Le Champagne is the terroir and La Champagne is the wine. Champagne, perfectly described here by the author, is emblematic of it's terroir and also is the name of the wine. The history of Champagne presents a story here of a people steeped in their traditions and a singular devotion to their craft.
This is a very enjoyable non-fiction work. There is a comprehensive bibliography which attests to the great care shown by the authors. Many other, often colourful people populate the pages of the book - Charles Heidsieck ("Champagne Charlie"), Louise Pommery, the widow (in French 'veuve') Clicquot, Maurice Pol-Roger, Louis Roederer, George Kessler and many more. It started with Dom Perignon, a monk who did not 'discover' champagne but did contribute to its eventual development. The book brings to life so many people who contributed to the creation of champagne.
Dormitories, refectories, schools and hospitals were all created alongside the stored bottles of aging champagne. When artillery made life in the villages too dangerous, life moved underground into the vast caverns used to store and age the wines. When men had to go to war, women, children and the aged worked the vineyards. They kept tending the vines, harvesting the grapes and making their wonderful wines. Still the sheer courage of the people of La Champagne shone through. This was one of the earlier examples of war being targeted at civilian populations, a forerunner of so many more 20th century atrocities. For example, the Germans targeted the historic cathedral in Reims with huge bombardments and destroyed it, largely to strike at French morale since it was the site of coronations of so many French kings. It has been a battlefield in war after war.
Some of the history of this region is shocking. Even more so, it is a tribute to the people of the region who tilled the soil and cared for the vines, even in wartime, even under artillery fire. It is a tribute to the many prominent people who, through constant trial and innovation, created this marvellous sparkling wine. This is a very readable, well researched work that traces the origins and development of champagne (the drink) and the turbulent history of the region of its birth, La Champagne.
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