A Year in Champagne

I love Champagne, so I may be biased. But I loved this film. I learned a lot about what makes Champagne different from other sparkling wines. A lot, that's what. And I learned that there are 250 kilometers of tunnels in the region. That's 155 miles, for those of you living in America. That is room to store more Champagne than anyone could drink in their lifetime. I'm glad someone decided to make this film and that I was fortunate enough to get to watch it- and drink Champagne at the same time.

We love Champagne and drink it regularly. I was excited about this documentary but it fell slightly short. The main reason is that I felt 'A Year in Burgundy' showed a wider variety of producers and different viewpoints. This documentary does focus heavily on Bollinger and a couple of small producers (and Gosset was thrown in almost as an after thought). I would have liked a little more time spent on some other producers, perhaps even adding this to the special features. Speaking of: they were pretty minor - though there is an e-book of sorts about Champagne but reading on the TV is hard to do and there are four deleted scenes and a brief biography of the filmmaker.In my opinion, this is a DVD geared towards those interested in but not knowledgeable about the specifics in production and style of Champagne. Never once was there a mention of various styles such as Brut vs Demi-sec or even what really made a 'vintage' Champagne special. Instead we have a few winemakers talking about it and mentioning that it is special, but we don't really get a picture of non-vintage vs vintage vs Tete de Cuvee. I was happy however to see a nice segment on the disgorging and bottling of this beverage.If I hadn't seen 'A Year in Burgundy', then this would probably rate five stars. We did watch 'A Year in Burgundy' between watching this twice. I am really looking forward to next year's 'A Year in Port'!!!

Time usefully spent if you like Champagne, the real (and the only) thing to us Champagne fanatiques who find life tres dull when drinking Champagne's hot climate spawn, now found throughout the shameless world. A little too much of the French "Prestige Disorder" is in evidence in this hour and a half, but the film gives you a sense of what the people who make Champagne have to put up with, climate-wise. Full marks to these suffering Gallic worthies, who turn out a consistent brew no matter how wet and cold the weather. Only one quick mention of the prestige-less pinot meunier blending grape the whole movie through. But what would Champagne be without the tempering off-flavors of the Miller's grape, but, in most cases, a very superior Chardonnay soda? Fours stars if you are fascinated by this mysterious drink, fewer if you are not.

Very educational film if you love champagne. Wife and I learned a lot from it. Only problem is we cant download the film from Amazon but this has nothing to do with the film really.

If you want to see what life is like for the families who have been making Champagne for centuries, along with the countryside, and their passion for wine, this is the movie for you. Absolutely beautiful! I only gave it 4 starts because I liked "A Year in Burgundy" better.

what else do they do? wine yes. now champagne. what else is there?

Bubbly rewarding documentary on the celebre region of champagne.I've been to Reims and saw both the ancient Roman monuments and the champagne cellars. This documentary sums up well and uncorks what makes the region so special around the globe. Let's raise our glasses to a video well done.

If you like Champagne, you need to watch this! Dive into the people, places and process of Champagne. Excellently done and will peak your interest in the whole process and celebration of the wonderful world of Champagne wine.