The Trouble With Champagne

Posted 01/16/2008 at 10:19 AM by Carolyn

As part of my recent efforts to expand my wine enjoyment (i.e., not just sparkling wine and Burgundy), I decided last night to attend a wine tasting at a great restaurant downtown. Apparently they do these little free tastings every night, and you never know what it’s going to be until you show up! I recruited El Gato to join me and we headed out.

We arrived around 5:30 and were the first ones there. The restaurant had a very attractive bar area, with leather banquettes and soft lights. Just beyond the bar, there was a large table set up with wine glasses and promotional literature lined up across it. As we approached it, I realized they weren’t just wine glasses…they were champagne flutes.

It was Champagne night! Not just “sparkling wine” night. Champagne!

Awesome. 

So much for expanding my horizons. Pop the cork and let’s get started!

We were assisted by a couple of girls in J. Crew separates with bubbly (ha ha!) personalities. They weren’t employees of the restaurant or the wineries; just a couple of PR reps hired by the office of Champagne.

“Oh, how do I work for the office of Champagne?” They laughed politely at my question, but I’m sure they’ve heard it a million times. But, seriously, how do I work for the Office of Champagne? I will be looking into that.

Anyway, these ladies were there to reiterate the old notion that any sparkling wine that doesn’t come from Champagne can’t be called “Champagne.” I even got a cute magnet for my fridge that says “Champagne only comes from Champagne, France.” Good to know.

So, they poured us a little Champagne. And I mean “a little.” Not more than half an ounce. (Standard tasting pour is an ounce, so let’s not cheap out next time, ladies.) The first one we tried was the Nicolas Feuillate Blanc de Blancs. It was a perfect aperitif, with delicate bubbles and a fruity, refreshing flavor. Very tasty.

Next, we tried the Louis Roederer Brut. This one was drier and very crisp. El Gato really took a shine to this one. At the time, I thought it was perfectly good. Now, however, I’ve changed my mind.

I didn’t realize at the time that Louis Roederer produces Cristal. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Cristal, either from a wine resource or from a rap song. You may have heard about an incident last year involving some uncouth remarks from the managing director of Louis Roederer. When asked in an interview how he felt about all that wonderful free marketing that Cristal gets from rappers, this guy basically said that he couldn’t control the type of people who consume his product and that he’d prefer the rappers take their business elsewhere. What a jerk!

So, Jay-Z did take his business elsewhere. He started up a hip-hop boycott of Cristal, and I must say that I join him in that sentiment. Not that I’m even remotely part of hip-hop culture, nor could I possibly afford a bottle of Cristal anytime soon. But, I do think that Mr. Champagne made an inappropriate comment and had a generally crappy attitude. I’m with you, Jay-Z. I, too, have 99 problems, but ungrateful Champagne producers ain’t one.

Anyway, back to the tasting. After the brut, we had a Veuve Clicquot Rose. It was quite dry, and El Gato even found it a little sour. She did not care for it one bit, but I enjoyed it. Rose is so in fashion right now, and why not? It’s pretty in pink!

Overall, the Blanc de Blancs was definitely my favorite. Maybe it’s just because I drink a fair amount of Brut, so it was just nice to have something so different.

We had a great time sampling our itty bitty sips of Champagne, and I will be returning to these free wine nights. Hopefully it’ll be something really different next time!

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