All Aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with Veuve Clicquot to Celebrate Its 250th Anniversary
14 July 2022
How do you suppose a great Champagne house celebrates its own birthday? With Champagne, naturally, and plenty of it. If the birthday is of an extra-special, extra-large-number variety, then some additional measures beyond the obvious are called for. Thus, Veuve Clicquot marked its 250th anniversary in June 2022 with a suitably lavish blowout: an overnight journey from the maison’s headquarters in Reims to Venice aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, followed by a night at the Cipriani for jelly-legged revellers to regain their composure over a further glass or two of Champagne.
The fact that Veuve Clicquot and Belmond, which owns both the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the Cipriani, belong to the same LVMH family no doubt helped make the party planning a little bit less complicated. However, the itinerary was no accident. It retraced the journey taken by Veuve Clicquot’s first-ever exported consignment of Champagne, which was shipped from Reims to Venice in 1772.
As luck would have it, Jean Imbert, the tousled prodigy who succeeded Alain Ducasse in the kitchen at the Plaza Athénée, had been appointed as head chef of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express just a month or so previously. He developed a unique menu for this unforgettable journey, designed to be complemented by vintages selected by Veuve Clicquot’s cellar master Didier Mariotti.
Dinner was as sumptuous as the velvety-plush, ornately mirrored dining cars in which it was served. Dishes included spider crab, sea bream, and lobster à la Parisienne, each accompanied by an appropriate vintage of La Grande Dame. Consequently, most of the 120 passengers moved to the bar car afterwards, where a live band and a trio of dancers enhanced the vibrant atmosphere.
On the second morning of the trip, passengers were encouraged to spring out of bed at dawn and return to the dining cars to admire the sun rising over the Swiss Alps. I was there shortly after 5 am and can confirm that uptake was limited. Interestingly, some early birds arrived in pajamas, which added to the celebratory tone of the occasion.
Later, Imbert showed me around one of the train’s three kitchens. This did not take long, as each kitchen is approximately the width of a bathtub. That 12 cooks can present Michelin-grade cuisine à la minute for 120 passengers is nothing short of miraculous.
Imbert reflected on the challenges of cooking on a moving train, particularly the task of making a perfect soufflé. Variations in speed can affect oven temperatures, making it difficult for soufflés to rise properly. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be surprised if I found a perfect soufflé on the menu during a future trip on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
That afternoon, Imbert surprised everyone with a ‘street food’ lunch menu, featuring a burger wrapped in Veuve Clicquot-branded greaseproof paper. The response was mixed, but I found it fantastic, especially when paired with the heavenly ‘Extra Brut and Extra Old’ Veuve Clicquot, a top-notch multi-vintage blend of reserve wines.
As we eased into Santa Lucia station, I had expected the gilt-and-tassels fantasy to end. However, I underestimated the dreaminess of Venice. A long, jasmine-scented night at the Cipriani provided a soft landing, an effortless glide back down to earth beneath a silken parachute, cushioned at the last instant by a fine mousse of Champagne bubbles.
