Around The Table
THE COASTAL POUR
The Coastal Pour
21 June 2026
"I've been drinking Champagne for years and nobody had ever explained the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine in a way that made sense."
"For the first time I understood why some bottles cost more than others."
"I thought Veuve Clicquot was popular because it was good. I never realised there was a woman behind it, and what she achieved."
"I've attended wine tastings before. This felt completely different because I remembered the stories, not just the tasting notes."
"I have never felt so genuinely embraced, valued, and included at an event before"
What I Noticed
Guests arrived talking about labels.
Veuve Clicquot was mentioned more than once.
When I asked why, the answers were almost always the same.
"It's the one I know."
"It's everywhere."
"Everyone drinks it."
But something changed once we started talking about Barbe-Nicole.
The widow who took over at twenty-seven.
The woman who challenged convention.
The woman whose influence can still be found in Champagne today.
By the end of the day, people weren't talking about labels.
They were talking about people.
And I noticed something else.
Nobody was discussing dosage or technical details on the drive home.
They were talking about stories.
The Marquis.
Barbe-Nicole.
The families behind the bottles.
People come for the Champagne.
They remember the stories.
