The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It (P.S.)

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 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.

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Published Oct 6, 2009

293 pages

Average rating: 6

47 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Lanai Life
Aug 29, 2025
8/10 stars
As a lover of all things wine, history and women accomplishing amazing feats, this book had it all. Some in our book club felt the book was a bit too technical and had a limited story line in the relationships of the characters. I believe the author worked hard to be factual. There is very little written about the Widow as far as her relationships, so the author did a good job of sharing the facts and touching on the rumors that surrounded Barb-Nicole and her family. This is a great story of a driven, talented, successful woman in the world of champagne. The bibliography contains many sources for those who may crave more.
Miss Maggie
Jun 11, 2025
5/10 stars
An interesting story, very poorly told. This woman's life was clearly interesting, and she defied the norms of her day to do amazing things. I appreciated the historical context, but the author was (as she admits) working with limited source material and the book is full of speculation about what might have happened or what must have been happening. A little of that is fine, but here it went on for pages, and the speculations about her love life were totally unnecessary and added nothing. Left out is information that would have rounded out the story without requiring speculation, such as: How is champagne actually made? Where all all the referenced places (maps would have been useful!)? In addition, the book would have benefited from serious editing to remove repetitive material and reword the sections where the author inserts herself into the story.

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