Author(s): Becky Sue Epstein

Cooking/Wine

Everyone loves 'bubbly'. From the smash of a bottle on the side of a new ship to the pop of the cork at a gathering, champagne signals celebration, fun and camaraderie, all over the world. This book is for those who not only enjoy champagne but who'd like to learn more about it. Becky Sue Epstein chronicles this most ebullient style of wine. She reveals its history and the celebrities who made champagnes famous early on and continue to do so today - from Dom Perignon to the widow Veuve Cliquot - and tells us about the world's first sparkling wine, produced in Limoux, Languedoc, in 1531, by monks at an abbey in Saint-Hilaire. She also discusses the difference between champagne and sparkling wine. Is French champagne really better than other sparkling wines? How does the wine get fizzy? And why does it stay that way? Epstein takes us on a tour of vineyards of wine regions around the world and teaches us the correct techniques for storing and serving champagne and sparkling wines. A concise yet global history of luxury imbibing and everyday, affordable sparkling wine, this "Champagne" is an invaluable complement to a glass of bubbly as well as an informative, elegant gift for connoisseurs, beginners and all wine lovers.