Champagne, uncorked : the house of Krug and the timeless allure of the world's most celebrated drink

Champagne, uncorked The house of Krug and the timeless allure of the world's most celebrated drink

Alan Tardi, 1956-

Book - 2016

Champagne is the epitome of effervescence, the centerpiece of celebration, and a symbol of good fortune. It has become an icon, a symbol of luxury, an emblem of the "good life," and few are not attracted to its sparkle. Champagne, Uncorked is a journey into the heart of this beloved wine, anchored by the year the author spent inside the very secretive, prestigious Krug winery in Reims, France. It tells the dramatic story of the creation of the Grande Cuvee, one of the most distinctive and high quality champagnes in the world, from the growing of the grapes to the challenges of harvest, through fermentation in old wood barrels, to the extended process of tasting and analyzing the wines which eventually result in the determination o...f the all-important final blend. During the course of the narrative, Alan Tardi jumps backwards and forwards in time, telling a larger story about the history and cultural impact of champagne. He reveals how we came to use champagne to celebrate (hint: we can all thank Napoleon) and introduces Eugene Mercier of Dom Perignon, who in 1889 built the "Cathedral of Champagne," one of the first modern examples of brand marketing: the largest wine cask in the world, holding about 200,000 bottles' worth of bubbly, it debuted at the Paris World's Fair that year as the second most popular exhibit (the first being the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower). He also regales us with the story of "Champagne Charlie," the first person to bring champagne to America, who was paid for his champagne in embargoed cotton during the Civil War and who was thanked for his effervescent contribution with the deed to a little town called Denver, Colorado. In Champagne, Uncorked, Tardi is our guide, taking us into the fields of France to learn how finicky grapes in an unstable climate can lead to a nail-biting season for the vintners, and deep into the caves at Krug, where the delicate and painstaking process of blending takes place, all of which culminates in the glass we raise to toast in celebration of life's finer moments. You'll never raise a glass of champagne the same way again.

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Subjects
Champagne (Wine)
Published
New York : PublicAffairs [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
Alan Tardi, 1956- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xix, 264 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (page 263).
ISBN
9781610396882
  • Author's Note
  • Prologue
  • Rue Coquebert
  • Part I. In the Beginning: The Birth of Champagne
  • 1. What Lies Beneath-La Champagne Viticok
  • 2. Into the Vineyards-Vintage 2013
  • 3. Growers, Suppliers, Presses
  • 4. Vendange
  • Part II. Coming of Age: La Belle Époque
  • 5. Fermentation
  • 6. Tasting, Tasting, Tasting
  • 7. Assemblage
  • Part III. Maturity: The Postmodern Era and the Rebirth of Champagne
  • 8. Let There Be Bubbles
  • 9. Maturation and Disgorgement
  • 10. Into the World
  • Epilogue
  • Acknowledgments
  • Appendix I.
  • Appendix II.
  • Appendix III.
  • Notes
  • Resources
  • About the Author
Review by Booklist Review

*Starred Review* The enjoyment of each bottle of champagne is a full sensory experience from the slight sigh of the cork to its intricate nuances of sight, smell, and taste and a wine unlike any other, from its rich and storied past to its unique fermentation processes. Tardi chronicles his time following a tense year in the life cycle of champagne, from harvest to bottling, at the renowned Krug house, expertly balancing his personal experiences with extensive historical research of the development and sophistication of champagne as well as the establishment of the Krug winery. The stress that those working in the winery undergo from the difficult 2013 harvest is amplified even more by the resounding pressures of sampling, rating, and preparing the perfect blend of wines to then transform into the highly prized Grande Cuvée. This odyssey is an organic reflection of the journey that champagne and the people of the region encounter, from the drink's humble beginnings as a sweeter, slightly effervescent wine plagued by the imperfection of bubbles to its rise as a culturally significant and much-sought-after drink across the globe. Part memoir and part history, Tardi's love letter to champagne can inspire the reader to delve deeper into viticulture.--Smith, Becca Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Food and wine writer Tardi (Romancing the Vine) takes an uncritical approach to an, admittedly, rarely criticized wine. The book begins with the 2012 harvest and gives readers an unprecedented look into the process of crushing grapes, fermenting, tasting, blending, bottling, and aging that leads to the Krug Grande Cuvée, one of the most prestigious non-vintage champagnes on the market. A second thread carries readers from the earliest days of Champagne as a wine-growing region of monks and small farms, through a developing landscape of personalities and world events, to the modern state of the drink as a luxury good, highly regulated and, though still created by many family vineyards, often controlled by massive corporations. While the handling of Krug often reads as embellished advertising, the details of the winemaking process, as well as the stories of the region's history, are compelling and interesting. The language vacillates between simple and technical, sometimes leaving a reader to wonder who Tardi's intended audience is, but the work carries a wealth of information for a reader at any level of wine expertise and is more accessible than the Grande Cuvée, if not quite as effervescent. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Champagne, like gold, has been prized by many over decades and even centuries. Chef and restaurateur-turned-food writer Tardi (Romancing the Vine) is among those who hold it in such regard. In his newest book, the author gains access to the Charles Krug Winery, the oldest in the Napa Valley. Tardi becomes familiar with the family history, the winemakers, and the cellar and field workers. The insight provided is akin to what has been captured on film but perhaps less often in books, although Eric Arnold's rambunctious New Zealand winery memoir First Big Crush: The Down and Dirty on Making Great Wine Down Under comes to mind. Tardi deftly melds the process of creating champagne with the story of the winery from its earliest days. The result is fascinating, all the more so for the rich side stories captured in endnotes. VERDICT An insider look into the workings of one champagne maker, expertly woven with a history of the beverage itself. Recommended where books on the subject are popular.-Peter -Hepburn, Coll. of the Canyons Lib., Santa Clarita, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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