Rebecca Rosenberg - A Stunning Tale of Ladies Revolutionizing the Champagne Industry!
Rebecca Rosenberg is a champagne geek, lavender grower and novelist of historical fiction of glorious women of the past. When Rebecca discovered the real-life stories of the Champagne Widows of France, she knew she’d dedicate years to telling the stories of these remarkable women who made champagne the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Rebecca is a champagne historian, tour guide, and champagne cocktail expert for Breathless Wines. Other award-winning novels include The Secret Life of Mrs. London and Gold Digger, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.
Please give us a short introduction to what Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne is about.
Madame Pommery created the world’s first Brut Champagne in 1870! She was a widow who had to support her family and she had no experience working at all. But she had a singular vision to change champagne from a sweet dessert wine to the dry, crisp wine to drink anytime. While she was making her champagne
What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?
I wanted to understand a woman who overcame amazing obstacles to create champagne that had never been created before, and then build the most beautiful winery in the world! In 1870 women could not own businesses, and Madame Pommery had the German Army turn her home into their headquarters during the Franco-Prussian war.
Why did you pick a champagne house in 1870 France as the backdrop for your story?
It’s a true story, and I have visited the “Champagne Widows” wineries in Champagne France and became obsessed about their amazing stories!
Tell us more about Madame Pommery. What makes her tick?
Madame Pommery had begun an orphanage for girls and taught them etiquette so they could get jobs as servants, so she knew social rules very well, and was the arbiter of rules in her community. She had to learn to break the rules in order to survive the war and create the champagne she wanted to make! She broke rules like when to harvest the grapes and the formula to make champagne. She broke rules about where to build her winery—the city dump! I love that she had to learn the hardest thing that shee could learn to get what she wanted.
Research: I was fascinating digging up information about Madame Pomemry, when not much is known about her. I scoured family records and the Pommery Winery historian who was very helpful.
Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?
I play mahjong every Tuesday afternoon, and challenge myself to win one game before I socialize!
Interesting cover. Please tell us more about how it came about.
The cover of Madame Pommery is an actual Pommery champagne poster! I am privileged to use this gorgeous artwork from the early 1900’s in the Art Nuevo style. Nothing is known about the artist.
This book is based on a true story. How much of it is fiction?
The basic facts of the story are entirely true. It is the conversations and her thoughts that are fiction but drawn by circumstances.
What are you working on right now?
I am working on the second book of the GOLD DIGGER series, with a working title of What Ever Happened to Silver Dollar Tabor? This is about Silver Dollar Tabor, the daughter of the most scandalous, richest couple during the Silver Rush. Silver Dollar was a motion picture actress and burlesque dancer in Chicago during the Roaring Twenties, and she met with a mysterious death no one ever figured out!
Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?
Sign up for notifications of new books: https://www.rebecca-rosenberg.com
