Le champagne is a celebratory wine that marks special occasions, brings joy, represents elegance and the finer things in life. When you think of le champagne, you think of happy times. Ironically, la Champagne is a region that is known for its harsh weather and bloody history. From the Romans who invaded Gaul at the beginning of the 1^st century, to the Nazis who pillaged the cellars in the 20^th century, many a soldier has marched through the Champagne hillsides during the last 2000 years. Learning about the history of the wine and the region will help you understand and respect its people and the “King of Wines and the Wine of Kings”.  

I will take you on a five-part journey from the Romans who invaded Gaul in the 1st century to the rappers who sing about champagne today. It will be a bit of a rollercoaster ride because the history of le champagne and la Champagne is filled with many ups and downs. Along the way you will learn lots of fun facts.

Part 3: From the Revolution to Industrialisation: you will learn how champagne shifted from being a celebratory wine for the elite, to a mass-produced wine exported to almost every part of the world, and how women were instrumental in making this happen.

Among other things, we will chat about:

• Napoleon’s relationship with champagne
• the explosion of technical innovations 
• the contributions of the famous widows Clicquot, Pommery, Perrier
• the proliferation of Houses
• the need for trade unions

I will be using Zoom to host the online video chats. If you have never used Zoom before, don’t worry, it is simple as pie. When you register for the session you will receive a link to join online at the given time. You just need to follow the simple instructions to download and run Zoom a few minutes before the session starts. If you are nervous about it, I am happy to do a test run with you whenever suits you best.
 

Duration:  1.5 hours
 

Cost: 10€ for Delectabulles members and 15€ for non-members