Wandering Champagne connoisseur Marc Ditcham continues his epic two day journey with a visit to Veuve Clicquot. Missed part one? Catch up now…

The next morning I woke early to a stifling room and a groggy head, not helped by the defunct air conditioning unit and certainly not helped by the whisky sours and the cognacs consumed only hours before in the hotel bar.

Breakfast was a quiet affair with members of our party sporadically entering the dining room yawning, wiping sleep from their eyes –next stop Veuve Cliquot.

There are few brands in the wine world (indeed world) that provoke such yearnings of desire, and hardly any that manage to capture it purely through the use of one colour. The red of Ferrari is one; the yellow of Veuve Cliquot is another– its yellow not orange! Bar the bright yellow flag flapping at full mast, the exterior of the Veuve Cliquot is quite subdued. It is only on entering the reception area that the synonymous artwork presents itself – pink/yellow birds of paradise in birdcages, bright yellow sofas, yellow dangly things and all other strange doohickeys coloured yellow and bizarre. The business offices/makeshift museum provides an insightful background to Veuve Cliquot and its history timeline.

The first recording of Veuve Cliquot was in 1772 when Philippe Cliquot registered the wine business after inheriting a number of vineyards. Following his death in 1798 his son Francois took control of his business but tragically he too passed away prematurely in 1805 leaving the estate to his 27 year old widow (Veuve) Barbe Nicole Cliquot Ponsardin – the rest they say is history. Probably the youngest business woman at the time, the legacy that she created is truly remarkable. Not only did she understand the market and manage the demand for her product she was the pioneer behind the most notable champagne practice – riddling. Determined to improve the appearance of her product, she found that shaking the bottles loosened sediment stuck to their sides. The sediment would eventually settle to the bottom if the bottles were left upright. To get the deposits closer to the neck, she used gravity, cutting holes in her kitchen table to place the bottles upside down. Today machinery is used to recreate the riddling process, so don’t be left thinking that every champagne house is home to thousands of kitchen tables.

After the history lesson it was down into the chalk cellars again. Identical to the cellars of Ruinart it was hard to not feel a sense of déjà vu. The only marked difference between the two being the distance; a staggering 24 kilometres make up the Cliquot cellars. To avoid workers and bewildered visitors getting lost in the chasms a simple but ingenious solution has been employed – a painted yellow line from entrance to exit…a little like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz – though absent of the lion, tin man and scarecrow. However unlike Dorothy the yellow path didn’t lead me to the Emerald City, instead leading me to Veuve Cliquot’s most treasured possession – a bottle of the world’s oldest Verve Cliquot (c.230 years) salvaged from a Baltic wreck in July 2010.

From a late eigthteeth century bottle to a more recent vintage we were soon above ground enjoying some Veuve Cliquot NV Brut, Rose and vintage 2002s. Having not held a flute of champagne in twelve hours the first gulp was a welcome hit. Leaving the tasting room we were soon whisked away to the jewel in Veuve Cliquot’s crown.

Overlooking Veuve Cliquot’s premier cru vineyards at Bouzy is situated the Manoir de Verzy. Built in the second half of the 19^th century and acquired by Veuve Cliquot in 1902, this fine manoir was part of the wedding gift to the daughter of Alfred Werle, the widow Cliquot’s successor and Bertrand de Mun, who was later to head the firm. Throughout the 20^th century the manor was the residence of the heads of Veuve Cliquot vineyards and their families. In 1997, however, a major restoration project converted the manor for its new role and the building and grounds became a site for hosting special guests and a retreat for writers and artists due to its serene and tranquil setting.

Though sunny and hot the day before, today was decidedly cool and breezy, but that did little to deter us from venturing into the garden where we were presented with a glass of NV Veuve and canapés before lunch. Over the wall of the grounds a large plot of chardonnay vines has been assigned a special role, and is dedicated to highly achieving businesswomen. Since 1972, the Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year Award has been presented to remarkable female entrepreneurs throughout the world. It was launched by Alain  de Vogue, Bertrand de Mun’s grandson, and CEO of Veuve Cliquot from the 1972 to 1987, to coincide with the firms bicentenary, which was also celebrated by the production of the first Grande Dame vintage as a tribute to Madame Cliquot. Ever since the manor at Verzy was restored, it is there that the winners are received in June every year. The company devotes a vine within the Verzy vineyard to them, which henceforth bears their name – and every year they each receive a bottle of La Grande Dame for their birthdays.

Heading back inside we were host to a spectacular lunch. Unlike most menus where the wine plays ‘second fiddle’ and the food commands centre stage the reverse was true of this menu. Designed and prepared by a former employee of Alain Duccasse’s the brief of this particular menu was to marry the food to the wine; it worked beautifully and it was the first time I tried a Verve Cliquot’s Demi Sec.

After lunch we had a quick nosey around the rest of the manor and though it was a working winery in years past I was still surprised to see the relics of the past (a traditional basket press, sorting table and fermentation vessels) hidden behind one of doors at the side of the house.

Bidding farewell to the lady of the house, whose job it is to welcome guests from Veuve Cliquot we ascended the steps to the mini bus and headed off – destination home.

Though I am all for boutique wineries and artisan producers such as the domains and vignerons we seek out and support at Roberson, you cannot help but admire the goliath that is Champagne. A multi billion pound industry today, you would have reason to believe that over the years the money generated would have made the Grand Marques complacent. In reality nothing could be further than the truth. Through my visit to Ruinart and Veuve Cliquot it is very much evident that their quest for perfection is continuous and draws upon years of experience and history. Regardless of the correlation between the sustained investment in marketing generated from sales and the growth in demand what is undeniable is that over the years the quality has never been compromised – It’s never tasted better!