Bursting Bubbles: A Secret History of Champagne and the Rise of the Great Growers

The rise and rise of a group of artisanal producers in Champagne over the last twenty years has challenged everything we thought we knew about this famous region. In Bursting Bubbles, Robert Walters takes us on a journey to visit these great growers. Along the way, he reveals a secret history of Champagne and dispels many of the myths that still persist about this celebrated wine style. Controversial and ground breaking, Bursting Bubbles will change the way you think about Champagne. In his foreword, multi-award-winning author Andrew Jefford has called Bursting Bubbles, ‘The most engaging book about leading Champagne growers I’ve read, full of insight and detail’ and ‘…the most refreshing, pretension-pricking, myth-busting and amusingly unfrothy book on the subject.’ ‘...This is part history lesson, part travel adventure story and wholly entertaining to read. It reminds me of Kermit Lynch’s ‘Adventures On The Wine Route’ with an Australian accent.’ — The Wine Depository

Table of Contents:
Foreword — Andrew Jefford Disclaimers Prologue Part 1: Where we follow sparkling Champagne's remarkable metamorphosis from faulty to fabulous Myth 1: In the name of the father: Dom Pérignon was the father of Champagne Part 2: In which we drive along a haunted racetrack in search of a singular grower and discover, not for the last time, that all is not what it seems in the world of Champagne Part 3: Where we meet the revolutionary parents of modern Champagne — science and industry Myth 2: First place: Champagne was the original sparkling wine Part 4: In which the author travels to the mountain to meet the rock of Ambonnay, tries to get blood from a stone and ends up leaving on better terms than when he arrived Myth 3: The good and the great: Grand cru vineyards produce the best wines Part 5: Where we head to 'Rahnse' to visit the cathedral and then travel south to Épernay, for a stroll down the legendary Avenue de Disney Myth 4: Silver spoon: Placing a spoon in the top of a Champagne bottle helps preserve the bubbles for longer Part 6: In which the wine traveller drives south from Épernay to Avize and discovers that all that glitters is not gold Part 7: Where we encounter more threats to Champagne's 'Great Wine' pretensions and find out what conventional Champagne has in common with baked bread, roasted nuts and seared steak Myth 5: Holy Trilogy: Only three grape varieties are used to make Champagne Part 8: In which we pay a visit to Pascal Agrapart, and where the author acknowledges that he can sometimes miss what is right under his nose by playing the man and not the ball Part 9: Where we unearth even more image problems for Champagne (by comparing the 'approach Champenois' with best practice in Burgundy) and where we learn that the English are the necrophiliacs of the wine world Myth 6: Blending is better: Champagne is blended in order to produce a better balanced, better quality wine Part 10: In which the author tries to comprehend Anselme Selosse via a blend of pop psychology and historical minutiae and then plays word games with the man himself Part 11: Where we blend a few things together in order to produce a histoire vraie of Champagne and then explore the extent to which the brand has come to dominate land in this famous region Myth 7: Simple fizzics: Where bubbles come from Part 12: In which we head south to Vertus and visit a great grower making 'crazy wine' in order to remind ourselves, once again, that Champagne is a wine, first and foremost Part 13: The continuation of our histoire vraie, where the author views advanced capitalism through the rosiest of glasses and perhaps takes the friendship too far by comparing the history of Champagne to that of Camembert and free-range chicken Myth 8: The shape of things to come: Champagne should be served in flutes Part 14: In which we travel from Vertus to the historic market city of Troyes, all the while grappling with the ideologies of Champagne's separatists Part 15: Where the author discusses the problems with the term 'grower revolution' and then offers the reader a choice between two radically different worlds of Champagne Part 16: In which we visit our first Aube grower and learn what it means to be an outsider in your own wine region Part 17: The final instalment of our histoire vraie, where the true grower revolutions are revealed — and yes, there were more than one Myth 9: In the beginning: Champagne is mentioned in the bible Part 18: In which we visit a vigneron farmer — or is that a farmer vigneron? Part 19: Where we delve into the remaining key factors that led to the development of Champagne's current batch of great grower-producers Myth 10: Bursting Bubble: Smaller bubbles are a sign of a high-quality Champagne Part 20: In which we visit the last of our growers in the Aube and learn that, no matter how seriously we take it, wine's main work is to make us happy Epilogue: A short manifesto in which the author asks you, the wine lover, a simple, somewhat rhetorical question: 'What sort of Champagne do you really want to drink?' Notes Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Robert Walters is a wine merchant and vineyard owner with over 25 years of experience in the wine trade. His obsessive search for great grower wines has led him to work closely with many important producers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, as well as many of Champagne’s finest artisans.

Review :
It all gets off to a cracking start, since the author is a gifted writer who gives a delightfully engaging account of his epiphany, his unconditional surrender to the charms of the great grower Champagnes in God’s little acre. Robert Walters writes not because he wants to sell more; he simply thinks that the wines are brilliant and that the story of their creators should be told. Bursting Bubbles by Robert Walters is the most provocative wine book I’ve read in a while. Busting Bubbles should be in every wine drinker’s library, and mandatory reading for every sommelier and hospitality student. Highly recommended. Bursting Bubbles is about tradition, it's about revolution – the ever-changing competition in carbonation and taste – and is oh so worth the read. Packed with insightful perspectives, Robert Walters captures the people and history of champagne unlike any other book. This is a must-read book for any wine lover who has an ounce of interest in champagne. If this book doesn't inspire you to seek out the wines of these great growers profiled at the end, then read it again! Robert Walters is an exceptionally good storyteller. His writing is eloquent and often impassioned. Wherever you stand, you should read the book. The debate is worth having. A brilliant and appealing book, and the story it tells is fascinating and compelling – leaving me thirsty to try some of the wines that are its subject. There's much to agree with in this book. It is well written and researched, a pleasure to read and Walters argues his case persuasively. Most importantly, at the same time as it engages in some hand-wringing about the way things are, it communicates a joy and enthusiasm for good Champagne. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Written with verve and wit. In addition to a fascinating historical examination, Walters explodes numerous myths, which will amuse any lover of wine trivia. Reckons with the multitude of Champagne myths in an edifying manner. This is the most readable wine book on this list. Shows a masterly command of what is important in writing fastidiously crafted profiles of the top artisans of the Montagne and Cote he knows best. This beautifully written book is so cheerful and entertaining that one risks not realising how thoughtful and informative it is as well – a risk that I would advise any wine lover to take without hesitation. Champagne. It's the pop, the cork, the theatre and sheer luxury of an exquisite drink. So, where best to start researching this enigmatic tipple? ... There is so much to this industry and Bursting Bubbles goes a long way to explaining what to consider before splashing out on a bottle of Dom Perignon. The book is a fascinating combination of history, legend, travel guide and non-holds barred insight into the ultimate celebratory drink.