An intertwined history of France, the extraordinary women who fought for equal rights and the most acclaimed sparkling wine in the world
Finally a book about the illustrious women who throughout history made Champagne’s community of Grandes Dames so diverse, powerful & inspiring. To my knowledge this is the first & only non-fiction book entirely dedicated to retracing the history of women in Champagne.
The book captures the strength, beauty & spirit of some of the most influential women who gave and still give Champagne its heart & effervescence!
“The Women Who Shaped a Nation And those Who Shaped Champagne” by M.S. Copin is an absolute MUST-READ!
A compelling page-turner one won’t want to put down.
A binge-reading treat!
There is a great affinity between women & Champagne that goes beyond the “girly drink” gender stereotype.
The history of champagne is filled with fantastic examples of smart, fierce & passionate women who successfully ran Champagne Houses.
And while Veuve Clicquot is the pioneering woman credited for having started this female revolution in Champagne, many others have followed her footsteps & continued Clicquot’s legacy making their own creative, groundbreaking mark in their own bold and individual way.
The history of champagne is filled with fantastic examples of smart, fierce & passionate women who successfully ran Champagne Houses.
There have been numerous female heads of Champagne Houses or Chef de Caves in the past and in the present!
Champagne Houses:.
- Berta de Pablos-Barbier (Moët et Chandon)
- Carol-Duval Leroy (Champagne Duval-Leroy)
- Maggie Henriquez (Champagne Krug)
- Anne Malassagne (Champagne AR Lenoble)
- Alexandra Pereyre de Nonencourt (Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Delamotte, De Catellane & Salon)
- Stéphanie Meneux de Nonencourt ( Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Delamotte, De Catellane & Salon)
- Évelyne Roques- Boizel (Champagne Boizel)
- . Delphine Cazals (champagne Claude Cazal)
- Charline Drappier (Champagne Drappier)
- Chantal Gonet (Champagne Philippe Gonet)
- Alice Paillard (Champagne Bruno Paillard)
- Vitalie Taittinger (Champagne Taittinger)
- Mélanie Tarlant (Champagne Tarlant)
- Laureen Baillette (Champagne Baillette-Prudhomme)
- Hélène Beaugrand (Champagne Hélène Beaugrand)
- Claire Blin (Champagne Maxime Blin)
- Matilde Bonnerie (Champagne Rochet-Bocart)
- Sophie Moussié (Champagne Guy Méa)
- Christine Piot-Sévillano (Champagne Piot-Sévillano)
- Delphine Brulez (Champagne Louise Brison)
- Charlotte Le Gallais (Le Gallais Champagne)
- Sandrine Charpentier-Olivier (Champagne Veuve Olivier et Fils)
- Virginie Taittinger (Champagne VirginieT)
- Marie-Ines Romelle (Champagne Marie Césaire)
- Nichole Johnson (Lapin Rouillé Champagne)
- Véronique Blin (Champagne Nicolas Feuillate)
- Marie-Noëlle Henriot (Champagne Henriet-Bazin)
- Céline Bonnefond (Piper Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck)
- Nathalie Vranken (Champagne Vranken Pommery)
- Garance Thiénot (Champagne Thiénot)
AND THE LIST GOES ON………..
Cellars (les “Chefs de Cave”):
- Julie Cavil (Champagne Krug)
- Caroline Latrive (Champagne Ayala)
- Séverine Frerson (Champagne Perrier-Jouët)
- Alive Tétienne (Champagne Henriot)
- Carine Bailleul (Champagne Castelnau)
- Monique Charpentier (Champagne Mercier)
- Isabelle Tellier (Chanoine Fréres / Tsarine/ De Venoge)
- Sandrine Logette-Jardin (Champagne Duval-Leroy)
- Joelle Weiss (Champagne Jacquart)
- Nathalie Laplaige (Champagne Joseph Perrier)
- Charlotte Eschbach (Champagne J. de Telmont)
- Céline Gasco (Champagne Charles Lafitte)
- Aurélie Barrat (Oenologue Le Brun Cooperative)
- Sabrina Roussel (Champagne Vranken Pommery)
- Laurence PLoyez (Champagne Ployez-Jacquemart)
- Chantal Decelle & Angélique Templier (Champagne J. Lassalle)
A handful of these women have come together to unite under two female-run organizations in Champagne: La Transmission and Les F’a Bulleuses de Champagne .Two groups with a laser-focused interest in the advancement of women in key roles within the Champagne industry as well as the promotion of the diverse champagnes they respectively elaborate.
La Transmission (created by Anne Malassagne of AR Lenoble and Maggie Henriquez CEO at KRUG) brings together women in senior positions (owners, directors and cellar masters) many in major houses.
Les F’a Bulleuses de Champagne is made up of thirty-something year old friends who have taken charge at independent family growers. Their goal is safeguard their independence and promote the group’s Champagnes in group tastings.
…what these female business titans, passionate warriors & ingenious creators all have in common: making a difference & driving positive changes in an industry that is still predominantly male-dominated, while paving the way for other women to follow in their footsteps.
Stepping outside of Champagne, France, let us also salute some of the other women in the world of fizz making an impact including: Remi Cohen (Domaine Carneros, Napa), Eileen Crane (former head of Domaine Carneros, Napa), Pauline Lhote (Domaine Chandon, Napa), Sibylle Scherer (CHANDON’s CEO & President, Argentina), among numerous others.
M.S. Copin has written a fantastic book. It truly is a captivating read!The history of Women in champagne is the stories of so many SHEroes.… after all, no grand story ever started without some champagne!
About the book:
“The women who shaped a nation and those who shaped champagne: An intertwined history of France, the extraordinary women who fought for equal rights and the most acclaimed sparkling wine in the world” is a feminist non-fiction essay that recounts the fascinating tales of women who, too often forgotten in the shadow of their male counterparts, changed the destiny of France, fought against the prejudices and discrimination related to their gender and enriched the world’s most acclaimed sparkling wines.What is the connection between France, women and Champagne?
La Champagne, the French winemaking region, is perhaps more than any other area at the heart of significant triumphs and tragedies in French history. Le champagne, the magical wine, was born in the eponym region thanks to the invaluable contributions of the countless women, sometimes anonymous and sometimes famous grandes dames (the widows who gave their names to the great champagne houses).
And so, both homonymous French region and famous sparkling wine became a pretext, almost an excuse, to narrate in this history of France the great endurances and the tales of many admirable women: queens, brave warriors, sensual mistresses, political activists, artists, proto-feminists, as well as ordinary civilians; who fought for equal rights and challenged the status quo of their time (Roman tradition, Salic Law, Christian dogma, French Revolution which omitted to accord women citizenship status, the Napoleonic Code and societal perceptions and prejudices in general) to change the feminine status and position in French society.
In this historical and sociological reflection on the feminine condition in French history, viticultural passages which explore champagne-making, as well as portraits of influential women, whether leading figures in the history of France or Champagne itself, are sprinkled throughout the narrative to take the readers on an exciting journey by means of compelling stories: the tales of those women who changed the destiny of France and its most famous wine.
Order your copy now: https://www.amazon.com/women-shaped-nation-those-champagne/dp/B08Z4CTCPR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=m.s.copin&qid=1626980972&sr=8-1
