Bubbly badasses of Champagne
There’s a long history of ladies leading the revolutionary charge in Champagne. They paved the way for today’s chef de caves and champagne house leaders. Some were visionary, some were innovators, some were marketers and born leaders, but what they all had in common says Cynthia Coutu is “They were all bubbly badasses.”– Kathleen Smith
According to the Union Des Maisons de Champagne, today, a very small percentage of Champagne cellar masters are women, a paltry 17%, 40% of the estates of champagne growers are owned by women, 28% in high powered management roles in Champagne houses, while 70% of wine purchases in France are made by women. In the United States, women account for 86% of wine purchases in a $56.65-billion wine industry. Although the financial impact of women’s purchasing power for the wine industry is significant their role does not correlate with the social, cultural, and economic status of women that work in it.
Nevertheless, there has been significant progress towards a bright and sparkling future with two prominent groups of women in Champagne leading the charge, breaking down barriers and contributing to shaping the champagne industry: Les Fa’Bulleuses and La Transmission.
Les Fa’Bulleuses
Lifting each other up as women in wine in Champagne, Les Fa’Bulleuses is a unique group of seven women from different backgrounds, with different experiences and stories, who share a passion for Champagne and a deep-rooted champagne history that runs through their veins. This shared heritage has bought them together not just to support each other but uniquely to make a collective wine. The members are:
Delphine Brulez, Champagne Louis Brison
Hélène Beaugrand, Champagne Beaugrand
Charlotte de Sousa, Champagne De Sousa
Claire Blin, Champagne Maxim Blin
Laureen Baillette, Champagne Baillette-Prudhomme
Sophie Moussié, Champagne Guy Méa
and Mathilde Bonnevie, Champagne Bonnevie Bocart
I had the immense pleasure of meeting this dynamic group at Printemps des Champagnes this past spring of 2023 with fellow Canadian and empowering woman-in-wine, Cynthia Coutu, a Champagne educator, judge and guide. The fellowship, the camaraderie, and the warm smiles of the group expressed their passion for wine and excitement of the first cuvée they have made together - a blend of all of their wines, the cuvée is called ISOS, bottled October 15th 2022 and is due to be released in 2025.
The members of Les Fa'bulleuses
La Transmission
La Transmission is bursting the traditional male-dominated industry's bubble, too. This time not in terms of making a wine but in support. La Transmission is a group of nine women of different ages and roles united to support each other. The members come from Champagne houses of all shapes, sizes and sub-regions. They are:
Evelyne Boizel, Champagne Boizel
Delphine Cazals, Champagne Claude Cazals
Charline Drappier, Champagne Drappier
Chantal Gonet, Champagne Philippe Gonet
Margareth Henriquez, formerly Champagne Krug
Anne Malassagne, formerly Champagne AR Lenoble
Alice Paillard, Champagne Bruno Paillard
Mélanie Tarlant, Champagne Tarlant
and Vitalie Taittinger, Champagne Taittinger
Newcomers Nathalie Doucet, Champagne Besserat De Bellefon and Angéline Templier, Champagne J. Lassalle joined La Transmission this past June. The women in La Transmission transmit their knowledge and empower future generations of winemakers through regular meetings, conferences and events. Positive change is being brought about by these groups of women within their own spheres of influence but the individuals, the cellar masters and winemakers are also making headway for today’s women in wine.
The members of La Transmission (photo credit: Gildas Boclé)
So why is it important to create more visibility for women in Champagne and encourage more of them to pursue a career in this male dominated category? Sophie Signolle believes that their superior tasting abilities are fundamental:
”Women are more aware of the delicate flavours of champagne," says Sophie Signolle, president of the Commission of Women Winemakers of Champagne. "Their nose and palate have more finesse, more subtlety.”
But there are those that take a more pragmatic approach and see talent as the only barometer of value. In 2020, Julie Caville became the first female cellar master at Krug, she had worked with Eric Lebel there since 2006 and was greatly influenced by La Transmission’s Maggie Henriquez, Krug’s inimitable President and CEO.
'It’s not about women versus men,” she says. “I think each person’s background, education, life experience, and intrinsic personality transcend gender. Of course, I am happy to see more female talent being recognized, but the important thing to remember is that they are first and foremost talented.”
Others are keen to point out that visibility is the key. Alice Tétienne of Champagne Henriot observes:
‘We as women are humble. But we’ve always had women in the Champagne industry. It is not that we don’t have women in the industry, it is just that we don’t talk enough about them. But they are here.”
Kathleen Smith with Bertille Gaidoz of Champagne Gaidoz-Forget
Cynthia Coutu with Melanie Tarlant of Champagne Tarlant
The evidence, certainly for Cellar Masters, doesn’t echo Tétienne’s feeling: of 370 Champagne houses only 17 have female Chef de Caves. However, her observation may soon be borne witness to if the number of women studying viticulture in the region is anything to go by: 60% of students are currently women.
As for winemakers, today’s generation of women making wine in Champagne is strongly committed to sustainable, organic and environmentally conscious winemaking. The rise of women winemakers has already changed champagne and will certainly continue to do so as the next generation passes down traditions and explores new ways to innovate.
For hundreds of years, women have added their passion and art to the world of champagne. To quote Floriane Eznack, former Chef de Caves at Champagne Jacquart, "there is love between women and champagne.” The women of the past have paved the way for the current generation of winemakers and cellar masters to take a greater role, as well as placing women into positions of power as CEOs and owners of champagne houses. The role of women in Champagne, like champagne bubbles, is strong, persistent, and filled with positive energy. It is being redefined through generations, through teamwork, fellowship, and banding together, and will continue to thrive as female influence grows and flourishes.