Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg

November 4, 2023

Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg

After her husband's sudden death, Madame Alexandrine Pommery discovered that they were seriously in debt. To support her family, she decided to sell off her husband's wool business and focus on the winery that he owned as a side business. But instead of making the blended red wine he always sold, she decided she would focus on making a new type of champagne, a vintage that was less sweet and more refreshing, that could be consumed anytime rather than only with dessert.

Fascinating look at a lesser known historical figure, a woman who changed the world of champagne making and how we enjoy champagne today. Before Madame Pommery began her winery, the champagne of her day was more like what we call asti spumanti today. I really enjoy sparking wines like pro secco and champagne, so I found this fictional biography quite interesting. On the cover of the book, note that she is leaning against a champagne coupe - today we usually drink sparkling wine from flutes.

The real Jeanne Alexandrine Pommery

The Pommery Winery in Reims in the Champagne region of France - Madame Pommery wanted a building that looked like a Scottish castle

Pommery champagne - technically only sparkling wine bottled in the Champagne region can legally be called champagne (American vineyards don't pay much attention to this)