Publisher Comments

The story of the visionary young widow who built a champagne empire, showed the world how to live with style, and emerged a legend.

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?

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.A young witness to the dramatic events of 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. 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.

Although the Widow Clicquot is still a legend in her native France, her story has never been told in all its richness — until now. Painstakingly researched and elegantly written, The Widow Clicquot provides a glimpse into the life of a woman who arranged clandestine and perilous champagne deliveries to Russia one day and entertained Napoléon and Joséphine Bonaparte on another. She was 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. Her legacy lives on today, not simply through the famous product that still bears her name, but now through Mazzeo's finely crafted book. 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 utterly intoxicating.

Author News

Mazzeo, an author who admits to having been cheered in a bleak midwinter by the Widow, set out to repay her with a biography only to find that the founder of one of the greatest houses of champagne left few personal letters and no diaries to draw on, only shelf after shelf of account books. Undaunted, she scoured the region for traces of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, the Widow Cliquot. From civic records, the history of the region and folk memory Mazzeo created a picture of the Widow's life and the time she lived in, from her childhood during the French Revolution to her death in 1866, immensely rich and famous. While it is impossible to know the woman herself intimately, the portrait that emerges is a convincing one of a smart and determined woman who took a small business and made of it an international enterprise. Mazzeo notes that, while Barbe-Nicole was one of the first, Louise Pommery, also a widow soon followed in her footsteps. However, until recently, there were no others. The widow Clicquot was a model for enterprising business women and one wonders why more did not emulate her. Annotation 2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Reviews:

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, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Billionaire's Vinegar

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

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

In this engrossing history, Don and Petie Kladstrup show how this sparkling wine, born of bloodshed, became a symbol of glamour, good times, and celebration. It's a story filled with larger-than-life characters: Dom Perignon, the father of champagne, who, contrary to popular belief, worked his entire life to keep bubbles out of champagne; the Sun King, Louis XIV, who rarely drank anything but; and Napoleon, who, in trying to conquer the world, introduced it to champagne.

Then there were the generations of local vintners who struggled to keep their houses running. Claude Moet hauled his bottles to Versailles and gave Madame de Pompadour her first taste of bubbly, prompting her memorable quote, "Champagne is the only wine that lets a woman remain beautiful after she has drunk it." There was also Charles-Camille Heidsieck, known as "Champagne Charlie," who popularized champagne in America and ended up being imprisoned as a spy during the Civil War.

World War I would be Champagne's greatest test of all, a four-year nightmare in which nearly everything the Champenois had worked and fought for was destroyed "in a rain of iron and fire." German bombardment drove thousands of people underground to seek refuge in the huge cellars of the champagne houses, where among the bottles you would find schools, hospitals, shops, municipal offices, and troops.

Amazingly, grapes continued to be harvested even as bombs fell, and the wartime vintages are considered to be among the finest ever made.

The Authors

Don and Petie Kladstrup are former journalists who have written extensively about wine and France for numerous publications. Don, a winner of three Emmys and numerous other awards, was a foreign correspondent for ABC and CBS television news. Petie, an Overseas Press Club winner, was a newspaper journalist and more recently protocol officer for the U.S. ambassador to UNESCO. The Kladstrups divide their time between Paris and Normandy.

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

"Life has become more joyous, comrades."--Josef Stalin, 1936

Stalin’s Russia is best known for its political repression, forced collectivization and general poverty. Caviar with Champagne presents an altogether different aspect of Stalin’s rule that has never been fully analyzed - the creation of a luxury goods society. At the same time as millions were queuing for bread and starving, drastic changes took place in the cultural and economic policy of the country, which had important consequences for the development of Soviet material culture and the promotion of its ideals of consumption.

The 1930s witnessed the first serious attempt to create a genuinely Soviet commercial culture that would rival the West. Government ministers took exploratory trips to America to learn about everything from fast food hamburgers to men’s suits in Macy’s. The government made intricate plans to produce high-quality luxury goods en masse, such as chocolate, caviar, perfume, liquor and assorted novelties. Perhaps the best symbol of this new cultural order was Soviet Champagne, which launched in 1936 with plans to produce millions of bottles by the end of the decade.

Drawing on previously neglected archival material, Jukka Gronow examines how such new pleasures were advertised and enjoyed. He interprets Soviet-styled luxury goods as a form of kitsch and examines the ideological underpinnings behind their production.This new attitude toward consumption was accompanied by the promotion of new manners of everyday life. The process was not without serious ideological contradictions. Ironically, a factory worker living in the United States - the largest capitalist society in the world - would have been hard-pressed to afford caviar or champagne for a special occasion in the 1930s, but a Soviet worker theoretically could (assuming supplies were in stock).

The Soviet example is unique since the luxury culture had to be created entirely from scratch, and the process was taken extremely seriously. Even the smallest decisions, such as the design of perfume bottles, were made at the highest level of government by the People’s Commissars. Sometimes the interpretation of 'luxury goods' bordered on the comical, such as the push to produce Soviet ketchup and wurst. This fascinating look at consumer culture under Stalin offers a new perspective on the Soviet Union of the 1930s, as well as new interpretations on consumption.

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

An insightful historical and practical guide which takes the reader on a journey through the fascinating world of champagne.

