Champagne For My Real Friends

"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends."

Tom Waits

As I prepare my material for the wine class "All About Bubbles" I will teach on Monday June 22nd at Savvy Cellar, I got reflecting on why I love Champagne and Sparkling Wine.

Part of my love is based on how Champagne embodies celebration; although I love also how it brings pizzaz to mundane days of the week and simple foods . . . popcorn and bubbles, anyone? (See blog post: It's Tuesday . . . Pass the Bubbly!)

Part of my love is based in the richness of history and tradition of Champagne - dating back centuries.

Part of my love is for the winemakers who are artists, creatively challenged to make the right "blend" from 30 - 60 still wines.

Part of my love is for Dom Perignon (the 17th Century Monk), who was attempting to actually remove the bubbles from Champagne!

Part of my love is for the (approximately) 56 million bubbles contained in a bottle of Champagne (once opened).

Finally, whether it be Cava, Cremant de Loire, Franciacorta, Prosecco, Sekt, Sparkling Wine or Champagne itself, it looks so incredibly beautiful and is plain fun to sip!