Veuve Clicquot Champagne: An Artisanal Effervescence Since 1772

Champagne Veuve Clicquot is synonymous with celebration. Most of us love any excuse to sip the sparkling sparkle, and it has long been associated with remarkable occasions. Weddings, graduation ceremonies...

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Champagne Veuve Clicquot: The Artisanal Effervescence Since 1772

By   Sophia AvaYEET MAGAZINE | Updated 0439 GMT (1239 HKT) December 31, 2021

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Contents

Champagne Veuve Clicquot is synonymous with celebration. Most of us love any excuse to sip the sparkling sparkle, and it has long been associated with remarkable occasions. Weddings, graduation ceremonies, birthdays and even promotions often call for the gleefully ostentatious opening of a luxurious bottle.

Lovingly distilled at the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin distillery in France, this luxury champagne is revered by many for its vibrant flavors of apple, grape and citrus.

Veuve Clicquot, meaning “veuve Clicquot” in French, pays homage to the First Lady of Champagne; Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin.

She was tragically widowed at the age of 27. Such horrific circumstances might have led some to take the bottle. But not the widow Clicquot.

Rather than wallowing in the comfort of simply passable champagnes, the heroine of Veuve Clicquot has channeled her energies into creating one of the most exquisite sparkling wines. And for that, we thank her.

Price and dimensions of Veuve Clicquot bottles

Price and dimensions of Veuve Clicquot bottles

Bottle nameCutPrice
Non vintage yellow label750 ml$ 50
Veuve Clicquot Riche750 ml$ 70
2012 vintage750 ml$ 85
The Great White Lady 2008750 ml$ 160
Private Cellar 19891.5l (Magnum)$ 650

Where to buy Veuve Clicquot online?

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A little history of Veuve Clicquot

The year is 1772, and an entrepreneurial member of the Clicquot family, historically of banking and merchant fortune, is looking for a new business. Already owner of several vineyards, Philippe Clicquot decides to create a wine company. Naturally.

With a thriving and increasingly globalized market with Europe at its center, Phillipe defined the company's ambition as "crossing borders" - a popular company at the time, indeed! In a fertile market teeming with thirsty consumers, all has turned out well.

Until the day disaster struck

François-Philipe's son and heir to the family business dies. The company is bequeathed to his widow, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin. While Maison Clicquot was founded by her stepfather, it is Veuve Clicquot who is rightly credited for several of the Maison's major achievements.

Perhaps most notable was the creation of the world's first vintage champagne in 1810.

Crossing borders, indeed

It was Madame Clicquot who lived and breathed (and probably drank) the products of Maison Clicquot, popularizing their excellent Champagnes in France and the rest of Europe. high society .

In 1814, just like the Hennessy cognac warming many years before, Madame Clicquot found a way to ship her champagnes to Imperial Russia.

Despite the obvious political opponent, the Maison de Champagne Clicquot graced the heavily laden banquet tables of the St. Petersburg elite.

Sommelier, entrepreneur, inventor

Among her many achievements, Madame Clicquot invented the “riddling table”, which guarantees the glassy transparency that we all love.

Don't worry if you've never heard of it. But, the next time you enjoy the crystalline translucency of your Champagne flute, pay a silent tribute to “La Grande Dame” of Champagne, who made this beautiful clarity possible.

The same process is used in the production of Veuve Clicquot (and the majority of other Champagne houses) today.

How is Veuve Clicquot made

Ros é assembly

If that wasn't enough for you to assemble a sanctuary in your wine cellar for the remarkable lady, you just have to wait:

Do you know Ros é Do you want champagne on a summer afternoon? Yes, you guessed it. In 1818, Madame Clicquot was busy experimenting with blending red wines and champagnes, rather than simply adding the traditional elderberry preparation to tint it.

A penchant for innovation

The innovation did not stop there. In 1877, Maison Clicquot made the unusual decision to dress its bottles of Champagne in a rich golden yellow. The V. Clicquot P. Werl é ' The yellow label was a registered trademark and has been a distinguishing feature of the company since then.

How is Veuve Clicquot made

In 2021-2022, only 249 people obtained the title of Maître Sommelier. So, a very exclusive distinction, isn't it? Well, compared to House of Clicquot, only 10 of the worthy and talented humans have the prestige of being the Grand Cellar Master since the inception of the company.

For a company whose motto is “One quality. The most beautiful. ', We imagine that the responsibility must be colossal!

"Vine with wine"

From pressing to labeling, the complex process is meticulously supervised by the watchful eye of the Cellar Master to ensure ultimate quality.

Each grape is subjected to a pressing exclusive to its grape variety. This meticulous attention translates into maintaining and respecting the best characteristics of each grape variety.

