When you start getting all twee and arty about wine is usually when most people switch off. But that’s ok, us wine geeks have this theory that the reason so many people like wine is that it’s this amazing mix between art, history, geography, and science. If you’re interested in one, then you’ll get into wine, no problem. Luckily I love 3 of them. As my old secondary school teachers will attest to; I’ve always hated bloody Geography!
But it’s the history that I love so much. So this morning, when I was sifting through some headlines to sort out for my Twitter feed I came across a piece in Forbes about the Grand Dames of Champagne. The lasses who dragged some of the big names kicking and screaming into the limelight and, being old school and French, did it with such style that we’re still talking about them all these years on.
They had Madame Clicquot, they had Madame Lanson de Nonancourt (of Laurent Perrier), but above all else sits Lily Bollinger. A fierce businesswoman with huge pride in her workforce, and huge enjoyment for what she did. She also left us with the best quote about drinking (Champagne) I’ve ever read:
“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise, I never touch it—-unless I’m thirsty.”
A votre santé, Dame Lily!
Cheers
