Episode 14: Bubbles and Business - Madame Clicquot, The Original Wine Disruptor

 Forget what you think you know about Champagne! This episode of HerStance uncorks a hidden truth, challenging the long-held belief about who really invented the crucial riddling process of the Méthode Champenoise. Join us as we journey from the vineyards of Reims, France, to the inspiring story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, the "Grande Dame of Champagne." Discover how this visionary woman not only revolutionized bubbly but also became a savvy international businesswoman, proving that the future of wine – and innovation – is undeniably female. Plus, stick around for this week's HerStance Challenge to unlock your own inner innovator! 

FREE Download Worksheet for how to Take on the Traits of the Greats at https://theleap.co/creator/Herstance/

Music by All Good Folks; Something Greater, Version 16029-02-39

https://www.facebook.com/sandra.koelle/

www.linkedin.com/in/positivitymindsetgrowth

https://theleap.co/creator/herstance/

Transcript

Let’s talk “Champagne”.

I love Champagne.

 Did you know that if the grapes are not grown in the Champagne region of France,  and processed by the Méthode Champenoise, it cannot be called Champagne? (metōd ˌSHampəˈnwäz)

Tis true!    Everything else is just Sparkling Wine.

Prosecco is a whole different thing … but we’re not really here for a full lesson in wine making.

We are here to dispel a long held misconception about who invented a very important part of the 

Méthode Champenoise called Riddling, and to once again celebrate innovative women!

This time, women in the wine industry.

Welcome back to Herstance.   I’m your host, Sandra Koelle

Just a few years ago, I travelled to Europe and took a day trip through Reims  (raaams), France, part of the Champagne Region.

Wouldn’t you know it, there I learned all about this important process called Méthode Champenoise and how a Benedictine Monk Dom Pérignon invented it! 

I even had my picture taken at his statue at the Moët & Chandon (Mo et A Chan donne)  Champaign house! I couldn’t afford anything else there!

The history of how Champagne came to be, like many innovations, is filled with happy accidents, competition, changing tastes (no pun intended) and even savvy marketing.

Here’s some history of women in the industry, if you will, of wine making, that will sound very familiar if you’ve been listening to my podcast for a while.

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, women, particularly in European monasteries, had more pronounced roles in winemaking. Nuns in these religious communities were responsible for producing wine for both religious ceremonies and daily consumption. Their expertise was crucial in maintaining the vineyards and ensuring the quality of the wine. This period marks one of the first instances where women's contributions to winemaking were recognized, albeit within the confines of religious institutions.

I bet you can see what’s coming next – the Industrial Revolution. Where did the women go?

Technological advancements and scientific approaches to viticulture (the study of grapes) and oenology  (the science of wine making) pushed women back into the household kitchen!

it wasn't until the late 20th century that women began to break the glass ceiling in earnest, moving into roles that were previously inaccessible to them. 

Let me introduce you to a pioneering woman – Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, 

(Kli Ko Pawn sar dan)

the "Grande Dame of Champagne," who showed the world that not only could women make wine, but they could also lead successful businesses and produce award-winning vintages.

Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was born in the Napoleonic ruled France in 1777 to wealthy parents. Her father was a textile manufacturer and politician.  Phillip Cliquot was also a successful textile manufacturer, and owned vineyards in the Champagne region, with a young wine business.  In an effort to consolidate the power of their two businesses, the two fathers arranged a marriage between Barbe-Nicole and Francois Cliquot. She was 21 at the time, Francois 27.

Phillip retired and left Francois to run the businesses. But just 6 years into the marriage, Francois died rather quickly of Typhus, leaving Barbe-Nicole a widow and a mother of a 6 year old daughter, Clemantine.

Phillip wanted to liquidate the businesses. The Widow Cliquot (kli ko)  made a proposal to her father-in-law to run the business and make the wine on her own. The new Napoleonic code restricted women from owning or engaging in business – except if you were a widow! A fortunate loophole.  He agreed to it as long as she undertook an apprenticeship to prove she could run the business successfully. Which of course she did. 

She became the first woman to take over a Champagne house and the first woman Champagne producer.

And there were other firsts.  She is credited with creating the first known vintage champagne in 1810. A Vintage is when a harvest is exceptional, the wine is made from and labelled as the products of a single vintage rather than a blend of grapes from multiple years’ harvests. This means that the champagne will be very good and has to mature (on its side)  for at least three years before being  released for sale.

Also, very important to today’s Champagne, she invented the riddling table process to clarify champagne in 1816. Prior to this invention of riddling, the second fermentation of wine to create champagne resulted in a very sweet wine with large bubbles and sediment from the remains of the yeast used in the fermentation in the bottle (which creates the bubbles in the wine) resulting in a cloudy wine. She still used the original English technique of adding sugar, but after this second fermentation was complete the bottles were held upside down. The bottles were regularly turned so that the dead yeast would all gather near the cork (riddling). Once the settling was complete, the wine near the cork was removed, followed by an addition of wine to refill the bottle. The champagne was now clear and sparkling.

And finally, In 1818, she invented the first known blended rosé champagne by blending still red and white wines, a process still used by the majority of champagne producers.

Owing to her achievements as a businesswoman and her invention of three new techniques for making champagne, she became known as the "Grande Dame of Champagne".

