Visiting the Champagne 'Mothership'

Pam at the Veuve Clicquot winery in Reims, France (Photo by Gerry Barker)

BY GERRY BARKER

Anyone who knows Pam knows she loves her champagne. They also know her champagne of choice is Veuve Clicquot.

Bearing the trademark yellow label that was first used in 1876, the story of Veuve Clicquot's rise from its modest beginnings in 1772 to one of the world's leading luxury brands, shipping 20 million bottles a year, is the stuff of legend. At the center of the story is a woman -- the Widow Clicquot (veuve is French for "widow"), the recognized Grand Dame of champagne, whose business acumen and innovations helped create a global industry. If you don't know her remarkable story, check out Tilar Mazzeo's book, "The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled it."

The headquarters for Veuve Clicquot is in Reims in the Champagne region, about one hour east by train from Paris. On our recent trip to Paris, we decided making the trek to the "Mothership," as Pam calls it, was a must. "Two tickets to  Reims, s'il te plaît."


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