The pruning book that time forgot... René Lafon’s classic, provocative work on the Poussard pruning methodology, Changes to be made to Vine Pruning - is now available for the first time in English (with the original French text included as well). It’s arguably the most important, historical work on vine pruning and this beautiful, hardcover edition is now available through Ex Vinum publishing. The translation is fully annotated, with 120 footnotes and over 60 retouched photographs and illustrations. There’s also a foreword by François Dal, and an extensive introduction by Robert Walters that seeks to put the work into both historical and modern context.To quote François Dal, France’s most respected vine pruning consultant, “This English translation by Robert Walters is a real gift, offered to all English speakers passionate about viticulture. By reading this book you will not only benefit from the beautiful and important knowledge that it has to offer, but you will also live through a moment in history and admire how, with the limited means of the time, brilliant growers and scientists used their instinct and insight to understand the functioning of our world.”Lafon’s work was lost for the best part of 100 years until it was rediscovered in recent decades, subsequently playing a key role in the pruning revolution we are witnessing today. Remarkably, Lafon’s thought-provoking text remains as fresh and valid as it was when it was first written. It also remains controversial, completely undermining much modern thinking on wood disease. It’s a work that points to a new way of thinking about our interactions with the vine, and with nature in general.Anyone with a genuine interest in vine pruning, viticulture, the challenges of wood disease in modern vineyards, or simply the history of viticulture, will want to read this enlightening, revolutionary, and thoroughly detailed text.

"... the most refreshing, pretension-pricking, myth-busting and amusingly unfrothy book on the subject I've read." Andrew Jefford"In the tradition of Kermit Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route, Bursting Bubbles is a wonderful and informed exploration of the best grower Champagnes and the characters who make them. It shatters old myths and reveals new truths, making Champagne - the place and the wine - as intriguing, beautiful and magical as ever." Andrea Frost" Can't recommend Bursting Bubbles on the rise of grower Champagne enough" Dan KeelingAuthor: Robert Walters. The rise and rise of a group of artisanal producers in Champagne over the last twenty years has challenged everything we thought we knew about this famous region. In Bursting Bubbles, Robert Walters takes us on a journey to visit these great growers. Along the way, he reveals a secret history of Champagne and dispels many of the myths that still persist about this celebrated wine style. Controversial and ground breaking, Bursting Bubbles will change the way you think about Champagne.Shortlisted - André Simon Food & Drink Awards 2017Winner 2018 - Fortnum & Mason Debut Drink Book AwardHardcover162mm x 243mm, 240 pages Quiller Publishing LtdIBSN 1846892546