Champagne Tastes. Beer budgets.

We are not drinking enough Champagne.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Champagne sales are now so flat that producers are leaving the grapes to rot on the ground. Not only are they picking fewer grapes, they’re bottling 44% less wine this year. They’re leaving the rest in tanks to age until demand picks up.

As a result, distributors are offering deals to restaurateurs, and Champagne sellers are even considering slashing prices to consumers. Well, that’s good news for us. Not so much for them.

I think we should do our part and enjoy more of the wine that Dom Pérignon likened to “drinking stars.”

I know that times are tough, and beer is easier on the budget, but aren’t bad times exactly when we should have a bit of bubbly? As Winston Churchill said: "In success you deserve it and in defeat, you need it."

In more affluent times, Champagne was everyone’s favorite. It was drunk with meals, between meals, and as a nightcap. It was even a popular breakfast quaff. Supposedly when asked why he drank Champagne for breakfast, Noel Coward replied, “Doesn't everyone?"

Although nothing beats an elegant glass of sparkling Champagne, there are some good mixed drinks that call for bubbly. Maybe we should bring back the Champagne Cocktail, which dates back to the mid-19th century.

Champagne Cocktail

Drop a sugar cube into a Champagne flute, add a dash of bitters, and then fill the glass with Champagne. Some people add ice and/or a sliver of lemon peel.

Or try the Kir Royale. A lovely aperitif, it’s as delicious to look at as it is to drink.

Kir Royale

To a glass of Champagne, add a splash of Crème de Cassis.

Of course the winter holidays –  or, as people in the business say, the “sparkling season” –  are coming up. But if you’re as saddened as I am by thoughts of those rotting grapes, don’t wait for the holidays. Pop a cork today. If you need an excuse, think of it as doing your bit to improve the economy.

Remember what John Maynard Keynes, the British economist who built his reputation on remedies for economic recession and unemployment, said on his deathbed: “I wish I’d drunk more Champagne.”

 

Champagne Slush

If you’re ever faced with leftover Champagne or sparkling wine – yes, it does happen –  try this fizzy, frosty ice. Fresh strawberries are a natural partner, as are crisp wafer cookies.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups Champagne or sparkling wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and mix with the wine and lemon juice. Chill and then churn
in your ice cream maker. Makes a quart.

Note: Because of the alcohol, this won’t get completely firm right away. It needs a few hours or overnight in your freezer. It will also melt quickly once it’s served. But like most fleeting pleasures, it’s wonderful while it lasts. – Ice Cream: The Ultimate Cold Comfort, Jeri Quinzio, 2006.

Comments

[Jeri Quinzio]

Remember what Madame Bollinger said -- "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes, I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it if I am; Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Jeri

[KMWall]

I was recently given a bottle of bubbly that I was saving for 'some' occasion. I'm putting in the fridge and will find an occasion in the next week. I will not go to my deathbed without sufficient champagne. Thanks for a suggestion for leftovers.