Can anyone recommend a good one? I’m not looking for tasting notes. More interested in history of big houses, growers, methods, etc.
Champagne by Tom Stevenson, Sotheby’s Press
I’ll add that besides Tom Stevenson’s books, I think Michael Edwards has done a great job with his Finest Wines of Champagne book.
Tom Stevenson just released a new “Christie’s world encyclopedia of Champagne and sparkling Wine” a few days ago. Haven’t read it though
JF
Richard Juhlin
4000 Champagnes
I don’t think Juhlin’s books really do a good job at getting into the history of things or even a good synopsis of a producer. Stevenson’s books do an okay job on some produces, but many are quite short. Michael Edwards’ book is probably the best to get a feel for what top producers are doing and how they got there. For overall Champagne history, methods, etc… I would go with Stevenson’s books as they do a good job there.
Is this the Edwards book you are recommending, Brad, or is there something more recent? The online review of this one says it’s short on technical details.
Hmm, what did I do wrong with that link?
Thanks for all the responses everybody. Looks like I am going to give the Stevenson and Edwards books a try.
Timely thanks
You’re missing the right ] after the first
Thanks, James. Actually, turned out it was also an “é” that threw it off. Removing the accent put things right.
You might check out Dan Ginsburg’s “The Art and Business of Champagne”. I got used version for $10 including shipping from Amazon and while a bit idiosyncratic author, some decent info. Mike
David,
Yes, that is the one. Is it a perfect book? No, but I think it does a very good job. While I can understand the request to know about new vs. used oak, method for making a Rose, etc… that would be a multi-volume, money losing effort in the book world. That information is out there, but changes so fast and from year to year, cuvee to cuvee, that a book is not the best place to get that down and dirty. Some of that info is in the book, but not for every wine reviewed or every producer presented.
Thanks, Brad, just ordered it. I can always use another good book on Champagne. Agree with you about the Stevenson and Juhlin books. Juhlins’ have a lot of TNs but are short on history and context, and TNs have a pretty limited useful lifespan. I like Stevenson’s approach and look forward to a more in-depth treatment from Edwards.
Champagne by Don and Petie Kladstrup is a nice historical view and a reasonably quick read. Not really a reference book though.
Juhlins TN’s are actually quite useless as they are not dated.
While it’s not a book, Peter Liem’s site, champagneguide.net, is loaded with very useful producer profiles, articles and tasting notes. The articles tend to be on one-off topics but the profiles and tasting notes usually have what I’m seeking. While I have Tom Stevenson’s and Michael Edwards’ books and find them very good, I often first go to Peter Liem’s site when I’m trying to understand the background and different bottlings of a producer. I find that those different resources work well together.
What was the champagne and war book? I bought it, read and enjoyed it, and passed it along. Now I can’t remember what it’s called.