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

Terrific book

I had high hopes for this book but found it to be occasionally arrogant, intermittently self-serving and a bit apocryphal. Although Robert Walters knows his wine, his investigations into champagne, and especially the legend of its origins, are a crapshoot of extrapolation that he sells as gospel. His dismissal of the contributions of Dom Pierre Perignon and his co-conspirator in the creation of Champagne Dom Thierri Ruinart as mythology drops down holes of logic you can drive a truck through... suddenly leaving us with the conclusion that Champagne appeared de novo a half-century later without any real chain of connection other than some dabbling by the brits. The author almost visibly prances about as he waxes certain in the murky recesses of history where no one really knows for certain what really happened, all the while making no chain of connection between the Limoux method of creating effervescence (in 1531) and the fact that the monks of Hautvillers might have dared to pick up the technique 150 years later. There is some good stuff later in the book and a true love of viticulture that one must admire. But in the places where he needed to be a bit cautious, Walters is plagued by a certain cocksure exposition that is just off-putting. Hey Robert! We accept that you are a superb oenophile. But somewhere along the way, lose the attitude.

Great write up about growers Champagne, recommended to anyone having an interest in quality sparkling wines with a sense of place

This is a book written by a notable Champagne lover who articulates a revolutionary premise as obvious as it is startling in its implications: Champagne is wine. Because it is wine, indeed one of the most prestigious wines in the world, should we not apply to Champagne the same discriminating standards which we bring to the experience of drinking the other great wines?The bubble Walters bursts is the great difference between Champagnes typically produced by the great houses of Champagne and the great still wines made in Burgundy, Barolo, and elsewhere. All of us must admit that the bubbles racing across our tongues when we drink Champagne have often beguiled and distracted us from discerning the true character of the wine we are tasting.Walters is a passionate aficionado of Champagne, but he is all the more uncompromising because of his great love, and he asks the hard questions of a man of experience and learning. For example, how does one account for the high yields of Champagne vineyards, when the great wines of France (and everywhere else) originate in vineyards carefully managed to produce low yields? For that matter, asks Walters, is it true that "austere, characterless base wines that derive from early-picked, high-yielding vineyards" truly produce the most beautiful possible Champagne? What about the extensive manipulation in the processes used to make Champagne: cultured yeasts, enzyme additions, strong filtration, chaptalisation, and the ne plus ultra of Champagne production, dosage (the addition of sugar)?For those who think of Champagne as a glamorous accessory for life's most important celebrations, "a festive drink or, at best, a high-quality aperitif that should not be taken as seriously as the great wines of the world," these questions will not be troubling. But Walters is an incorruptible aesthete, a fierce lover, and like Caesar's wife, wine that Walters loves must be above suspicion.As it happens, Walters is also a wine traveller, an intrepid and discerning visitor to the great vineyards and wineries of the world. A traveller--not a tourist--to evoke the helpful distinction insisted upon by Paul Fussell in his great book "Abroad: British Travel Writing between the Wars". He has written "Bursting Bubbles" not merely to alert Champagne lovers to the meretricious qualities of their favourite drink, but to share his discoveries of those truly great Champagnes worthy of our love.For this book is a love story and a travel story, the account of the author's many journeys in search of the great wines of Champagne. Yes, they exist, and Walters has found them and celebrates them in this wonderful book. The great growers of Champagne--Jerome Prèvost, Francis Egly, Pierre Larmandier and several others--are making wines that combine refinement and nuance with the celebratory power that is unique to Champagne. Walters knows these men, he knows their vineyards, and he knows their wines--and in this fascinating book Walters introduces them to those of us whose idea of wine travelling is a regular visit to our favourite wine merchant.

so informative, both for the novice and the knowledgeable.

This is one of the best books on wine I have ever read. It is honest and pulls no punches. Robert Walters writes critically and constructively and, most important of all, without bias. The moment I finished this book I started to read it again.Very few wine writers are prepared to criticise openly household names in wine. Walters in his paragraphs on some of the leading Champagne houses and their methods is not afraid to do so. He interviews some of the most committed growers and domaine owners and allows them to explain their approach and methods. This a refreshing change from some writers who cannot resist the allure of their own words. The one thought that kept coming into my head when reading this book was "compelling". It is compelling because his points and those of the domaines are logically and coherently argued. I bought some of the champagnes made by the makers he interviews, and then when tasting them I also drank Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger and Paul Roger 2008. These wines were one dimensional and characterless. So my world now is to drink less champagne but more from the growers he cited in his text.His approach was a tough one but fair, whether the commercial champagne pay any attention to his words remains to be seen. Somehow I doubt it but the growers he quotes will I am sure, continue to strive to get better and that is what matters.

As a Musoletophile and keen champagne drinker this book has rocked everything I thought I knew about champagne, its throws into question many things and has evidence to disprove many things we thought were genuine about champagneIf your a sommelier or restauranteur you need to read this. I'm a baker and continue to fight for real bread, I think now may be teh time to fight for real champagne

great story, well told with interesting anecdotes (and photos). Well worth a read if you are interested in sparkling wine and the origin of the marketing phenomenon of champagne.

Bought for Hubble and he finds it very interesting

If you love champagne, this book is for you!