Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 22, 2018

8

FOOD & DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 22, 2018 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


THE HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS TO 
YOU ALL!!!

I hope that you were able to spend valuable time during 
Christmas with your family and friends. Next up on 
the calendar, The New Year! I think time is speeding 
up on me.

 One of my favorite subjects is joyfully known as “Bubbly.” 
I do not wish to be a referee with zebra stripes but 
I think it is important to discover some of the more 
intriguing historical elements of the liquid that tingles 
within our glass upon the stroke of midnight. There 
is a difference between “Champagne” and “Sparkling 
Wine.” Champagne is a distinct region in France and 
by strict French Law, only grapes grown and produced 
in the region can be called Champagne. Many states 
and countries produce a sparkling wine using very 
similar methods as the French. In California the procedure 
is called, “Champione Method.” In Spain they 
call it Cava, and South Africa uses Cap classique. An 
Italian sparkling wine is called Asti. In Germany, Sekt is 
a common sparkling wine. Other French wine regions 
cannot use the name Champagne, i.e. Burgundy and 
Alsace produce Crémant. Sparkling wines mislabeled 
Champagne can be and are often seized and destroyed 
by legal authorities. 

How did this wonderful bottle of Bubbly come into our 
world? Most believe that the monks of France developed 
and began the process some four hundred years 
ago. It appears that these guys have a lot of free time on 
their hands. Like some many of our greatest discoveries, 
Champagne was actually a mistake. Can you believe 
that! Most wines were drunk very early, but some 
were transported long distances and through the journey, 
the casks would warm and set off a secondary fermentation. 
A strange bubbling would be noticed when 
these casks were opened. Dom Perignon gets the credit 
for one of the first successful deliberate capture of the 
“mousse” in a bottle. Since then many a ship have set 
sail and many weddings have started and ended with 
Champagne. Here are a few of the funnier quotes I 
found…

* "I only drink 
Champagne 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 am not 
hungry and drink 
it when I am. Otherwise 
I never 
touch it - unless 
I'm thirsty." (Lily 
Bollinger)

* "I drink Champagne 
when I win, 
to celebrate . . . and 
I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself." 
(Napoleon Bonaparte)

* "In victory we deserve it, in defeat we need it." (Winston 
Churchill)

* “Champagne makes you feel like it’s Sunday and better 
days are just around the corner." (Marlene Dietrich)

* "My only regret in life is that I did not drink more 
Champagne." (John Meynard Keynes)

* "Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman 
beautiful after drinking it." (Madame De Pompadour)

* "Three be the things I shall never attain: envy, content 
and sufficient Champagne." (Dorothy Parker)

So, if this has got you in the mood for bubbly, I can’t 
blame you. In fact, I toast you!! Drink responsibly! 
Wear eye protection if you insist on letting the kiddies 
rocket the cork with a bottle opening! 

Come join me this Tuesday at Pop Champagne Bar for 
a night of Bubbly!! Reservations required. Email me 
thechefknows@yahoo.com for further information. 
Thanks to Google for helping me research this.

Tune into my Live Radio Show 12 Noon Sunday AM 
830 KLAA, Are you on Instagram? I am! Follow me 
there too!


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