Now the French empire was embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 -  1815. Distribution of Champagne was not without difficulties. Her sales ‘rep’ Louis Bohne, who had been a faithful employee of the company since it was owned by her father-in-law, circumvented Napoleonic challenges by finding a thirsty clientele within the royal family in St. Petersburg, which greatly elevated the esteem of what was now named Veuve Cliquot – The Widow Cliquot. In this way, her business was able to weather these difficult times and actually become a luxury item.

Madame Clicquot is considered one of the world's first international businesswomen. She was the first to take over management of a company and guide it, through hazardous times. She brought her wine business back from the brink of destruction turning it into one of the most successful champagne houses. She also spread champagne across the globe. 

When she died, at age 89,  sales had reached 750,000 bottles a year. Veuve Clicquot was exporting champagne from France to all Europe, the United States, Asia and elsewhere.Veuve Clicquot had become both a substantial Champagne house and a respected brand. Easily recognised by its distinctive bright yellow labels, the wine held a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

To be fair – Madame Cliquot was not the only Widow of Champagne. In fact, the idea of  the widow became a marketing trademark of the region. Lily Bollinger (Bolanjay) , who ran the Bollinger house for several decades, is known for her famous quote: “I drink champagne 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.” Louise Pommery, also a widow, was relentless in her pursuit of quality and can be credited with producing the very first Brut Champagne (very dry, not sweet).

Happily, today a woman doesn’t have to be a widow to own and run a business. However, the wine industry is not flooded with women owners, winemakers, sommelier– no matter that women are quickly becoming the larger segment of wine consumers, more likely to purchase wine club memberships, and purchase premium wines.

As of 2023, roughly 18% of the 5,000 wineries in California are women-owned, only 1% of which are black-owned. 

In terms of viticulturalists – those folks who study grapes, only 14.3% are women.

And  78% of all viticulturists are white.

In the field of Enology, Those who work in the area of wine making, and the science of wine (when is the harvest ready, what is going to make the best wine, style, even bottling) it’s improving,   

49.2% of enologists are women, however, 72% white

And what about Sommeliers?  A sommelier is a wine professional who selects, pairs, serves, and educates guests about wine.

Master sommeliers are among the most respected and influential wine professionals in the world. As of Jan 2024, There were only 269 Master Sommeliers worldwide, with 149 in the Americas. Out of these, only 28 are women. The majority are white.  Studies have shown that women are less likely to be hired for sommelier positions and are often paid less than men.

Do people generally not want to take advice from women? Do they think that women don’t have great palates?  Or is it just the snobbery of it all?  Maybe we just don’t buy into all of that.

Here’s what I’m learning about the women who are in the industry today ….

They are innovative.  Many of today’s women winemakers are pushing the boundaries of what a wine can be. What have they got to lose? They take risks, experiment with new methods or make it their mission to save indigenous grape varieties. The McBride sisters from NewZealand developed the She Can  – wine in cans to be more portable, and tied it to a professional development grant program to lift others up in the industry.

Speaking of mentorship and collaboration. Women share ideas, cross pollinate. Penner-Ash hires young women protoge’s and equal numbers of women interns to ensure a growing corps of women wine makers.

And Women value sustainability. Sustainable practices in the vineyard could look like water conservation and integrating crops and livestock to promote biodiversity; and during the winemaking process they avoid additives like yeasts or sulfites  to create expressive natural wines. 

There is no stuffiness about these women. Pick up one of my favorite books – Wine for Normal People by certified wine specialist and sommelier Elizabeth Schneider.  Take a wine class over zoom or book a vacation with her to Tuscany 

 Grapes come from the earth — call it terroir or dirt, terrain and climate. So let’s come down from the stratosphere about this stuff. 

These women are inspired, super knowledgeable,  and approachable. And the future of wine is female.

HerStance Challenge

What inspires you? 

What have you always thought about doing but thought it wasn’t approachable or accessible?

Maybe right now you are living someone else’s values, their dreams for you, or you are living someone else’s version of yourself.

Do you doubt that you have in you what those other women have that get them what you want?

I’ll break the news to you … There is nothing missing in you. You have everything that you see in the people around you.

You just need to identify and then own what you most admire most in others… 100%. To the same degree as you see it in them.

When you value your unique genius, the world values you too.

I challenge you to get started on that right away.

Think about who you really admire and who does the thing you really want to be doing. Why don’t you start small. Pick one area of your life… spiritual, mental, family, social, physical…. You name it.

Once you narrow it down to someone you can research, list what traits, actions they took, or even importantly, what they didn’t/don’t do, that makes them a success or great.

Then go ahead, start listing out your own traits, actions or inactions to the same degree 100% that you possess.  

What’s going to happen?  

You will realize that, just like Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, “You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”

Now go out there and be amazing!

Thanks for tuning in to HerStance today.  

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and leave a comment. Do you have a woman who inspires you? I’d love to ‘bring her onto a future episode.’  

Then jump over to my product store at https://theleap.co/creator/herstance/ for a FREE  downloadable worksheet to help you Stand in the Traits of the Greats..  There you can also sign up for my newsletter that offers great ways to be engaged in today’s women’s rights movement!  

I look forward to being with you again on HerStance.