Yuletide Sparkle: Champagne, History & Heroines

What might the 21 Ladies of Quality & Distinction, the noblewomen who championed the opening of the Foundling Hospital in 1739, have raised to their lips in a toast?

It is unlikely to have been gin, that demon spirit satirised by Hogarth in his work “Gin Lane” as the ruination of society. Nor perhaps the everyday ales of “Beer Street,” nourishing though they were. For women of influence and refinement, there was something altogether more glittering: sparkling wine.

Although legend erroneously credits a certain French monk with inventing bubbles in wine, the truth is far more complex – and surprisingly more British. In fact, the style of Champagne most familiar to us today – dry and crisp– was shaped by British preferences. By the time the Foundling Hospital first opened its doors, sparkling wine was already the fashionable choice of royalty and society’s great and good. The Ladies of Quality and Distinction, one imagines, may have been sipping their way through a few effervescent glasses.

This December, enjoy some festive sparkle with Jane Peyton, drinks expert and founder of the School of Booze, as she returns to the Foundling Museum for the third in her series of historical tasting tours.

In this festive and fizz-filled evening, you will:

• Blind taste a selection of sparkling wines made by different methods and discover how the technique shapes the drinking experience and the bubbles in your glass.
• Put your palate to the test by identifying a mysterious interloper – a crucial player in the history of sparkling wine.
• Hear the unexpected history of women at the heart of Champagne – from the pioneering Widow Clicquot to the indomitable Lily Bollinger – and their parallels with the Foundling Hospital’s own Ladies of Quality and Distinction.
• Enjoy stories, myths and surprises, as Jane bursts some bubbles with her unique wit and wisdom.

Raise a glass, celebrate the season, and toast the women – past and present – who shaped the history of bubbles.

Jane Peyton is an alcoholic drinks expert, writer, broadcaster, and public speaker. She is the founder of the School of Booze consultancy. Jane was Britain's first Beer Sommelier of the Year, the UK’s first accredited cider sommelier, and is a former Drinks Educator of the Year. She is the author of several non-fiction books including The Philosophy of Beer, The Philosophy of Gin, The Philosophy of Cocktails, and The Philosophy of Cider.

Host or Publisher The Foundling Museum