3 books on champagne for a sparkling summer vacation

Long summer days are the perfect time for leisure activities, and reading is a wonderful way to escape to effervescent stories. With that in mind, we've put together a list of Champagne-related books perfect for your trip.

Some holidaymakers will pack their favorite bottles and perhaps even a set of fine stemware to enjoy their vacation, while others will focus on exploring local gastronomy and making new wine discoveries at their vacation spot. However you approach these sunny weeks, a few sparkling moments should always be part of it! So we've put together three inspiring and entertaining reads on champagne for you to slip into your travel bags. And we've even included a champagne pairing to match each book!

With these books in your beach bag, all that's left to do is put on some sun cream, your sunglasses and lay out your towel in a nice spot that will allow you to take some time for yourself.

Happy summer vacations!

Champagne Reading #1

Champagne Charlie: The Frenchman Who Taught Americans to Love Champagne

Author: Don Kladstrup (Potomac Books)

This book tells the story of a young Frenchman, Charles Heidsieck, who became famous as "Champagne Charlie". It's the middle of the 19th century. He gathers his courage to travel to America - reputed to be a dangerous and difficult place for business - to introduce the taste of effervescent champagne to American palates and expand his business. Not at all impressed, Heidsieck plunged headlong into this land of exciting opportunities, and quickly found success and recognition for his champagnes.

When the unpredictable happens and the Civil War breaks out, Heidsieck is imprisoned and soon executed for federal espionage. When Lincoln's government finally intervenes, Heidsieck's life is saved, but his champagne business is not so lucky. Bankrupt and nearly dead, he tries to rebuild his life with all his might, and eventually finds enough success in Denver to restore his business.

Champagne Charlie tells the story of the success of Champagne sparkling wines, from the time when champagne was still a pale-colored wine with very few bubbles, to the time when champagne became a sophisticated effervescent beverage that conquered foreign markets, with Charles Heidsieck at the forefront of the sales boom in the United States.

Available in English.
ISBN: 978-1640123946

The perfect match for this reading:
Champagne Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs

Champagne Reading #2

Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot

Author: Rebecca Rosenberg (Lion Heart Publishing)

This historical novel is set in France in 1800, during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. It tells the fascinating story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, a woman drawn to the world of wine, who is determined to make champagne, but national laws under Napoleon Bonaparte's reign do not allow women to own businesses.

She marries an aspiring winemaker to immerse herself in this sparkling world, and years later, on her husband's death, Barbe-Nicole becomes "Veuve Clicquot" and continues to run the business her husband built, transforming it into one of the most famous champagne houses.

Telling the story of this courageous woman, alongside the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the novel paints a detailed, multi-faceted portrait of the life of Champagne's first famous widow. Always driven by her passion for Champagne and her ambition, "La Grande Dame" lived through several marriages and relationships, during which six wars led by Napoleon threatened her company with bankruptcy. As if that weren't enough, she even had to challenge Napoleon himself to another battle...

Available in English.
ISBN: 978-1732969919

The perfect match for this reading:
Champagne Veuve Clicquot Cuvée "La Grande Dame Blanc 2012"

Champagne Reading #3

Champagne - A history of bubbles

Authors: Daniel Lorson, Erik Arnoux, Jean-Marie Cuzin (Éditions du Signe)

If you don't feel like reading long novels on vacation, this book is for you. Daniel Lorson, a native of Champagne, comes from a family estate in Chigny-Les-Roses, in the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne. With his two co-authors Erik Arnoux and Jean-Marie Cousin, he has created a graphic novel that tells the most important facts of Champagne history through illustrations and accessible language.

Unlike most champagne books or guides, which are filled with technical terms and high-end photographs, the trio chose to create a book that addresses many of the major points of champagne history and knowledge, while remaining a light, entertaining read.

Throughout the book, you'll find the names of many famous champagne houses that have played a central role in the history of Champagne, all of which make perfect pairings to enjoy as you read on.

Available in English and French.
ISBN French version: 978-2746828131
ISBN English version: 978-2746828551

The perfect match for this reading:
Champagne Delamotte "Blanc de Blancs"