Even before Heidsieck's time, champagne was gaining popularity in the United States and was a favorite of George Washington who was said to be "a regular customer even before he became president" (2), though no one had yet mastered the production of carbonation nor exportation technique during this time. While the research focuses a great deal on events taking place on American soil, Kladstrup and Kladstrup do give a fascinating account of the crumbling textile industry giving way to wine production in the Champagne region and the city of Reims in particular. Stranger than fiction, the tale of Charles Heidsieck, also known as Champagne Charlie, entangles French and American history so tightly that by the time the reader finishes, it is uncertain if the book has mistakenly come from the U.S. Readers beware-Don and Petie Kladstrup will have you craving a glass of bubbly within the first few pages of Heidsieck's story, and by the end, a whole bottle.
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