She was widowed at 27. She inherited a champagne house she didn't know how to run, in a country at war, in an industry that had never seen a woman at its helm.

Then she invented a technique that changed winemaking forever — and hid her finest vintage in the cellar rather than let Napoleon's enemies drink it.

Tilar Mazzeo — bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot, The Secret of Chanel No. 5, and The Hotel on Place Vendôme — told me the book began as a joke over champagne with girlfriends. Republished this week.

Part One: