The finest wines of Champagne : a guide to the best cuvées, houses, and growers / Michael Edwards ; foreword by Hugh Johnson ; photography by Jon Wyand.

Cover image for The finest wines of Champagne : a guide to the best cuvées, houses, and growers / Michael Edwards ; foreword by Hugh Johnson ; photography by Jon Wyand.

ISBN:

9780520259409

Title:

The finest wines of Champagne : a guide to the best cuvées, houses, and growers / Michael Edwards ; foreword by Hugh Johnson ; photography by Jon Wyand.

Author:

Edwards, Michael.

Personal Author:

Edwards, Michael.

Publication Information:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2009.

Physical Description:

320 p. : col. ill., col. maps ; 23 cm.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1.History, Culture, and the Market: Holy Oil to Liquid Gold -- 2.Viticulture: Quality and Sustainability -- 3.Winemaking: Art and Heart of the Cuvee -- The Finest Producers and Their Wines -- 4.Reims and the Montagne de Reims -- 5.Ay and the Vallee de la Marne -- 6.Epernay and the Cote des Blanes -- 7.The Cote des Bar -- Appreciating the Wines -- 8.Vintages: Year by Year 2008-1988 -- 9.Wine and Food: Champagne Gastronomy -- 10.Top-Ten Tables: The Finest 100.

Subject Term:

Wine and wine making -- France -- Champagne-Ardenne.

Champagne (Wine)

Viticulture -- France -- Champagne-Ardenne.

Added Corporate Author:

Fine Wine Editions

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2009

Publication Information:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2009.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
641.2224 EDW	Book	1	Standard shelving location	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Champagne is synonymous with celebration and success--but have its festive associations detracted from its status as a fine wine in its own right? Drawing on his intimate knowledge of a classic but rapidly changing region, Michael Edwards takes a radically different approach in this unrivaled, terroir -based guide to the world's best sparkling wines. Ninety in-depth profiles of the best small growers as well as the greatest houses are organized geographically--from the finest producers of the great city of Reims, wine towns of Epernay and Aÿ, and the leading villages of the Marne, and to the rising stars of the Aube (Côte des Bar) and beyond. Edwards also discusses the culture of Champagne, reviews trends in viticulture and winemaking, and investigates controversial solutions to the current crisis of success in a region that cannot satisfy global demand for its wines. Additional sections explore the gastronomic traditions of the area, give advice on pairing Champagne with food, survey the vintages of the past 20 years, list the wines with the best price-to-quality ratio, and more, making this extensively illustrated work a true connoisseur's guide to the most glamorous and perhaps the most enigmatic of French wines.

Author Notes

Michael Edwards is a writer specializing in Champagne and gastronomy. He is the author of the best-selling Champagne Companion (winner of Le Prix Lanson), Pocket Guide to Champagne and Sparkling Wine , and The Red Wine Companion . Edwards is also a regular contributor to The World of Fine Wine among other publications.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy by author and wine master Belfrage and The Finest Wines of Champagne by food and wine writer Edwards are similar in format and type of information presented. Both books are enjoyable reads, and the photographs by Jon Wyand are outstanding. The works are essentially divided into two sections. Each begins with a brief history of the region and a description of the grapes utilized and the special viticultural and enological methods employed. This prelude to the section on wine producers is valuable as an introduction to a reader with limited experience with either region. This history/methods section is longer in The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy due to the relatively recent changes in Italian wine law that has had a positive impact on the quality of all Italian wines. It is also longer because of the large number of grape varieties, wine styles, and production methods used across Tuscany and central Italy. The "Finest Producers and Their Wines" section in each book puts a human face on each region's wines and further exposes the reader to both individual producers and the writers' opinions about conditions that make their wines merit the "finest" declaration.Both books contain elements that this reviewer appreciated. Each presents its information in an open, objective manner, often punctuated by statements of opinion and judgment. Importantly, both note when they are providing their personal views. The Finest Wines of Champagne notes the historical impact of the regional definition of Champagne on other French wine regions (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, etc.) that have ultimately influenced such definitions worldwide. Indeed, the DOC/DOCG definitions explained in the Tuscany work owe much to these previous French experiences--as do Napa, Sonoma, Barossa, Marlborough, etc. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers who enjoy and wish to learn more about wine. G. S. Howell emeritus , Michigan State University