Originally published at Pennsic 34, 2005 Common Era
“I only 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 am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it -- unless I’m thirsty” -- Madame Lily Bollinger, one of the many Queens of Champagne” We all know the story of Don Perignon, the blind monk who in 1685 said “Come Brothers! Hurry - I’m drinking stars.” This is believed to be a myth, but still a good story. He did help make stronger bottles to withstand the internal pressure. Better corks, basket wiring in corks, wax seals and blending wines for a better product. All done by Perignon. Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France. Champagne not made in Champagne is Sparkling Wine. Confused? Its like all cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac. Cognac by law must be made in Cognac, France. OK now? Sparking wines or wines that move have been around since Roman times. Basically it is a wine that has a second fermentation in the bottle. Bottles exploding in the Middle Ages were a problem. Losses of half to two-thirds of your hard work was not uncommon. Big mess. The rest would go flat. You see the problem. I will not tell you that champagne was ever my cup of tea, but point in fact tea is not my cup of tea either. I always found it bitter, vinegary, thin and way to expensive. I was involved in a Champagne tasting at a hotel I was working for. Ask me about it someday, it’s a cool story. They brought out big old bottles: Krug - Bollinger - Pol Roger, $50, $100, $300! WOW! What a difference. Nothing like the cheap stuff we used to get at the theater on opening night. This was good. Not sweet but not old vinegar. A nutmeg vanillaish after-taste. Velvet texture on the tongue. A slight nutty smell. And, yes, the bubbles do tickle my nose. The Smell. The Feel. The Taste. The LOOK! Champagne!!! Still well out of my price range, but a true Experience. Good Lords and Ladies! Charge your glasses and raise them high! To Don Perignon and all those before and since, nameless multitudes who worked so hard in the cellars for what we drink today. To You!
Drink Well. Drink Often. Drink with..
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