Champagne

Champagne: Wine of Kings and the King of Wines guides you through the astounding history of how this delicious drink became the hallmark of celebrations, commiserations and partying across the globe.

Divided into five parts, the first section looks at the process of making champagne and how the subtle blend of grapes produces a notable house style, as well as the vintage years and the special cuvées. The history of champagne is then discussed, from the earliest Champagne-makers, through the centuries – with effects of revolutions, wars and peacetime – to the establishment of the regulatory body, the Comité Champagne and, finally, the recent award of World Heritage status by UNESCO. On The Champagne Trail, part three, is the core of this beautiful volume, providing individual entries on all the major Champagne Houses, the lesser estates, co-operatives, growers and variations of sparkling wine. Each entry contains a history of the House and explores the notable traits of their products, together with tasting notes recommending which champagne to try.

The fourth chapter discovers the growing interest in sparkling wines of the world while final section examines the social and cultural impact of champagne – how it has become a part of certain traditions; its development almost as a character in its own right in literature, film and song, whether it be as the tipple of the world's favourite spy, James Bond, or the object of affection (or even disaffection!) for artists; and how the world would be a poorer place without it.

In good times and in bad, champagne has raised the spirits and marked key moments in people's lives, whether it be a marriage, the birth of a newborn or the passing of one year to the next. Written, and fully revised and updated, by a man with great knowledge of the drinks business, the beautifully illustrated Champagne: Wine of Kings and the King of Wines is for both the connoisseur and the newcomer.

About the Author

Tom Bruce-Gardyne, a Scotsman from Edinburgh, is a journalist and author who has enjoyed a love affair with his native city. Tom has a passion for champagne and acts as a wine-tasting guide on tours of the Champagne region. He was a long-time columnist for the Herald & Times newspaper group in Edinburgh and his books include The Scotch Whisky Book and The Deuchars Guide to Edinburgh Pubs.