<strong>Legendary namesake:</strong> French champagne house Veuve Clicquot, which translates as "Widow Clicquot," is named for a pioneering woman who transformed it into one of the world's most loved fine wines.
Legendary namesake: French champagne house Veuve Clicquot, which translates as "Widow Clicquot," is named for a pioneering woman who transformed it into one of the world's most loved fine wines.
Veuve Clicquot
<strong>Widow Clicquot: </strong>Wealthy aristocrat Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot took on her late husband's wine business during a period when the idea of a woman of her status working would have been totally unimaginable.
Widow Clicquot: Wealthy aristocrat Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot took on her late husband's wine business during a period when the idea of a woman of her status working would have been totally unimaginable.
Veuve Clicquot
<strong>Visionary businesswoman:</strong> Madame Clicquot came up with a revolutionary technique for producing rosé champagne, blending red grapes and white grapes together rather than using berries to add a pink tint to white wine.
Visionary businesswoman: Madame Clicquot came up with a revolutionary technique for producing rosé champagne, blending red grapes and white grapes together rather than using berries to add a pink tint to white wine.
Veuve Clicquot
<strong>Impeccable standards: </strong>Madame Clicquot would turn down orders if the champagne didn't meet her standards and insisted that everything, from bottles to corks, was of the highest quality.
Impeccable standards: Madame Clicquot would turn down orders if the champagne didn't meet her standards and insisted that everything, from bottles to corks, was of the highest quality.
Veuve Clicquot / Leif Carlsson
<strong>Worldwide impact: </strong>The champagne house began shipping internationally to customers in the U.S. and South America in the late 18th century and Madame Clicquot organized shipments to China and Australia in 1847.
Worldwide impact: The champagne house began shipping internationally to customers in the U.S. and South America in the late 18th century and Madame Clicquot organized shipments to China and Australia in 1847.
Veuve Clicquot
<strong>Historic site: </strong>Veuve Cliquot's original Bouzy vineyard, has extended throughout France's Champagne region now covering 382 hectares.
Historic site: Veuve Cliquot's original Bouzy vineyard, has extended throughout France's Champagne region now covering 382 hectares.
Veuve Clicquot / Jean Baptiste
<strong>Impressive legacy:</strong> 2018 marks 200 years since Madame Clicquot reimagined rosé champagne, creating a more complex and characterful drink.
Impressive legacy: 2018 marks 200 years since Madame Clicquot reimagined rosé champagne, creating a more complex and characterful drink.
Veuve Clicquot
<strong>Famous fans:</strong> It became the bubbles of choice for a remarkable array of people including Britain's Queen Victoria and fictional secret agent James Bond.
Famous fans: It became the bubbles of choice for a remarkable array of people including Britain's Queen Victoria and fictional secret agent James Bond.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Hublot
<strong>Family mansion: </strong>Madame Clicquot's former home in Reims, the capital of France's Champagne region, is now a by-invitation-only hotel named Hôtel du Marc.
Family mansion: Madame Clicquot's former home in Reims, the capital of France's Champagne region, is now a by-invitation-only hotel named Hôtel du Marc.
FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Modern thinker:</strong> "The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow," wrote Madame Clicquot in a letter to one of her great-grandchildren. "One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life."<br />
Modern thinker: "The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow," wrote Madame Clicquot in a letter to one of her great-grandchildren. "One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life."
Francoise Nascimbeni/AFP/Getty Images