Ponsardin (pon-sar-dan) is the widow (or "Veuve") Clicquot's maiden name. That is, a young Nicole Barbe Ponsardin married Francois Clicquot near the turn of the 19th century. A few years later, Francois died unexpectedly. He was survived by Nicole and their daughter, Clementine. She went on to help industrialize the champagne industry as we know it today, most notably for removing the sediment from the wine bottle without losing the gas bubbles.
