the city of Reims annually and equally enjoy the exhibition of contemporary art set up in the caves.
As I often say, I think that Champagne is one of the joys of life, and Madame Pommery described her champagne in two words;
“Joyful and Lightness”.
Now that is something to be celebrated.
Cheers!
We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Pommery Australia in providing information (and this months giveaway) to create this story.
Would you like to join us in Champagne? As part of our Events and Tours program, we will offering a small group tour, with visits to some of the great champagne marques like the Pommery Estate, our program includes exclusive champagne-matched lunches and dinners, and private tastings. Spaces are limited. If you would like to register your interest to join us, you can do so here Register your interest to join us in Champagne.
Natalie Pickett is the Founder of The Bubbles Review which is for people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.
Like to keep following us? Sign up to The Bubbles Review list and you will be included in our monthly Subscriber prize draw. The monthly giveaway is usually a chance to win a lovely champagne or sparkling gift. This month was a gift boxed bottle of Pommery Brut Royal.Join our list!
Because life is too short not to drink good champagne!
“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty.”
Lilly Bollinger, Champagne Royalty!
“I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a flute of champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword.”
Olivia de Havilland, Actress
“In success you deserve it and in defeat, you need it,”
Winston Churchill
“Champagne is appropriate for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”
Madeline Puckette, Co-Founder, WineFolly
“I have been researching this all of my life and it is my life’s work to understand this hypothesis – Is it really possible to have too much Champagne?”
These unique cellars allowed her to store and age thousands of bottles in a temperature-controlled environment (a constant 10°C). Many other Champagne houses would later follow suit.
Today, the Pommery brand states that it is with pride, passion and emotion that they try to reproduce Madame Pommery’s miracle – the birth of their daughter, under the sweet name of Louise. This is the Pommery cuvee de Prestige, the Cuvée Louise.
Above ground, the vast estate that was created is said to be in English gothic style in tribute to the market that favoured the Pommery brand that led to their success.
Madame Pommery described her champagne in two words;
people who like champagne and other bubbles, written by people who have a love of all things sparkling! At The Bubbles Review, we like to debunk some myths, make the art of drinking champagne accessible, explore bubbly regions and champagne bars, and provide events for you to join us and indulge.