[1] Once there, he was able to successfully integrate himself into the Russian Court and became close personal friends with the Tsar Alexander I and Czarina Elisabeth Alexeievna, which greatly elevated the esteem of Clicquot Champagne within Saint Petersburg.
[2] In the summer of 1812, following Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the tsar issued a decree banning the import of French wines in bottles.
While the Widow (Veuve in French) Clicquot distracted the stationed soldiers by opening up her cellars with all the champagne they could drink, Bohne coordinated the loading of a Dutch merchant vessel docked at Rouen with more than ten thousand bottles.
Upon arrival in Königsberg, Bohne's shipment was met with eager enthusiasm by the Russian elite,[4] with even the tsar himself making a visit.
The first-to-market success of this venture firmly established Veuve Clicquot's stature as Russia became the second largest consumer of Champagne in the world.