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I always start my dinner parties with a glass of sparkling wine. There is nothing like it to lighten the mood and whet the appetite. It makes a great aperitif (before dinner drink), but I wouldn’t mind drinking it with the main course, providing it’s not a heavy red meat, or sipping the night away long after dinner is done.
And what brunch would be complete without a mimosa? For me, hold the juice. Tantalizing bubbles can tickle the nose, cheer you up or instantly set the mood for a romantic evening. In fact, I can’t think of a bad time to drink a sparkler.
But the idea of spending $40 for basic Champagne or hundreds for a Tête de Cuvée (the top bottling from a producer (i.e. Moet and Chandon’s tête is Dom Perignon) makes me tremble. Champagne has become expensive by reputation; the high demand and allure the Champagne companies have expertly constructed through advertising and legislation to protect their name has spiked its prices.
To say a wine is a “Champagne” means that it must come from a region in the northeast of France close to Belgium and made only from three grape varieties: the black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and the white Chardonnay. Champagne must also be made according to the Méthode Champenois, a long and careful process by which a still wine is first created in a barrel, then turned into sparkling wine in the bottle by adding yeast and sugar.
