Champagne

It's not just for celebrations

I simply love Champagne. I can drink it every day.

None of this, "come home from work and open a beer." I like beer . . . but I love Champagne. Give me a glass of Champagne, please.

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, The First Lady of Champagne, and once a Hot Chick before I was born


Champagne is not only for special occasions. It's a great everyday wine. Champagne goes stunningly well with a wide variety of food as well as by itself. Yes, expensive vintage Champagnes are great for special celebrations as well, for example the 3rd Tuesday of the month (it only comes once per month you know) or your Aunt Irma's nose job.

So, what exactly is Champagne, and why do I love it?

1) Champagne is, first of all, ALWAYS from France. Specifically from Champagne, France. There are other sparkling wines, or "bubblies" if you prefer, but Champagne is from Champagne. Just like Maine Lobsters are always from, errr -- Maine.

Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!
    -Winston Churchill, WWI, Drunken Englishman


There is pretty good sparkling wine made in many areas of the world: California, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and even Massachusetts.

I greatly prefer Champagne. I don't much care for most of the bubbly from California or Australia or (god forbid!) upstate New York. It's a taste thing. And in case you might falsely think I'm a snob, I love most cheap Spanish sparkling wine (called "Cava") and even the stuff from Massachusetts.

It's just that grapes, and hence wine, grown in different areas taste different. The French have a word for this, "Terroir." It is somewhat snooty word, and wine geeks will argue endlessly about Terroir (capitalized because I feel like it - it's that important). Oh, and "Champagne" is always capitalized too,  not because I feel like it, but because it's the name of a place, just like Maine or Tunisia or Fresno.

Als je het leven vult met Champagne dan heb je een bruisend bestaan.
    -Jeroen van Craaikamp, I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him a-drink his Champagne


2) Champagne is always made from three grapes at most: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.

Different types and brands of Champagne will use different proportions of these grapes, but they only use these grapes. Blanc de blancs Champagne is made only from Chardonnay grapes. I assure you it tastes NOTHING like California Chardonnay or Chardonnay grown anywhere else, although you should experience this for yourself. Blanc de noirs is made entirely of either Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a blend of the two, and isn't nearly as common as blanc de blancs.

3)  Champagne is always produced the same way, known as the Méthode Champenoise. After the primary fermentation and bottling, a second fermentation is started in the bottle by adding yeast and sugar. It's this second fermentation that adds the bubbles.

Some sparkling wines in other regions also use the Méthode Champenoise, but they taste differently from true Champagne. Why? It's the grapes - where they are grown affects their taste. It's "Terroir" - as the French and wine snobs everywhere say, and it's also true!

I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate…and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.
    -Napoleon Bonaparte, Short French Dude with funny hat who tried to conquer the world