The Widow Clicquot

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge, and Sam Riley! "Narrative history that fizzes with life and feeling.” — Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire's Vinegar The New York Times bestselling biography of the visionary young woman who built a champagne empire, became a legend, and showed the world how to live with style Veuve Clicquot champagne epitomizes glamour, style, and luxury. In The Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life—for the first time—the fascinating woman behind the iconic yellow label: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who, after her husband's death, defied convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together. Steering the company through the dizzying political and financial reversals of the Napoleonic Wars, she became one of the world's first great businesswomen and one of the richest women of her time. As much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered woman, The Widow Clicquot is the captivating true story of a legend and a visionary. This rich biography uncorks the story of a woman who changed everything:- A Woman in a Man's World: Discover how Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, widowed at 27, defied nineteenth-century convention to take control of her husband's fledgling wine business.- Navigating the Napoleonic Wars: Follow her journey as she steers her company through immense political and financial turmoil, risking ruin to get her champagne to the world.- The Birth of an Empire: Learn the secrets behind the iconic yellow label and how one woman's audacity and innovation in wine making created a global symbol of glamour and luxury.- Rich French History: Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoléon, this is a story of survival, ambition, and the creation of a business legend.

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the author of numerous works of cultural history and biography, including the New York Times bestselling The Widow Clicquot, The Secret of Chanel No. 5, and nearly two dozen other books, articles, essays, and reviews on wine, travel, and the history of luxury. The Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College, she divides her time between coastal Maine, New York City, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.