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Written by Madame Lilly Bollinger
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I drink champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it unless I'm thirsty. " ~ Madame Lilly Bollinger
Champagne is a toast to optimism, an attempt to bolster defiance, or a companion for consolation. According to Napoleon, "In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it."
 Whether you are celebrating victory or defeat or just the passing of another day, for a wine to be called Champagne, it must come from that particular region of France that is located 90 miles east of Paris in the rolling hills near the towns of Epernay, Reims, and Sézanne. Anyone in the world can make a sparkling wine in the méthode champenoise, but only the Champenoise can make Champagne.
That essential méthode results in 49 million bubbles in every bottle, scientists suggest. Next time you open a bottle, try to keep all 49 million bubbles in the bottle. Releasing them needlessly into the air is wasteful, for there is enjoyment in every single gaseous orb.
When opening a bottle of Champagne, the sheer pressure inside the bottle can cause the cork to become a projectile. Don’t take the wire cage off of the cork. Hold the cage and cork tightly as you slowly turn the bottle with your other hand. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle while you slowly let the cork out of the bottle and release the pressure with a small hiss. The 45-degree angle allows the gas to escape without any liquid cascading out. Sometimes the pressure is great enough that you will get it bubbling out of the top of the bottle; have a glass handy just in case.
Besides the range of sweetness levels, there are different colors, and each producer creates a unique flavor profile. Most all Champagnes are made to be "Brut" level of sweetness. The names you would see on a label (in ascending order from driest to sweetest) are: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec. Normally "sec" equates to "dry", but not in the case of Champagne, it really means slightly-sweet. Extra Brut is actually the driest of them all. Demi-Sec is sweet enough to serve with dessert.
‘I have the simplest taste. I am always satisfied with the best.’ Oscar Wilde. 'There is no sincerer love than the love of food.’ George Bernard Shaw.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 November 2008 )
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