For centuries, women’s involvement in large-scale winemaking was tightly restricted. Laws and social conventions denied them the right to own land or wine cellars, effectively barring them from the formal wine trade. And yet, from ancient times onward, women have always made wine. Even within these constraints, there were those who managed estates, ran cellars, or quietly owned wineries of their own.
This series of articles is dedicated to women winemakers. To those who permanently reshaped the world of wine, and to those today who draw inspiration from their ingenuity, resilience, and passion.
Today, we tell the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, the woman widely regarded as the mother of modern Champagne.
Who is Madame Clicquot?
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, better known as Veuve Clicquot, is the woman behind the silky texture of Champagne enjoyed by millions around the world today.
She invented riddling (remuage), a technique that remains fundamental to Champagne production to this day. Madame Clicquot was also the first to produce a vintage Champagne and a true pioneer of rosé Champagne. Her story is one of determination in the face of adversity, deep devotion to her craft, and a rare talent for creative thinking.
How it all began
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was born in 1777 in Reims, France, into a wealthy and influential family. Her father, Nicolas Ponsardin, was a successful textile manufacturer and an active figure in public life. Initially a monarchist, he adapted his views during the French Revolution, aligning himself with the Jacobins as public sentiment shifted. This political agility and keen sense of timing would leave a lasting impression on his daughter, even though her upbringing followed the conventions of the era: modesty, propriety, and preparation for her future role as a wife and mother.
In 1798, her father arranged her marriage to François Clicquot, the son of another prosperous textile merchant from Reims. The union was a pragmatic alliance between two families, designed to merge their factories and strengthen their position in the market. Yet history suggests that fate was kind. The young couple appear to have grown genuinely fond of one another and went on to build a family together.
Shortly after their marriage, François made a decisive choice. Rather than inheriting his father’s textile business, he set his sights on winemaking. Barbe-Nicole supported him fully, and together they began to study the craft. They experimented, travelled, and learned from other producers, united by a shared ambition to create a wine worthy of France’s most refined tastes. Tragically, their partnership was cut short in 1805 when François died of a fever, leaving Barbe-Nicole a widow at just twenty-seven, with a young daughter and an uncertain future ahead.
Becoming “Veuve Clicquot”
The Clicquot family was devastated by the sudden death of their only son. Monsieur Clicquot intended to shut down the business his son and daughter-in-law had begun, seeing no future for it without an heir. Barbe-Nicole, however, had other plans.
She asked her father-in-law for the chance to take over the winery, an extraordinary request for a woman of her time. He agreed, but on one condition: she would apprentice under the renowned winemaker Alexandre Fourneaux. Barbe-Nicole accepted. For four years, she balanced her training with the care of her young daughter and the daily management of the estate. From this rare combination of discipline, resolve, and vision, Veuve Clicquot was born.
The First Great Success
Unfortunately, sales struggled, and by 1810 the winery was on the brink of bankruptcy. Barbe-Nicole was determined to reverse its fortunes and save the house she had fought so hard to build.
She understood that the end of the war between Napoleon and Russia was approaching, and that the Champagne she produced, notably rich and sweet, perfectly matched Russian taste at the time.
So she made a daring move. She secretly sent a large portion of her stock to Amsterdam, where it waited for the official announcement of peace. The moment the armistice was declared, the Champagne was loaded onto ships and sent to Russia, arriving ahead of every other European producer.
When Emperor Alexander I of Russia tasted the wine, he reportedly declared that he wished to drink no other. From that moment on, Veuve Clicquot became highly sought after by the Russian aristocracy, and its reputation quickly spread across the rest of Europe.
The Invention of Riddling: How Madame Clicquot Perfected Champagne
Beyond expanding the commercial reach of the house, Barbe-Nicole set out to refine the wine itself.
Champagne demands far more time and effort than still wine. To achieve its signature sparkle and sweetness, sugar and live yeast are added to the bottle, triggering a process known as secondary fermentation.
This process, however, comes with an unwanted side effect. Sediment forms inside the bottle, dulling the flavour and giving the wine a cloudy, unappealing appearance. In the early nineteenth century, producers dealt with this by decanting the Champagne into a new bottle. The method was slow and labour-intensive, and it compromised both flavour and effervescence.
Barbe-Nicole devised a more elegant solution. She developed a method that would later become known as riddling (remuage), a technique that would permanently transform Champagne production and is still used today to control and remove sediment with precision.
Her approach was deceptively simple. She drilled holes into an ordinary table and placed the bottles upside down, instructing her workers to turn them slightly each day. After about two months, all the sediment collected neatly beneath the cap. The neck of the bottle was then frozen, allowing the sediment to be removed cleanly along with the temporary closure, before a new cork bearing the mark of Veuve Clicquot was inserted.
The result was remarkable: Champagne of crystal clarity, pure flavour, and a texture that remained intact.
Legacy
Despite years of hardship and failed attempts, Barbe-Nicole never gave up, and in doing so, she permanently changed the way Champagne is made. After her death, her daughter Clémentine took over the winery and continued to build and strengthen the brand.
Today, Veuve Clicquot produces around 19 million bottles each year and is the second best-selling Champagne in the world. In 2013, writer Fabien Moreau published the novel The Queen of Champagne, and in 2023, Barbe-Nicole’s remarkable life was brought to the screen in a feature film inspired by her story.
The story of Madame Clicquot reminds us that determination and imagination can turn a dream into a legacy. Explore our Champagne selection and discover the taste that has inspired generations.
Sip. Savour. Celebrate… female resilience!
_ Maria Kovacheva & Diana Sofronieva for Two Bottles of Wine
