Champagne actually has a “Day.” This year, it was October 23.
But really, everyday should be #ChampagneDay.
It’s refreshing and fun and goes with just about anything you are eating. It just makes people happy and, yes, there are bottles you can afford for every day.
(You can listen to the fun I had with my dear friend and @jediwinemaster Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan as she taught me about all things champagne! And yes…we drank too!)
But first…
The Basics
Champagne is a wine that comes from the Champagne region of France, which is in the Northeast part of the country. The grapes have to be grown there and the wine has to be produced according to the rules of the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne. Period. End of story.
There are sparkling wines made all over the world but only Champagne is from Champagne. It is actually illegal in some areas outside France to even use the world “champagne” when referring to a sparkling wine. That’s why a sparkling wine from Northern Italy is called a prosecco, one from Spain is called a cava, and so on.
The primary grapes used in the production of Champagne are pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. And again – these grapes must be grown in the Champagne region.
Read more here to find out about the bubbles, what foods to pair Champagne with (hint: potato chips!) and some great bottles for everyday!
And I recently had the great pleasure of attending a Champagne tasting and paired lunch with Cyril Brun, the recently appointed winemaker and lead cellar master of Champagne House, Charles Heidsieck, at the The NoMad Hotel Rooftop.
Got to taste a bunch of Charles’ latest releases (he’s standing in the picture on the left), including the new vintage Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millésime 2006 – the House’s first vintage Rosé since 1999.
Here’s the list of what he poured. Silly.
- Rose Reserve NV
- Brut Reserve NV
- Rose Millesime 2006 (new vintage release)
- Blanc de Millenaires 1995 (in the middle photo)
Cent’Anni
And you know I would love to hear your thoughts on this, the wines you are drinking or anything else…so send a quick note!
