All About Champagne

Champagne - It's not just for celebrations

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There are several great reasons to buy Champagne online as well as some definite gotchas to avoid. I have bought a lot online in the past as have my friends and you’ll find some very practical advice here, as well as retailers I recommended highly!

First of all, there are two reasons to buy online, variety and price. Although I can buy a fair variety of Champagnes at stores within 60 miles or so, the variety is far greater when I buy from online retailers as well. As just one example, some grower Champagnes (as well as big names) are simply not imported into my home state. As another example, I have a lovely Jeroboam, 3 Liters, of Bollinger Grand Annee sitting in my cellar that simply was not available in that format locally.

1990 Vintage Champagne – 23 years later - Wow, these all rocked and many were very young. 1990 may be one of the best vintages of the past 100 years, but I'm not old enough to confirm it!

Champagne and Memory - Drink up, medical researchers have discovered that drinking Champagne weekly is good for your memory, including helping to prevent age related memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimers.

 Ratafia de Champagne - The other drink from Champagne, this liqueur is cheap and tasty.

How to Throw a great Champagne Party! - It's not hard at all.

James Bond and Champagne - The dude drinks a lot of Champagne. What are his preferences? You might be surprised

Aging Champagne - Some of us prefer Champagne with some added age with brings out nuances and complexities.

Champagne Quotes - Our favorites, including quotes by Churchill, Napoleon, Oscar Wilde, and more.

Champagne Questions (and Answers) - A Champagne FAQ.

How to Buy Champagne - Some practical tips. It's more than just plunking down your money or searching for the cheapest price.

How/Why to Buy Champagne Online - Variety, price, but possible shipping issues.

Champagne Food Pairings - It's perhaps the most food friendly wine on the planet.

Champagne Storage - How to store Champagne - From a few minutes to a few months so it tastes its best.

Champagne Cellaring – Longterm Storage - Some wines, like Salon and Vintage Krug, demand it as they are not ready to drink at release, many vintage wines improve greatly, and even NVs can benefit from a year or two of cellaring.

Champagne Grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and even more sometimes.

Champagne Bottle Sizes - From splits or 1/4 bottles, to the practical and wonderful Magnum or double bottle, up to 12 liter Balthazars and 15 liter Nebuchadnezzars. Or perhaps bigger with Melchiors, Solomons, and Melchizedeks.

Types of Champagne - So many types of Champagnes, from your standard Non Vintage to Tete de Cuvees, with variations in the grapes used and more thrown in to potential make this confusing.

Vintage Champagne - Made only in the best years and from the best grapes.

Rose Champagne - Sometimes called pink Champagne, it's romantic, pretty, tasty, and very food friendly. Do not even think about those cheap sickly sweet roses you may have had elsewhere. This is not related.

Non Vintage (NV) Champagne - Most Champagne is NV, a blend of grapes from multiple growing seasons, with an aim of producing a consistent and very good product every year.

Blanc de Blancs Champagne - Champagne made from only "white grapes," specifically Chardonnay, although a very few producers use some ancient varietals as well.

Blanc de Noirs Champagne - Champagne made from only "black grapes," Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These are strong and powerful wines, although somewhat uncommon

Champagne Splits - Popular as wedding and party favors, splits are 187ml (1/4 sized bottles), and contain a big glass full.

Champagne Magnums - The double bottle is the ideal size for serving more than a very few people as well as for aging. Champagne in magnum ages more slowly and gracefully than in normal sized 750ml bottles.

Kir Royal - A Champagne cocktail traditionally made with Champagne and creme de cassis.

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