A Great Day for Champagne--WBW 25

My first glass of sparkling wine went down like this:  I was 18 years old, a freshman in college, and wanting to play sophisticated.  So when the annual Winter Festival came around--aka more excuses to party--I decided that while I dressed up in my semi-formal finest I would listen to music and sip champagne--I mean, sparkling wine. 

I sipped, got dressed, sipped, put on my makeup, sipped and...fell asleep.  I never made it out of the house.  I can't even remember what I was sipping but I was in college so you can probably make a good guess that it wasn't anywhere near as good as the Billecart-Salmon I've been sipping on tonight.

Today (and not last week as I thought) is Wine Blogging Wednesday, and this month's host--Sam of Becks and Posh--put out the challenge to write about a glass of Champagne--meaning sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France.  There weren't many options in the wine shops of Syracuse for Champagne under $50.00 but I found this half bottle of Brut Rose and now understand how good sparkling wine can be.

The beauty of Champagne--like all good sparkling wines--is that it is the go-to drink when you aren't sure what to pair with dinner.  In fact, bringing a glass of sparkling wine to a dinner party is a sure way to hit the right note no matter what is being served.  I sipped mine with some wonderful antipasti from Lombardi's--it goes great with proscuitto. 

This Brut-Rose is made with a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir grapes with a little extracted skins to give it a golden rose color.  It is fruitier on the nose than on the tongue--with a nice dry finish.

This half bottle was just under $35.  A little more money than I'd spend on an everyday drink, but yummy enough for me not to wait for a special occasion.  And that's my big lesson about Champagne.  It really is too good to wait only for a celebration.  The last time I had sparkling wine was on my birthday last month--a nice bottle from Shinn Estate Vineyards on Long Island.  But today I'm celebrating a day filled with great yoga, wonderful colleagues, and amazing parishioners--just a regular day deserving a fantastic flute of something deliciously bubbly.

Billecart-Salmon, $34.95 available at Pascale's Liquor Square on Erie Boulevard, Syracuse

Comments

[Denise]

Thank you for reminding us to celebrate life more often than "special occassions"! I've got a get-together this weekend, and bought regular wine... I think I'm going back for some champagne - what's not to celebrate when you have good friends getting together for good food and fun?

[Jack]

"now understand how good sparkling wine can be." - To me, not just sparkling wine, but sparkling rosé. We've had a magnum of this sitting in our cellar for 7 years or so. One of these days!!! :)

[sam]

I too, am of the school of thought that the enjoyment of champagne should not be restricted to special occasions. Thank you for your entry, Jennider!