Photo Credit: Boby Allin
CHAMPAGNE IS CELEBRATION IN A BOTTLE. WHILE THIS IS A SENTIMENT HELD BY MANY, this year, it’s especially true to Veuve Clicquot, as the LVMH-owned champagne house commemorates its landmark 250th anniversary by urging imbibers to “dream big, bright, and beautiful.” To Veuve, this year-long cause for revelry is more than just a milestone: it’s an ode to joy and optimism.
Photo Credit: Veuve Clicquot
This is an story which started with “la grande dame of Champagne,” Madame Clicquot, née Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who took over the reins of the house (which was founded in 1772) at age 27 in 1805, after the passing of her husband. Madame Clicquot is single-handedly responsible for turning the brand into the powerhouse it is today, one that exemplifies boldness, creativity, and profound optimism — traits she herself held. Even in adversity, her conviction was to always look on the bright side. She would say: “What to do against such a cruel twist of fate? We must have patience, wait until the good season allows us to take our revenge and crush all competition!” She created the brand’s first vintage in 1810, as well as a series of major innovations including, in 1816, the first wine clarifying riddling table, which was then adopted by the other Champagne houses. She is also responsible for creating the first-known blended rosé champagne in 1818, breaking away from the tradition of adding an elderberry preparation by mixing a little of her Bouzy red wine with her champagne. Being the best was her goal, and she never strayed from it. In fact, she was known for saying, “If in the search of perfection, we must take two steps at a time, I do believe that we should not be content in only taking one.”
Photo Credit: Boby Allin
And so, for the house’s semiquincentennial — in honor of all that Madame Clicquot created, from the first wine-growing plots in Verzy, Verzenay, and Bouzy, which have grown to cover 393 fully-owned hectares distributed over 12 of the 17 Grands Crus and 18 of the 44 Premiers Crus — Veuve Clicquot has created a year-long homage to “Solaire Culture.” This celebration of the rising sun highlights the color yellow which, non-coincidentally, also happens to be the shade that has appeared on its labels since 1877. Simultaneously, this expresses one of the house’s main convictions: that each new day offers the promise of new possibilities to build a brighter future.
Photo Credit: Boby Allin
That brighter future is ongoing to this day, staying true to Madame Clicquot’s entrepreneurial ethos through the female-focused BOLD by Veuve Clicquot program, as well as on the environment and eco-conception for product offering, as reflected in THE ICONS Collection, an exclusive collection of four of the house’s most emblematic objects, re-edited sustainably, as well as its EcoYellow program, which focuses on Veuve’s sustainable commitments to protect resources crafted by the sun.
Photo Credit: Boby Allin
And now, there is really only one thing to do. It’s time to raise a glass and salute the sun.
Photo Credit: Boby Allin
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