CHAMPAGNE WISHES, CARTOON DREAMS
From the Pantry, archived from back issues. This piece originally appeared in Kitchen Table #5: The Roots Issue. This issue is still available… for now. Supplies are dwindling.
A CURIOUS TROUBLEMAKER
My name is Yoko, and I’m the author and illustrator of La Champagne, le Champagne, and les Champenois: A Handmade Book to Celebrate Handcrafted Champagne. Growing up in Tokyo, Japan, I was a curious troublemaker who made adults mad and frustrated, asking them “why?” and question after question. I wanted to learn English because I thought it would give me a chance to ask more questions.
I left Japan when I was twenty years old to attend university in San Francisco, but dropped out and moved to France because I fell in love with the culture and the food. I spent eight months in Paris going to a concierge training school, which sent me to Boston for an internship in 2001, where I’ve been living since.
STICK FIGURES
I enjoyed drawing as a child, but just for fun, with no training or background in art or illustration. In 2015 I became interested in Grower Champagne and wanted to share my discoveries and findings from producers, so I opened an Instagram account where I thought complicated or technical topics were more easily explained through drawings.
I started with simple stick figures on paper, and people told me it was a good idea as it was easier for them to understand. It motivated me to learn, practice, and create more drawings, which became my book. And then, people in the wine business started asking me to do illustration projects, and that was how I returned to doing something I enjoyed a long time ago.
THE VOYAGE TO CHAMPAGNE
One of the classes at the concierge school was on wine tasting. We went to this restaurant in Paris called Le Bistro du Sommelier, owned by Monsieur Philippe Faure-Brac, who has been regarded as one of the top sommeliers in the world. Watching him taste, describe, and speak about wine, I could not understand how any human being could do what he was doing. He made me want to learn about wine, so once I got to Boston and settled in, I signed up for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses at Boston University.
In order to learn about the real world of wine, I wanted to work in retail, but nobody wanted to hire me because I had no experience. I landed a part-time fragrance industry job, which helped me get work in wine retail and expanded my sensory technique in wine tasting and my communication skills. I kept this job for 17 years to pay for my wine studies and trips, plus working with perfume was different, exciting, and a lot of fun.
In 2010 an opportunity through a friend led me to my first harvest work in the French region of Champagne. I’d already been interested in this region, but in 2015, when I visited Champagne Geoffroy, Jean-Baptiste, the winemaker, opened my eyes and mind. Listening and tasting with him made me appreciate champagne as great artwork created by talented and passionate humans. That was when I decided to focus on Grower Champagne.
TRADITIONAL AND FORWARD THINKING
I find the tasting profile of the wines from Champagne to be delightful and wonderful. But for me, it’s a lot more; the region, the wine, and the people of Champagne are strong and delicate, resilient and sensitive, traditional and forward-thinking, dynamic and complex. I believe all these combined make Champagne unique and special, but also so genuinely human as it’s a product made by human hands, effort, creativity, and passion.
Piece by piece, each one of these elements comes together to become a part of its history, tradition, and legacy. In a French book called Voyage en Champagne by Jean-Paul Kauffmann, he writes, “Champagne is the result of a miracle. It brilliantly overcame the difficulties and transformed them into advantages.” I think his words beautifully capture the heart and the spirit of Champagne, which I find truly inspiring.
HAM AND CHEESE AND POTATO CHIPS
When you go to Champagne, you see the people there drink champagne with everything. And it goes with everything—from a simple sandwich of ham and cheese, to pizza, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, or a plate of charcuterie. It sounds crazy, but one of my favorite pairings with a glass of champagne is a bag of good-quality potato chips.
Another favorite is fresh mozzarella cut in half with a pinch of pink salt. Again, it sounds a bit strange, but the simplicity and freshness of cheese remarkably magnifies champagne's natural beauty by showcasing its delicate taste and subtle nuances.
OPEN, CURIOUS, AND FUN
Marketing and branding of big companies dominate the Champagne trade. But once you put away the image and stereotypes and start to approach it like wine—beginning with the soil, the vine, the wine, and the human aspects like the history and the culture—I think it will bring more appreciation, meaning, and pleasure to each bottle and each sip.
As with everything in life, I think the most important thing is having an open mind, being curious, and having fun with it. It’s super helpful to find a good wine person at a wine bar or wine shop, one who does not push you a bottle to sell, but who genuinely cares about you and wine.
BUBBLES AND NO BUBBLES
La Champagne, le Champagne, and les Champenois: A Handmade Book to Celebrate Handcrafted Champagne is available via my website, along with a list of stockists who carry the book. My second book will be about the wines of Champagne with no bubbles, and I am starting from scratch by collecting information from producers. Like making a bottle of champagne, I know it will take a long time and patience, but I hope I finish it one day!