Widow Clicquot
Sparkling costume drama about the life of the ‘Grande Dame of Champagne’, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (1777-1866) who had to pull out all stops to protect the Clicquot heritage after her husband’s death.
Set in France during the Napoleonic Wars, WIDOW CLICQUOT tells the true story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, otherwise known as Veuve (the French word for widow) Clicquot. At the age of 20, she married the scion of a winemaking family. Though their marriage was arranged, a timeless love blossomed between Barbe-Nicole and her poetic, unconventional, and erratic husband, François.
In the weeds after her spouse’s untimely death, and now a mother to Clémentine, Barbe-Nicole is still enamoured and enthralled with François’ avant-garde experiments. Named Veuve at age 27, she is determined to protect her family’s legacy and boldly challenge the men – as well as the state – set on stripping her of her vineyards.
Determined to advance her husband’s theories about soil chemistry, the configuring of vines, and revolutionary techniques in bottling, Barbe-Nicole wagers on the next harvest and her own blend of sparkling wine. Challenged by the capriciousness of the seasons, the aggressive competitor Monsieur Moët, and the Napoleonic Code of 1804 barring women from running businesses, the elegant and luminous widow must succeed or lose everything. (source: www.tiff.net)