Celebrating the Ladies of Champagne this March

St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar by St Pancras are hosting two very special ‘Ladies of Champagne’ masterclasses in celebration of International Women’s Day this March. The unique events will be held on Tuesday 12th and Saturday 23rd March in St Pancras’ specially designed Kitchen Bar. Guests will have the chance to sample three taster glasses of Champagne, each of which celebrates great women within the industry in its own way.

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Throughout the month of March, in celebration of the ladies of Champagne, Searcys Champagne Bar will also serve small glasses of the below Champagne trio for £26, or with smoked salmon and William Curley chocolates for £32.

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The Champagne Masterclasses will begin with a glass of Veuve-Clicquot, Yellow Label, NV. With ‘veuve’ translating as ‘widow,’ it is Madame Cicquot whose remarkable story is behind this eminent Champagne. In 1798 she married François Clicquot, son to the founder of the Maison Clicquot, who shared his passion and knowledge for champagne with his young wife. It was because she had spent this time at his side that Madame Clicquot was able to take the reins of the family house after the untimely death of François in 1805. Breaking the mould, she dared to assume the head of the company, a role she undertook with passion and determination. Uncompromising when it came to the quality of her wines, she perfected new techniques of production. She invented the “table de remuage” (riddling table) to clarify champagne, and  innovated the very first blend of rosé champagne, becoming known by her peers and in history as the “Grande Dame of Champagne.”

Guests will then be guided through an equally remarkable bottle: Champagne Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blanc 2012. Again founded by Madame Fourny in an era when women were excluded from the business world, the historic Champagne Veuve Fourny & Fils owes its success to another pioneering matriarch. The estate is located in the prestigious Côte des Blancs, and in keeping with Searcys’ pledges to sustainability, Veuve Fourny is particularly well suited: The new generation of Fourny brothers sustainably farm nearly nine hectares of vineyards, carrying on the family winegrowing tradition and sticking to their core principles. The Fournys believe in minimal dosage for all of their Champagnes, preferring to let the individual terroirs express themselves more clearly. This technique, in addition to their dedication to partial malolactic fermentations in their overall blends, impeccable vineyard management, and their decision to age most base wine partially in barrel, all contribute to their unique style.

Finally, guests will be treated to a glass of Perrier Jouet Blason Rosé NV, a Champagne House steeped in romance and femininity. Founded in 1811, Perrier Jouët was the lovechild of young newlyweds Pierre Nicolas Perrier, the son of a wine grower– and Rose Adelaide (Adèle) Jouët, the daughter of a wine merchant. Ambitious and passionate, the couple invested in land in Epernay, Avize and Cramant. Symbolic of his affection for his wife, Nicolas shared the title of the family business with Adéle, combining both surnames to form Perrier-Jouët. This was a unique and defiant gesture given the traditional position of women during the 1800s, honouring Adèle’s esteemed influence in the craftsmanship of their product. Set amongst some of the most prosperous Grand Cru vineyards in the Champagne region, they built the House of Perrier Jouët; still in operation two centuries later.