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By JEFF HOUCK

jhouck@tampatrib.com

Published: November 2, 2008

"The Widow Clicquot," by Tilar J. Mazzeo (Collins, $25.95)

To many, a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne is a true taste of luxury. Few in this country know the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who rescued her deceased husband's fledgling winery from financial ruin in the post-French Revolution years, a time when women rarely held the reins in a male-dominated industry. As a result, the label joined the ranks of those considered the gold standard for sparkling wine. Mazzeo overturns dusty artifacts and even dustier memories in French wine country to flesh out the extraordinary widow's tale.

"The Essential Cocktail," by Dale DeGroff (Clarkson Potter, $35)

DeGroff is widely recognized as the country's foremost mixologist and a major reason that the cocktail culture has come back in force during recent years. In this book, he not only offers recipes for some of the most popular bar concoctions, but he also dissects the history of their development and explains why the flavors work as well as they do. A spin through this book will have you hoisting a glass in DeGroff's honor.

"Windows on the World Complete Wine Course," by Kevin Zraly (Sterling, $24)

Much has changed in the wine industry in the quarter-century-plus since this textbook was written to correspond with the wine class given at Windows on the World at One World Trade Center in New York City. In the past 15 years alone, consumption of wine has grown by more than 40 percent in the United States. Zraly updates this text - the most popular wine book in the country - to reflect those changes and updates the worldwide wine scene without bogging it down too deeply with details. Take this book with you next time you swan dive into the collection at the wine store.

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