The Corkscrew | Behind many great champagnes is an even greater woman

The Champagne region of France has had a long and illustrious history of women who have left their mark on the wine world.

First and foremost is Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot (née Ponsardin), whose motto, "only one quality, the finest", still resonates today. In 1805, at the age of 27, after the untimely death of her beloved husband, Francois, she took over the reins of the Clicquot family's companies, including the champagne house. With the help of her father-in-law, Philippe Clicquot, she brought the house bearing her name (" veuve" is French for "widow") great acclaim. She was one of the first to ship champagne to the East - China received 48 bottles of Veuve Clicquot in 1847, around the same time as the Treaty of Canton was signed between Sweden-Norway and Qiying, the viceroy of Liangguang. Perhaps the parties involved raised a glass of Veuve Clicquot as a toast.

The innovations Madame Clicquot brought to the wine-making process are still in use today. At the time, champagnes were cloudy, because of the second fermentation, which left residual yeast sediment in the bottle. Madame Clicquot created "riddling", a process that clarifies the wine by gradually turning the bottle upside down so the sediment settles at the neck. The sediment is removed by immersing the neck of the bottle in ice so it freezes, then quickly opening the stopper (a cap similar to that used on bottles of beer) so that the frozen plug of sediment is disgorged by the pressure from the bubbles. The bottle is then topped up with more wine and sealed with a champagne cork. Legend has it that she had holes drilled into her dining table to demonstrate the process to her cellar master. This innovation alone gave her champagnes superior distinction in the market.

Today, Veuve Clicquot's top cuvée is La Grande Dame, an award-winning homage to Madame Clicquot that is made only in the best years.

There are more recent examples of noted women in Champagne.