The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It

Marc Notes:
Includes a reader's guide.;Includes bibliographical references (p. [195]-254) and index.;Veuve Clicquot champagne epitomizes glamour, style, and luxury. But who was this young widow--the Veuve Clicquot--whose champagne sparkled at the courts of France, Britain, and Russia, and how did she rise to celebrity and fortune? Cultural historian Mazzeo brings to life the woman behind the iconic yellow label: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin. A young witness to the French Revolution and a new widow during the chaotic years of the Napoleonic Wars, Barbe-Nicole defied convention by assuming--after her husband's death--the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured, and became one of the world's first great businesswomen and one of the richest women of her time. This book provides a glimpse into the life of a daring and determined entrepreneur, a bold risk taker, and an audacious and intelligent woman who took control of her own destiny when fate left her on the brink of financial ruin--From publisher description.

Brief Description:
The Widow Clicquot is the New York Times bestselling business biography of the visionary young widow who built a champagne empire, became a legend in her tumultuous times, and showed the world how to live with style. Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life the woman behind the label, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, in this utterly intoxicating book that is as much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered and fascinating woman.

Jacket Description/Back:

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 dizzying political and financial reversals, 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.

"If you like champagne, The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J. Mazzeo is definitely worth a drink." - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

"Mazzeo's tale moves swiftly through Barbe-Nicole's many accomplishments, including her method for storing bottles nose-down--an innovation that allowed the second fermentation detritus to be cleared efficiently, setting her far ahead of her competitors." - Los Angeles Times

"Told in a light and graceful style that is just right for its subject.... A fascinating trip, made even more so by Ms. Mazzeo's charming cameo appearances as a kind of tour guide.... An intoxicating business biography." - Julia Flynn Siler, Wall Street Journal

"Full of fascinating morsels of information." - Canberra Times

"Tilar J. Mazzeo's informed and enlightening biography of Madame Clicquot, the widow and, more important, the businesswoman, retrieves her vintage story as if looking for a rare bottle in one of the Champagne region's deepest caves." - Newsday

"A gripping story. And while the book appears to be a feminist history/business biography, it's also the appealing story of the author's odyssey." - Austin Chronicle

"An enticing stew of biography and history." - USA Today

"The Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo's sweeping oenobiography of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, is the story of a woman who was a smashing success long before anyone conceptualized the glass ceiling." - New York Times Book Review

"Joan of Arc and Madame Clicquot were the two women heroes I knew when growing up in France. What a gift to have this new, well-researched biography of one of the world's first 'legitimate' businesswoman, our contemporary as a global business leader." - Mireille Guiliano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of French Women Don't Get Fat

"The Widow Clicquot is someone we should all know about.... Long a shadowy, legend-obscured figure, in Tilar Mazzeo's agile hands the widow sheds her weeds and takes form before our eyes as a distinctly modern entrepreneur....The result is narrative history that fizzes with life and feeling." - Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire's Vinegar

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.

Review Citations:

• New York Times Book Review 11/08/2009 pg. 36 (EAN 9780061288586, Paperback)
• New York Times Book Review 12/28/2008 pg. 5 (EAN 9780061288562, Hardcover)
• New York Times Book Review 01/04/2009 pg. 18 (EAN 9780061288562, Hardcover)
• Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 311 (EAN 9780061288562, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Mazzeo, Tilar J

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.