Flammarion presents its series of informative, richly illustrated guides, covering lifestyle and cultural topics. Find out everything you want to know about your favorite subject in one handy volume.

- Unique thematic treatment with extensive use of key words and cross-referencing
- Over 70 alphabetically organized bite-sized entries in every title
- Attractive slimline format
- 100 color illustrations
- Summaries of key facts and dates in easy-reference tables
- Exclusive buyer's guide or list of useful addresses to find out more

BUY A COPY

Publishers Comments

In the case of France, scholars sharply disagree, not only over the nature of French national identity but also over the extent to which diverse and sometimes hostile provincial communities became integrated into the nation. In When Champagne Became French: Wine and the Making of a National Identity, Kolleen M. Guy offers a new perspective on this debate by looking at one of the central elements in French national culture — luxury wine — and the rural communities that profited from its production.

Focusing on the development of the champagne industry between 1820 and 1920, Guy explores the role of private interests in the creation of national culture and in the nation-building process. Drawing on concepts from social and cultural history, she shows how champagne helped fuel the revolution in consumption as social groups searched for new ways to develop cohesion and to establish status. By the end of the nineteenth century, Guy concludes, the champagne-producing provinces in the department of Marne had developed a rhetoric of French identity that promoted its own marketing success as national. This ability to mask local interests as national concerns convinced government officials of the need, at both national and international levels, to protect champagne as a French patrimony.

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

Nothing says "celebration" like the sound of champagne corks popping, and cocktails made with sparkling wine are the perfect libations at festive occasions. They're crisp, fresh, fizzy, and delicious. What could be better when you're celebrating a wedding, a birthday, the beginning of a new year, or just the end of a long week?

In this beautiful little book, Kim Haasarud, the Liquid Chef, gives you 101 different stylish ways to celebrate with champagne and sparkling wine. You'll find recipes for all your bubbly favorites—Classic Champagne Cocktail, Bellini, Mimosa, and Kir Royale, to name just a few. But you'll also discover lots of creative contemporary cocktails that are sure to become the toast of the town. Liven up any celebration with a Limoncello Sparkle, Poinsettia Cocktail, or Sparkling Fruit Bath. For a summer cooler, try a cocktail made with sorbet, such as Hope Floats or Lady Temptation. And for a romantic evening, you can't go wrong with seductive cocktails like the Adam &Eve, Aphrodisia, and Passionate French 75.

So pick up a bottle of bubbly and get out the cocktail shaker. With the sensational champagne cocktails in this book, celebrating has never been easier—or more fun.

About the Authors

Kim Haasarud is the founder of Liquid Architecture (www.liquid-architecture.com), a beverage consulting firm that creates specialty cocktails for clients such as the Four Seasons Maui, Omni Hotels, and TGI Fridays. She conceives her signature cocktails much as an Alice Waters or a Wolfgang Puck would create a specialty dish, taking inspiration from market-fresh, high-quality ingredients. Kim's liquid cuisine has stirred up a huge following, and her cocktails have appeared in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to the Wine Enthusiast to Cosmopolitan. Kim is also the author of 101 Martinis, 101 Margaritas, and 101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks.

Alexandra Grablewski is a well-known food and beverage photographer whose work has appeared in Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and Wine Spectator as well as in many cookbooks.

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

Praise for Champagne For Dummies "A spiritual man, lover and devotee of Champagne, and one who expresses this passion with great talent. Magical words, effervescent phrases, and fizzy formulas celebrate a wine bubbling with crazy ideas.

I raise my glass to Ed McCarthy to thank him for evoking his ebullience for Champagne with such humor.", Christian Pol-Roger, Director General, Pol Roger & Cie.

Baffled by bubbly? Let wine expert Ed McCarthy clear away any confusion. What's the difference between brut and extra dry? Is Vintage Champagne worth the extra money? How good are Champagne-style sparkling wines from California? If you find shopping for Champagne a challenge, try this fun and friendly guide and discover just how easy it is to select the perfect bottle of bubbly.

Discover how to: Appreciate various Champagne styles Enjoy the author's favorite Champagnes Store and serve Champagne Pair Champagne with food Evaluate sparkling wines from the United States and other countries.

What's the difference between brut and extra dry? Is Vintage Champagne worth the extra money? How good are Champagne-style sparkling wines from California? If you find shopping for Champagne a challenge, try the fun, friendly, pretense-free guide "Champagne For Dummies" and find out just how easy it is to select the perfect bottle of bubbly.

Celebrate the new millennium with the crisp, classic, delicate elegance of "Champagne For Dummies"!

BUY A COPY

Publisher Comments

When people raise their glasses in celebratory toasts, few are aware of all the work behind the fizz. Here is a book to open their eyes with an inside look, from the vineyard to the marketplace, at the world of champagne. Just like good wine, the book begins with the grapes: variety, growing season, harvesting and pressing method. Blending, bottling, aging, fermenting and storage are also discussed. With a view to practicality, the author, himself a champagne manufacturer, looks at the marketing and business concerns of champagne, including the necessity of balancing quality and timely production. Since, by definition, champagne comes only from Champagne, France, a brief history of and visitor's guide to this region is also included. The final chapters look at vintages from 1900 to 2003 as well as the various families who make it their business to produce some of the world's finest wines.

BUY A COPY