Veuve Clicquot

In 1772 a French businessman, Philippe Clicquot, started his small business, dedicated exclusively to the sale of wines marketed under his own name. The ambitious vision of Philippe and the generations that followed him will lead the maison to occupy an increasingly important role in oenology, first French and then international. Much of the credit for the success of the winery must certainly be attributed to Barbe Nicole Ponsardin who, once widowed when not yet thirty years old, took over the helm of the company, thus marking the history of female entrepreneurship. It will be her widowhood status that will spur her on, rather than bring her down: the pride and dedication of this young woman are in fact the origin of the name Veuve Clicquot, i.e. Clicquot's widow. Precisely during Madame Cliquot's management of the company, some of the most important intuitions were recorded which immediately characterized the maison and its name. The decision to create the first version of vintage champagne (i.e. produced with wines from a single vintage) dates back to 1810, but there are many other small steps, such as the one to perfect the remouage method, which the enterprising widow took in first person, putting their signature in all aspects of corporate life. His role becomes truly fundamental especially when he manages, thanks to overcoming the blockade that prohibited mercantile exchanges on the European continent, to get his prized champagne to St. Petersburg. From that turning point, which occurred way back in 1814, the destiny of Veuve Clicquot is traced: the Saint Petersbourg cuvée will be only the first step towards positioning this luxurious sparkling wine in the Olympus. Even centuries later, the name Clicquot recalls her entrepreneurial spirit and continues to evoke the dedication of this woman, who shaped the maison in the pursuit of absolute excellence. Starting from the mid-1980s, the maison became the property of the luxury giant LVMH, which continued to preserve the extraordinary style of this champagne, increasingly linking it with the world of high fashion.