CHAMPAGNE
How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times.
By Don Kladstrup and Petie Kladstrup.
Illustrated. 286 pp. William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers. $23.95.

Review by ALIDA BECKER
Published: January 1, 2006
THE best way to read Don and Petie Kladstrup's "Champagne" is with a bottle at your side - and not for the obvious reason. Stone cold sober, you might find yourself irritated by their scattershot approach to the history of "the world's most glamorous wine." You might accuse them of being superficial and disorganized, or at least easily distracted. But if you put yourself in an amiably distracted state, their breezy factoids and vignettes become manageable, even charming. If nothing else, you'll sympathize when they confess to some research that "went straight to our heads."

Complete review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/bo.../01becker.html

username: flyertalk
password: flyertalk