Champagne Tasting: "Merry Widows"

"When I'm happy, I drink champagne. But I also drink it when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company, I consider it my duty. I enjoy it when I'm not hungry, and I drink it when I am hungry. Otherwise, I don't touch it. Unless I'm thirsty." Lilli Bollinger

When it comes to champagne, we must talk about women. Specifically, women who not only drank champagne but loved it and lived by it. Women who created iconic sparkling wines that became synonymous with luxury, beauty, wealth, and success. A toast to the glory of widows - those who played a lion's share in shaping champagne as we know it today.

In the early 19th century, it was women who ran the most famous champagne houses in history, tirelessly working to perfect the attributes of champagne wine now considered most important. From the iconic bottle shape, through the refinement of vintage wines to the marketing face of champagne, intoxicating us with the feeling of the most luxurious commodity. These "merry widows" transformed bottles of bubbles into the most coveted jewel of exclusivity.

Why widows? Unlike many women of that era, widows had the opportunity to conduct business independently. While unmarried women depended on their fathers or brothers, and married women had to rely on the money and power of their husbands, widows were allowed to own property, manage businesses at their discretion, control their own finances, and move freely in society.

During this tasting, you will learn the stories of five women behind the most famous champagne houses. Throughout this experiential evening, we will sample five champagnes. We will compare exceptional rosé champagne in both vintage and non-vintage versions, ultra brut champagne, also known as brut nature, the favorite champagne of the Austro-Hungarian imperial court, and rarely produced champagne, the flagship of the Bollinger house.