Champagne Women

There’s a new wave of women running France’s historically male-dominated champagne houses, bringing a little-known piece of the region’s history full circle.

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here’s a new wave of women running France’s historically male-dominated champagne houses, bringing a little-known piece of the region’s history full circle. Unexpected entrepreneur Anne left a big job in Paris to save her family’s fourth generation champagne house from an economic downturn, but first had to win over workers who threatened to strike during the harvest. She went on to export her wine globally and establish a cooperative for women in the wine industry. Elodie grew up watching her mother run the 400-year-old family champagne house, run by women for the last four generations after wars and deaths prompted them to take over.

Elodie’s family is a symbol of the pioneering widows who built global empires at houses like Veuve Clicquot, Laurent-Perrier, Pommery, Krug and others. Forced to run the family businesses while their husbands fought in the war, these women maintained the vineyards, providing a livelihood for the community and developed the foundations of champagne from bottle shape, to brut-style and even its status as a luxury product.

You’ll meet Anne, an Unexpected Entrepreneur banding together with other women to continue a more-than 200-year-old renaissance. Hear how four generations of women in Elodie’s family kept the business relevant and thriving. Listen to inspiring tales about how the widows behind the biggest names in champagne achieved meteoric success during some of the most difficult periods in history and walk through the vineyards where it all happened.

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The French champagne world was forced to open its doors to women 200 years ago, when husbands went to fight wars and left their wives in charge of maintaining the business, and the local economy. Later, vineyards passed to sons and the industry was again run by men. More than a handful of unexpected female entrepreneurs have stepped in to rescue their family businesses and rich histories, following in the footsteps of those who built the champagne industry.

In Champagne Women, meet Unexpected Entrepreneur Anne, who left a big job in Paris to save her family’s fourth generation champagne house from an economic downturn, but first had to win over workers who threatened to strike during the harvest. “I was a woman and an outsider.” Eventually, she established herself as head of the champagne house, and now sells their label globally. Anne also formed a cooperative for other women working in the industry.

Elodie grew up watching her mother run the 400-year-old family champagne house, run by women for the last four generations after wars and deaths prompted them to take over.

Anne and Elodie are leading a renaissance that began with pioneering, self-taught businesswomen behind the biggest names in champagne – most of them widows, like La Veuve (the widow) Clicquot. She and others were tasked with reversing the fortunes of often failing champagne houses. They established the foundations of the industry – from the bottle shape to the flavor, luxury status, and even wine tourism. Madame Pommery grew production to 2 million bottles annually and Madame Krug traded champagne for Nazi secrets.

In Champagne Women, you’ll meet Anne, an Unexpected Entrepreneur banding together with other women to continue a more-than 200-year-old renaissance. Hear how four generations in Elodie’s family kept the business relevant and thriving. Allow yourself to be inspired by the widows who built empires during some of the most difficult periods in history and visit the vineyards where it took place.

Champagne Women

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