Base Wine Masterclass with Veuve Clicquot

Join us at this exclusive tasting masterclass with Maison Veuve Clicquot, hosted by Emmanuel Gouvernet, senior winemaker and technical committee member.

Base wine tasting is a crucial foundation to champagne making. Yet it is difficult to gain access to learn about this key stage of champagne production.

With thanks to Maison Veuve Clicquot, the Curious Vines community will have the opportunity to taste base wines and gain education around the foundation of Champagne from one of their key winemakers, Emmanuel Gouvernet.

Please note: As part of our education support for gender equity, this tasting is for women and non-binary wine professionals in the Curious Vines community whose primary job is in the wine industry.

When: Tuesday 27th October 2026, 10am to 12pm

Where: Möet Hennessy UK Offices, 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH

Please arrive at 945am as the session will start promptly at 10am.

About Veuve Clicquot

Founded in Reims in 1772, Veuve Clicquot remains faithful to its motto: "Only one quality, the finest." In 1805, Madame Clicquot took over the Maison, becoming one of the first female entrepreneurs of the modern era. She quickly earned the title "La Grande Dame of Champagne."

Her free spirit, boldness, and innovative culture have continuously inspired the Maison. Despite challenges, she looked to the future with confidence and accomplished the near impossible for a woman of her time: revolutionising the champagne industry. Madame Clicquot created the first riddling table, still in use today, the first vintage champagne, and the first known blended rosé champagne.

Her iconic cuvée, Brut Yellow Label, symbolises over two centuries of expertise at the heart of an exceptional heritage. The yellow color, present on its labels since 1877, also symbolises the rising sun.

About Emmanuel Gouvernet

Emmanuel grew up between Provence and the Camargue, in a sun-soaked terroir were tradition, gastronomy, and cultural richness meet. Born into a family of winemakers and hospitality professionals, he developed an early sensitivity to ingredients, nature, and the values of conviviality, quality, and transmission that define the French art of living.

He spent over ten years traveling through major French and international wine regions to train as an oenologist and refine his vision. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, he founded several companies in wine, entertainment, and events, building a dual expertise: technical and hands-on, as well as strategic and relational.

From Australian vineyards to Canadian horizons, and from Bordeaux cellars to the light of Provence, his journey eventually led him to Champagne, where he joined Maison Veuve Clicquot, overseeing communication and oenological development.

As a senior winemaker and member of the tasting committee, Emmanuel crafts cuvées with care and precision. Attentive to innovation while rooted in tradition, he continues Madame Clicquot’s legacy of audacity, always guided by a pursuit of quality.