Champagne on a roof garden

Posted on August 17, 2016

LOWRES - VC-AquaNueva--®EdBlomfield-2749 This summer we have collaborated with Veuve Clicquot at aqua nueva and built a gorgeous roof top terrace garden – our #RichRoofGarden. This garden is in celebration of the new RICH ROSÉ Champagne by Veuve Clicquot, to go along with their RICH Champagne which launched last year. Both RICH Champagnes are designed to be served over ice, with a twist, such as lime, ginger, pineapple or Earl Grey Tea with the RICH ROSÉ; and grapefruit, pineapple, cucumber, peppers or Earl Grey Tea with the RICH. LOWRES-VC-AquaNueva--®EdBlomfield-2768 As befitting such a renowned drink Champagne has an interesting history, and Veuve Clicquot is arguably the most famous Champagne brand. It was the efforts of Madame Clicquot that put the Champagne region on the map, with her audacity and forward thinking she broke traditions and changed a failing business. Veuve Clicquot RICH is continuing Madam Clicquot’s ethos of innovation by rethinking what Champagne can be, and the sweeter notes of Veuve Clicquot RICH evokes the original form of Madame Clicquot’s Champagne.

In the early 1800s Francois Clicquot died, leaving his veuve (widow) in charge of the family’s sparkling wine production. Under the guidance of Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, the Champagne house developed a technique of turning the bottles during the second fermentation. This was done by storing the Champagne bottles in a rack, later called the riddling rack. This rack places the bottles of wine on a tilt, with the mouth of the bottle pointing down, letting the impurities settle at the cork and allows for safe extraction of sediment. This technique is still used today. Legend has it that the first riddling rack was made from Madam Clicquot’s kitchen table. Riddling racks led to the ability of mass producing the wine, and changed the history of Champagne!

In 1818 Madame Clicquot invented Rosé Champagne, therefore we think it is safe to say that the Champagne region owes a lot to this dynamic woman, who is best summed up in her own words:

“The world is in perpetual motion and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before the others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life.”

The original Champagnes were sweeter than they are now, and Veuve Clicquot RICH is a nod to that history and a play on words – ‘rich’ means sweet in French.

If you are interested in Madame Clicquot, we would definitely recommend reading The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It!

Click here to book a table at aqua nueva, and enjoy an aperitif on the terrace beforehand! #RichRoofGarden LOWRES-VC-AquaNueva--®EdBlomfield-2890 LOWRES-VC-AquaNueva--®EdBlomfield-2873Glasses on bar