3 CHAMPAGNE READS FOR A SPARKLING SUMMER HOLIDAY

Are you in the middle of packing your bags, searching for your passports, and getting ready for the holidays? If this is the case, then hold off for a minute and leave some room in your bags: we have some bubbly suggestions for your vacation! Because this summer, it is time to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and take a relaxing time-out to recharge your batteries.

Lazy summer days are the ideal time for leisure activities, and reading is a wonderful way to flee into the world of imagination and lose yourself in effervescent stories. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of champagne books for you that are perfect for your trip.

Some vacationers may take along their favorite bottles and maybe even a set of fine stemware to enjoy their holiday, while others may focus on exploring local gastronomy and making new wine discoveries at their holiday destination. No matter how you approach the sunny weeks of the year, some sparkling moments should always be a part of it! So we’ve prepared three inspiring and entertaining Champagne reads you can slide into your travel bags. And in case you’re about indulging in the bubbly side of holiday life, we even set up an appropriate champagne pairing for each book!

With these books in your beach bag, all you need to do is put on sunscreen, throw on your sunglasses, and spread out your towel somewhere in a lovely place that allows for some effervescent self-care.

Happy summer holidays!

Champagne Read #1

Champagne Charlie: The Frenchman Who Taught Americans to Love Champagne

Author: Don Kladstrup (Potomac Books)

The book tells the story of a young Frenchman, Charles Heidsieck, who became famous under the name of “Champagne Charlie”. Living in the mid-19th century, he gathered his courage to travel to America – said to be a dangerous and difficult place for business endeavors – to introduce the American palate to the fine taste of effervescent champagne and develop business.

Not at all impressed by all these warnings, Heidsieck dives head-first into this land full of exciting opportunities and quickly finds success and recognition for his champagnes.

As the unforeseeable happens and the Civil War breaks out, Heidsieck is imprisoned and nearly executed over federal spying. When the Lincoln government ultimately intervenes, Heidsieck’s life is saved, but his champagne business isn’t as lucky. Bankrupt and almost dead, he attempts to rebuild his entire life with all efforts, and finds new success in Denver that helps him restore his business.

Champagne Charlie tells the success story of Champagne’s sparkling wines from the times when champagne was still a pale-colored, softly fizzy wine to when champagne became a sophisticated effervescent drink that conquered foreign markets by storm, with Charles Heidsieck at the forefront of flourishing sales in the United States of America.

Available in English.
ISBN: 978-1640123946

The perfect pairing for this champagne read:
Champagne Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs

Champagne Read #2

Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot

Author: Rebecca Rosenberg (Lion Heart Publishing)

This historical novel takes place in France in the year 1800, during the turbulent era of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign. It tells the fascinating story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, a woman attracted by the world of wine who is determined to make champagne, yet the national laws under Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign don’t allow women to own businesses.

She marries an aspiring winemaker to plunge into this sparkling universe anyhow, and years later, as her husband dies, Barbe-Nicole becomes “Veuve Clicquot” (veuve meaning widow in French) and continues to run the business her husband built, turning it into one of the most famous champagne houses.

Recounting this courageous woman’s story along the timeline of Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise and fall, the novel draws a multi-faceted and detailed portrait of the life of Champagne’s first famous widow. In pursuit of her passion and in defense of her ambitions, “La Grande Dame” lives through several marriages and relationships, as well as six Napoleon wars which threaten her business to fail. And as if this weren’t enough, she even has to defy Napoleon himself in another battle.

Available in English.
ISBN: 978-1732969919

The perfect pairing for this champagne read:
Champagne Veuve Clicquot Cuvée “La Grande Dame Blanc 2012“

Champagne Read #3

Champagne – A History of Bubbles

Authors: Daniel Lorson, Erik Arnoux, Jean-Marie Cuzin (Éditions du Signe)

If you’re not into reading long novels during your vacation, this book is for you. Daniel Lorson, Champenois by origin, comes from a family-run champagne domain in Chigny-Les-Roses in the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne.

Together with his two co-authors Erik Arnoux and Jean-Marie Cousin, he has created a graphic novel that recounts the most important facts of champagne history through illustration and short, approachable language.

In contrast to most elaborate champagne books or champagne guides that are filled with technical terms and high-end photography, the trio chose to create a book that touches on many major points in champagne history and champagne knowledge, yet the book remains a light-hearted, entertaining, and most of all fun read.

Throughout the book, you’ll find the names of many famous champagne houses that played a center role in Champagne’s history, and all of them will be great pairings to enjoy as you read through this book.

Available in English and French.
ISBN English version: 978-2746828551
ISBN French version: 978-2746828131

The perfect pairing for this champagne read:
Champagne Delamotte “Blanc de Blancs”