Book: Champagne (Stevenson, 1986).

Champagne

Stevenson, T. (1986)Champagne. London: Sotheby's Publ.
ISBN 0856673188 9780856673184

Review
The first wine that made me sit up and take notice of wine was an Australian Chardonnay produced by a man obsessed with Cabernet Sauvignon.
My brother Peter had been studying medicine and he along with a couple of friends took a holiday to Sydney and went on a wine buying sojourn to the Hunter Valley. There they met Dr Max Lake and bought some of his wines; when they got back to Melbourne I obtained (I think I had to pay for it) one bottle of either 75, 76 or 77 Lake's Folly Hunter Valley Chardonnay. I probably opened it up as a quaffing wine on a Friday or Saturday night: after imbibing the tipples presented by my family and relatives, or purchasing what was available from limited off licence stores, I couldn't get over the fact so much flavour was present both on the nose and in the glass... Welcome to wine tasting 101.
I do remember that there was a big difference between the flavour of French Champagnes I'd tasted compared to Australian Champagnes. That's what we were still calling sparkling wines in the 1970's and 1980's: Champagne. In the ten years between that revaltory Chardonnay and the purchase of the book Champagne my tastes in wine and liquor had changed somewhat (for the better), and I had learnt to marry good wine and good food. Plus, I was now married.
The book wasn't cheap, about the cost of a bottle of Salon or a couple of bottles of Veuve Yellow Label . It is a great introduction to many facets of Champagne the region, the villages, the vineyards, the growers, the method, the styles, and the governance of the brand.
The book was published for Southeby's Publications by Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd (London); so it may have been a media vehicle used to promote and compare product somewhat like Judith Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia. I read it at least once during an early morning shift on network radio where I had to work like a mad thing for about ten minutes of each hour for the first two hours then sit around waiting for the next tasks or a major fault to occur during that time. That was all before normal office hours began.
I do have at least two other books about Champagne from the dozen or so books I have on wine and winemaking. This book is my most prized possession of the group and I recommend it highly.

Other reading of related texts Dr Max Lake produced a number of books about wine and his obsession of making the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon he thought that Australia could present to the world. I've seen a copy of the data and tables heavy Cabernet: notes of an Australian wineman but I left it on the shelf. I do have two copies of:
Lake, M. (1966). Classic wines of Australia. Brisbane: Jacaranda.
Classic wines of Australia is a great read about the regions, geography, styles, business and taste of Australian wine circa 1966. My father, Bill, would purchase the occasional bottle of red that he would allow us to try with Sunday roast lunch; and I'm sure most of these wines are included in this detailed book.

Reference List / In-Text Citation Styles in APA 6th
Please Note: I do not strictly follow APA style in these citations as I would like various technology and media to be able to access these pages.


Champagne. London: Sotheby's Publ..

20211030
www.worldcat.org


Unless otherwise noted all books listed were in my personal library at the time of the first blog posting about the book.
Some titles were borrowed or referenced from RMIT University libraries (City, Carlton, Brunswick Campuses) during the period 2006-2016; or from Hobsons Bay City Council library. or Bayside (Brighton) Council library, or Prahran Mechanics Institute (& ARHS) library.

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Stevenson, T. (1986). Champagne. London: Sotheby's Publ.