For 4000 kg of pressed grapes, the yield is 2550 liters of juice. For the sake of quality, only the first 2050 liters of cuv e e '(the most balanced liquid) is then used for fermentation follows. And that's just the beginning !

Fermentation

Of course, the grape juice or 'cuv e e' is then fermented for 8 to 10 days, resulting in a still white wine with 11% alcohol. But don't catch the flute yet:

The wine is then subjected to a blind tasting, then a second fermentation is carried out. Although it is not traditional in the making of champagne, this second fermentation helps to reduce the acidity of the wine.

Join the tasting committee:

Has there ever been a more rewarding job title than “member of the tasting committee”? These hard-working, highly qualified sommeliers will taste between 700 and 800 wines and classify them by category.

Mixed

Next comes the formidable task of evaluating reserve wines, often aged 10-20 at this point, to identify the subtle flavors that define the impressive style of Maison Clicquot.

If a harvest is particularly fruitful, the Cellar Master, as well as the President and the blending team, may decide to produce a vintage wine made entirely from the grapes of this harvest.

Bring us the bubbles

At this stage, the wines remain immobile. A dosing liquor and yeast are added to the now bottled wine to trigger the wine carbonation process.

Maturation

Deep in the cellars of Maison Clicquot in Reims, you will find a sea of ​​bottles placed horizontally, motionless and peaceful, far from light and disturbance. Inside them the process of "autolysis" takes place.

The horizontal position slows down this "self-digestion" process, which is crucial in creating the complexities we adore so much in our favorite wines.

Veuve Clicquot Champagnes are aged for a minimum of 30 months, while the vintages are a minimum of 5 years.

Guess that

Madame Clicquot ft è this r é resistance, the riddling table, then serves to clarify the Champagne. Simply put, the table is used to shake the sediment down to the neck of the bottle, where it can be easily removed.

Dosage

The penultimate step consists of dosing the wine (which remains very dry at this stage) by adding a dosing liqueur. The quantity used determines what type of Champagne will become the final bottle: brut, sec, demi-sec, etc.

Finally… This famous yellow label

After corking, muzzling and resting for a few more months to allow the aromas to infuse to the tastiest standards, the bottles are carefully inspected. If deemed acceptable, champagne bottles are elegantly lined with the yellow label, plus cork, collar and black label.

Then, and only then, are they allowed to be shipped.

How to drink Veuve Clicquot

How to drink Veuve Clicquot

After being stored at a cool and constant temperature (like all your fine wines!), Pour the desired portion into a chilled champagne flute in one quick but controlled movement. It may take a bit of practice, but the results are worth it.

The best cocktails to make with Veuve Clicquot

Liquid gold

The best cocktails to make with Veuve Clicquot

Ingredients:

  • 45 ml of Hennessy cognac
  • 45 ml white grape juice
  • 15 ml lemon juice
  • 1 dash of Angostura bitter
  • 60 ml of Veuve Clicquot to complete

Cocktail Recipes: Shake all ingredients except champagne in a cocktail shaker with ice, until cold. Filter into a classic cocktail glass and top with Veuve Clicquot champagne.

Veuve Clicquot Riche

Veuve Clicquot Riche

Veuve Clicquot's “Rich” is designed to be enjoyed on ice. Thus, a myriad of new cocktails have emerged with this ultra-sweet Champagne.

Ingredients:

  • Bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rich
  • Ice cubes
  • Choice of: Pieces of pineapple, grapefruit, cucumber, celery or peppers.

Cocktail Recipes: Simply add ice to a tall glass, add any ingredient of your choice and top with Veuve Clicquot Rich.

Veuve Clicquot Riche Rosé

Veuve Clicquot Riche Rosé

Follow the directions for the Veuve Clicquot Rich cocktail recipe. However, Rich Rosé goes best with:

Ingredients: Ginger, pineapple or lime. Substitute according to your own tastes!

Frequently asked questions about Veuve Clicquot

How much does a bottle of Veuve Clicquot cost?

Depending on the bottle, you can find an inexpensive 750ml bottle of Veuve Clicquot for around $ 50. On the other end of the spectrum, you can easily spend $ 800, up to $ 40,000 (for a 200-year-old vintage!).

Is Veuve Clicquot a good Champagne?

Veuve Clicquot is widely recognized as one of the best champagne brands available on the market.How is widow pronounced?

According to the correct French pronunciation, Veuve is pronounced [vœv] and Clicquot is "klee-koh" phonetically.

Is Veuve Clicquot expensive?

Veuve Clicquot can get expensive. However, you can easily find bottles under $ 100. The most expensive bottle from a 200-year-old vintage sold at auction for $ 34,000. The bottle was found on a wreck and is the most expensive bottle of champagne ever sold.

What is the best Veuve Clicquot champagne?

The non-vintage “Label Jaune” Brut from Veuve Clicquot is the House's best-selling and most famous bottle.