After the lights have faded and New Year's novelty is behind us, what happens to Champagne? Does it go dormant with brief awakenings for Wimbledon and the occasional Royal Wedding? Is this Champagne's off season? Or does it lead a double life like a spy?
After a few glancing blows with sparkling wines during the limited on season, it became clear that this class of beverages deserves closer examination...some fresh air, perhaps. The confined calendar within which it lives seems totally unfair. Chocolate has a life outside Easter and Valentine's Day, right? Not to mention, it suffers from gender bias in the most horrible way - at least in this country.
But elsewhere real men drink Champagne - and not just on special occasions. A few cases in point: Debonair spy James Bond is partial to Bollinger and Dom Pérignon. Enforcer Sean Dillon, of Jack Higgins' novels, prefers non-vintage Krug. Even real life double agent Kim Philby was said to enjoy a little bubbly on occasion. Okay, okay, so these are mostly fictional characters, but the point it that there is a possibility for Champagne beyond its confined existence here in the US.
This week we seek to ask if it's worthy of one. Can Champagne be an every day drink?
In pursuit of the answer, we'll review one a day (only one of which is actually Champagne) as the examination evolves. Feel free to drink along.
NOTE: Yes, I know. No doubt incensing Franco-advocates everywhere, I've used the word Champagne interchangeably with bubbly and sparkling, where more specific words like crémant, cava, franciacorta, or spumante would at least be accurate, if not appropriate. So what? You know what I mean - and I know I'm being lazy.
After a few glancing blows with sparkling wines during the limited on season, it became clear that this class of beverages deserves closer examination...some fresh air, perhaps. The confined calendar within which it lives seems totally unfair. Chocolate has a life outside Easter and Valentine's Day, right? Not to mention, it suffers from gender bias in the most horrible way - at least in this country.But elsewhere real men drink Champagne - and not just on special occasions. A few cases in point: Debonair spy James Bond is partial to Bollinger and Dom Pérignon. Enforcer Sean Dillon, of Jack Higgins' novels, prefers non-vintage Krug. Even real life double agent Kim Philby was said to enjoy a little bubbly on occasion. Okay, okay, so these are mostly fictional characters, but the point it that there is a possibility for Champagne beyond its confined existence here in the US.
This week we seek to ask if it's worthy of one. Can Champagne be an every day drink?
In pursuit of the answer, we'll review one a day (only one of which is actually Champagne) as the examination evolves. Feel free to drink along.
NOTE: Yes, I know. No doubt incensing Franco-advocates everywhere, I've used the word Champagne interchangeably with bubbly and sparkling, where more specific words like crémant, cava, franciacorta, or spumante would at least be accurate, if not appropriate. So what? You know what I mean - and I know I'm being lazy.