Visiting Veuve Clicquot

My very first press trip ever. I had to report to the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam at 8:30 on Tuesday morning. Not a bad start right?

My esteemed travel company included Janine Breukenhoven-Kho from Pret-a-Pregnant, Karine Bloem from thedigitalistas.com, Jan Willem Huffmeijer from b4men, Florian Rottmann the brand manager Moet Hennessy The Netherlands (who jumped a mile high during the Germany-Brazil match) and Sylvia Blazer from PR Agency Coebergh.

To Reims in style

After a quick cup of green tea in the brasserie, we found three brand new Mini Coopers waiting outside the door for us. With the screeching of tyres, we left for Reims. Destination Veuve Clicquot vineyards. It rained. Not a little, but buckets. From the moment we left to the moment we arrived. That meant heavy traffic along the way and the picnic we had planned (with lunch basket from the Amstel Hotel) in the grass, under the sun turned into picnic hiding under the open boot somewhere along the roadside in Brussels. Oh well, it had a certain something.

Between the grapes

Luckily the wine cellars were dry. A very charming French lady showed us around. Twenty four kilometers of wine cellar with an unknown number of Veuve Clicquot bottles ripening or waiting for transport. Eight percent of the annual amount of Veuve Clicquot is still handmade (turning of bottles). Fortunately there are also machines, cause it seems like quite a job to me. Fermentation, second yeasting, ripening, remuage, I recognised many of the words and the information from my hotel-school days. I found it all very interesting, a trip made for me.

Like a princess

We stayed at the Hotel Du Marc, the residence of the family Veuve Clicquot. The driveway alone was impressive, the entrance breathtaking and the butlers were super friendly. It was our home for one night. I got a room the size of a ballroom, a gigantic bed, beautiful smelling bathrobe and the most exquisite bath-tub I have ever seen. Including foam by Bulgari.

Á Table

I wore a sequenced skirt for the evening, one that has been hanging in my closet for the last six years, but always looks good. I dressed it with a black top from Zara and heels by Diane Von Furstenberg.

We took our places in an incredibly beautiful dining room. Chandeliers, high ceilings and a table set with crystal and silver. I was seated next to Olivier Livoir, our host who told us everything about the house and explained the different Champagnes to us, which were served with each course. Delicious white fish, truffle, haricot vert, bulgur, French cheese and red fruit. All equally tasty. Complimented by the Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

It was terribly chic. Even the smoking room was stylishly decorated with a giant size box of cigars (I decided to pass), beautiful art and a TV. The men, of course, all tried to watch the football out of the corner of their eyes. I discussed the best looking men from the football teams with the ladies.

Like a log

After dinner, I danced around my room a little, but fell asleep as soon as my head touched the fluffy white pillows.

Breakfast was a laid back affair. Fresh fruit, (real!) croissants, pain au chocolat and orange juice. We departed with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and drove back to Amsterdam. A horror trip. Storming and endless rain. But we didn’t care.

As of now, I only want to drink Champagne and live in that house if possible, eat with silver cutlery and enjoy leisurely breakfasts. Sigh, I was living a dream for two days. It was fabulous.

Veuve Clicquot bits of info

-Hotel du Marc: The house of Veuve Clicquot, built in 1840, located in the Champagne capital Reims. Staying over is exclusively for friends, family or business partners of the house (lucky me).

-Widow Nicole-Barbe Clicquot inherited the house at age 27, after her husband followed by her father-in-law, died. The ‘grande dame’ brought Veuve Clicquot to fame. She also invented a handy way to remove the dead yeast cells from the Champagne without affecting the bubbles and produced the first rosé Champagne.

-Veuve Clicquot Pondsardin produce around 17 million bottles annually.

-The Brut Carte Jaune (most sold champagne) is 55% pinot noir, 15% pinot meunier and 30% chardonnay.

-Veuve Clicquot owns around 515 hectares of vineyard.

-Where to buy it? These days you can buy it at almost any off-license and is most commonly priced at € 44,95.

-The slogan of Veuve Clicquot is ‘Only one quality, the finest’.

Cheers to that!