Recent projects by Charles Curtis MW
Charles Curtis MW has been busy working on two projects of late, a new Zoom series Elevenses with Charles and new book Vintage Champagne: 1899-2019.
Impressed with Michael Broadbent MW’s description of Elevenses in his book Vintage Wine, Elevenses with Charles is a regular Zoom call hosted by Charles is an effort to bring the tradition to a wider audience. Well-suited to the time of Covid when it is difficult to visit wineries, each call will feature top winemakers discussing the issues of the day. The inaugural call featured Larry Stone MS and Burgundian Dominique Lafon who collaborate on the Lingua Franca project in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Oregon. The second edition featured Morten and Lisa Hallgren of Ravines Winery in the Lake Seneca AVA of New York State’s Finger Lakes. Links are provided so that those attending may purchase the wines if they desire, but it is perfectly fine to drop in for a listen. There is no cost to participate.
Another recent work by Charles Curtis MW is new book Vintage Champagne: 1899 – 2019 published by Kindle Direct Publishing. The 534-page book is divided into three parts. The first part contains in-depth profiles of 120 producers of vintage Champagne and their top wines with a classification of the producers and wines scored out of five stars. It is a curated selection that explains the nuance of terroir, method, and history across the wines it describes. The second section is a review of growing conditions each year from 1899 through 2019, and the book concludes with a series of seven appendices that provide additional detail, including a complete translation of the cahier des charges into English, a convenient table of all the Champagne-producing villages, and more.