Assouline’s The Impossible Collection of Champagne is less a book and more a celebration of the world’s most evocative wine. Curated by Enrico Bernardo – the former World’s Best Sommelier.
This hand‑bound volume is a tribute to three centuries of craftsmanship, ambition and the enduring mystique of champagne. Presented in a wooden case and finished with hand‑tipped labels, it feels like an objet d’art before you even turn a page.
Bernardo’s selection is deliberately rarefied. He charts the evolution of champagne from its early, unpredictable beginnings to its status as a global symbol of sophistication. What makes the book compelling is not simply the list of extraordinary bottles, but the way Bernardo frames them through tasting notes, anecdotes and the stories of the visionary producers who shaped the region. The narrative moves confidently between independent growers and the great maisons, giving equal weight to heritage and innovation.
Visually, the book is sumptuous. Large‑format photography captures the luminosity of each bottle, the texture of the terroir and the quiet theatre of the cellars. It’s the kind of volume that invites slow reading: a chapter with a glass in hand, or a lingering browse on a quiet evening.
For collectors, the book is a trophy. For champagne lovers, it is an immersive journey through the bottles that defined and continue to define the world’s most celebrated sparkling wine. For business travellers who appreciate the finer things, it is a reminder that craftsmanship, rarity and story are what elevate a drink into a cultural icon.