Champagne Baby

How One Parisian Learned to Love Wine--and Life--the American Way

One of the best memoirs of 2016 (Library Journal) and winner of the Northern California Book Festival Award! Fresh, charming, and irresistible, Champagne Baby turns a familiar tale on its head: Instead of yet another American seeking the French secret to good living, a Frenchwoman finds her purpose—much to her surprise—in the U.S.

Laure Dugas was born into a family of winemakers from two storied regions of France: Champagne and the Rhône Valley. But she wants little to do with the family business. It is only when her uncle offers to send her to New York City to learn English and represent his wines to the American market that Laure bids adieu to her boyfriend and begins her journey of discovery.

The job, it turns out, is both harder and easier than expected. Laure must speak in a new language about a subject in which she has no expertise. With the pedigree of an expert, even as she feels like a fraud, Laure dives into an industry still dominated by men, winning over restaurateurs and sommeliers, diligently developing her palate, and traveling across the vast country that is her new home.

For the first time, Laure is able to distinguish among the famous wines of her native land. She learns to greet a wine by the nose and judge a bottle not by its industry rating but by the balance of its flavors. Overcoming homesickness, culture shock, and the trials of a long-distance relationship, Laure manages to settle into her new milieu, her wine-glass-half-full attitude turning an eight-month stint into a three-year adventure.

Part coming-of-age memoir, part travelogue, sprinkled throughout with regional maps and wine recommendations, Champagne Baby imparts the critical lessons that pair with both wine and life: You’re Better Than the Cheapest Bottle, There’s Always Occasion for Champagne, and Trust Your Palate. It encourages readers to view themselves and their surroundings with newfound appreciation, and to raise their glasses with open-mindedness and joy.

Includes maps of wine regions throughout

Praise for Champagne Baby

“A coming-of-age story of a French girl in love with America, Champagne Baby is a compulsive read filled with keen observations and sharp descriptions of place and culture—a modern, exuberant tale of two cities and discovery.”—Mireille Guiliano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of French Women Don’t Get Fat

“Dugas’s story of being a recent university student and eager to jump at life’s chances will resonate with audiences both young and old, wine aficionados and newcomers.“—Library Journal (starred review)

“Champagne Baby is, like the best bottle of wine, fun and complex, sensual and smart, and totally satisfying.”—Hannah Howard, columnist, “Scoop du Jour”

“An enticing story that evolves and ventures into unexpected directions and nourishes a result that Dugas had never imagined.”—Richard Vine, PhD, author of The Curious World of Wine

“[A] delightful memoir . . . [Dugas] entertainingly reflects on what she learned about herself, her family’s wine business, and wines in general while living in the U.S.”***—Kirkus Reviews***

“This insightful memoir has the capacity to inspire and charm the novice wine drinker while also reinforcing and reminding the well-seasoned palate of the romance, the seduction of wine.”—Booklist