Author: Cindy
Champagne Chronicles: The Bruised Tangerine and the Bollinger Wit
The River Room at the Savoy Hotel has long been a sanctuary for London’s elite, a place where the light off the Thames reflects against fine crystal and even finer reputations. In 1961, it became the arena for a battle of wits that would change the course of wine history. Lily Bollinger, elegant and poised in her tailored suit, was there to present her latest vintages to the British press. Across from her sat Cyril Ray, a renowned wine critic and best-selling author known for his sharp tongue and, on this particular day, a blazer he later described as “bruised tangerine.”
Ray had arrived with a healthy dose of skepticism. He was a man who lived to challenge the established order, and the “Grand Dame” of Aÿ was the ultimate establishment figure. He came to test her, perhaps expecting a figurehead who relied more on her late husband’s title than her own technical expertise. What he found instead was a woman who knew every inch of her vineyards and every chemical reaction in her cellars. To Lily, Cyril initially seemed like a “barnacle” on the hull of her progress, but she was prepared to scrape him off with style.
Champagne Chronicles Blog: The Million-Dollar Gamble
In the mid-1960s, the Champagne world had a rhythm it didn’t like to break. Most houses released their vintages as quickly as the market would swallow them, rushing to turn their harvest into profit. But Lily Bollinger was never one to follow the rhythm of others—she preferred to conduct the orchestra. In 1967, inside a hired Bentley stalled in the “snarled traffic” of a London on the brink of a cultural revolution, Lily checked her gold Bulova watch—a cherished gift from her late husband, Jacques. She was late for a high-stakes interview at the Savoy Hotel that would define her legacy: the official launch of the Bollinger R.D.
To understand why R.D. was such a shock to the industry, you have to understand both the science and the soul of the grape. Most vintage Champagnes are separated from their “lees”—the yeast sediment—after just a few years. It is a standard, efficient practice. Lily’s radical idea, however, was to leave the wine in contact with that yeast for much longer—sometimes fifteen years or more. She wanted to let the wine sleep in the cool, limestone silence of her caves in Aÿ, allowing the sediment to slowly transform the liquid into something ethereal and complex.
Featured in Women’s Insdier: The Women Who Built Champagne Empires
Rebecca and her Champagne Widows novels were recently featured in Women's Insider. Read about the Women Who Built Champagne Empires.
Rebecca Rosenberg, an acclaimed novelist and champagne historian, has captivated readers with her Champagne Widows series, shedding light on the remarkable women who pioneered the champagne industry. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Rosenberg brings to life the narratives of these trailblazers, offering readers an intimate glimpse into their challenges and triumphs.
Colorado author revisits life and legend of Silver Dollar Tabor in new novel
The Herald Democrat in Leadville, Colorado, recently published "Colorado author revisits life and legend of Silver Dollar Tabor in new novel." The article is ahead of author Rebecca Rosenberg's upcoming Colorado book tour for her latest historical fiction, Silver Echoes.
We share the article by Allison Brown below:
Award-winning historical novelist Rebecca Rosenberg will speak at the Tabor Opera House on Sunday, Aug. 31, to share the story of Rose Mary Silver Dollar Tabor, a silent film starlet whose life was marked by ambition, tragedy and scandal.