The vineyards were unusually quiet. It was 1941. Across Europe, war had already redrawn everyday life. In Champagne, families watched over vineyards they could no longer take for granted. Cellars became shelters. Harvests became acts of resilience, and the future of many historic houses hung in the balance.
At 42, Elisabeth Bollinger found herself at the centre of it all. Her husband, Jacques, had died unexpectedly, and she inherited the Champagne Bollinger house during one of the most uncertain periods in modern history. She was childless. She was grieving, and she was suddenly responsible for a maison whose story stretched back to 1829, while the world outside was in chaos.
She could have stepped aside. But instead of merely preserving that legacy, she intended to craft the next chapter. She believed that every decision worth making started where the grapes began. She walked the vines. Then she walked the world.
Over the decades that followed, at a time when female business leaders remained an exception, Lily (as she became affectionately known) quietly carved her place among the great personalities of the wine world. She travelled extensively, representing the House to overseas markets, naturally becoming one of Champagne’s most remarkable ambassadors and influential figures the region has ever known. She became a familiar figure in an unfamiliar world: a woman moving between vineyards, cellars and distant markets, carrying the Bollinger name far beyond the rolling chalk hills of Champagne.
What made her so remarkable was not simply her commercial success and sheer determination. It was her philosophy of Champagne’s place in everyday life. To her, it was never just a luxury product. It belonged to life’s natural rhythm. To quiet reflection. To gratitude. To companionship. To ordinary days made extraordinary.
People often asked Lily when Champagne should be enjoyed. Her answer never sounded rehearsed. It sounded like someone who had simply spent a lifetime living with Champagne. Her most famous quote remains one of the most beloved in the wine world and is a personal favourite.
“I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it — unless I’m thirsty.”
The line is witty, as Lily herself was. Yet beneath the humour lies a philosophy that feels remarkably essential and modern.
Somewhere along the way, we inherited a different idea of Champagne, often presented as reserved for grand occasions of life. Milestones, weddings, birthdays, promotions and midnight festivities. Lily saw it differently: not merely celebration but appreciation.
This versatility is one of the reasons why Champagne remains unique among the world’s great wines. It is inseparable from the region that gives it life. Its cool climate, chalk soils and centuries of craft have shaped a savoir-faire unlike anything else.
For Lily, protecting that identity mattered deeply. Authenticity, patience and craftsmanship were never marketing concepts; they were values to be upheld.
Those values continue to define Bollinger today. Rooted in the historic village of Aÿ, it has never chased fashion but instead pursued character and vineyard-first philosophy. Decade after decade, vintage after vintage, its confidence has come not from changing with the times, but from remaining true to itself and its family. There is substance behind the elegance, much like the woman who helped shape its reputation.
Eight decades later, her words still have an uncanny way of finding us, because our search for meaningful moments hasn’t changed. I thought about Lily and her famous quote on a recent evening in Johannesburg.
The city has a peculiar light at the end of the day. Glass towers glow amber, and the city’s relentless pace softens almost imperceptibly. From the San Deck at the Sandton Sun, with its expertly curated Champagne list, it looked particularly glorious under the softening light. The meetings were behind me. The work was done, and emails could wait. Traffic became distant. The pace slowed, moving from ambition to connection. In the particular quiet of that hour, the air felt earned. Surrounded by people with whom gratitude feels most natural, Champagne was the right fit, and a bottle of Bollinger la Grande Année captured the moment perfectly.
The cork graciously eased with a pleasing exhalation. Everybody paused. Nobody rushed to drink as the first glass caught the last light of the afternoon. Then everyone savoured the delicious craft.
I believe Lily would have smiled at the occasion. I don’t remember exactly what we spoke about. But I remember the emotion. Who was around the table. The laughter. The light. Perhaps this is Champagne’s greatest gift. Not simply marking a moment, but reminding us to appreciate it.
And sometimes, that is reason enough to open a bottle of Champagne.
- Hervé Delabesse is the founder and CEO (Champagne Experience Officer) at Source Privée.
Wanted
