Ahh, music to my ears. Shades of gold
and pink, aroma, flavor, dancing bubbles…
But, champagne is not just for toasts! You can have some fun with it too. Remember the trick of beheading a bottle of bubbly with a knife in “What happens in Vegas”? You can amaze everyone at your next party with le sabrage, or opening a bottle of Champagne with a sword. Napoleon's officers did it — and you can too! They say it takes 6 to 12 bottles to master le sabrage and it’s recommended that you have been properly trained by an experienced sabreur. I suggest to check out the price of a bottle first, not a label. (I do not endorse nor recommend sabering a Champagne bottle.)
But before you run to put that bottle in a fridge, you might want to know that Champagne is the name of a French wine region in the North of the country, where IN-ex-pen-sive (yep!) white wine was produced mostly for export to the England, where it was shipped still in barrels. English complained (huh?) to their French wine suppliers about barrels of foamy and funny tasting wine that had been delivered to them from Champagne. For awhile the wine producers tried to prevent the wine from creating bubbles (so many wasted years of joy!). The fun loving monks in the south of France started making sparkling wine as early as 16 century. The history has it that Dom Perignon, a merry French monk invented Champagne by messing up with bottles of bubbly stuff without really understanding why the stuff turned sparkling and then he managed to capture the bubbles in the bottle.
Little he knew that several centuries
down the road Marilyn Monroe would take a bath in the bubbly! According
to her biographer, it took 350 bottles to fill the tub. Hmm, we’ve
got a tough choice now - should we fill ours with Pierre Perignon, since
he was one of the first, and maybe the most successful in Champagne making?
Or go for the first Champagne house – Ruinart? It’s your pick, but
may we also suggest Chanoine, Taittinger, Moët, Abelé, Clicquot and
Heidsieck.
Thirsty for More Fun Facts? >>
How to Serve Champagne? >>When tasting Champagne, look at the color, admire the different shades of gold or pink. Watch the bubbles dancing… Inhale its bouquet and taste. There’s little class in the way Vivian Ward ("Pretty Woman") did it.
How to Store Champagne >>Now that you are done with reading for the day, it's time to celebrate!
Vodka Cocktails>>Rum Cocktails >>
Punches >>
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