Champagne isn't only for New Year's Eve, weddings of people you love and funerals of, er, people you didn't. Here's a quote from Lily Bollinger of the famous producer family of the same name, which perfectly captures all the reasons you should drink it:"I 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'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."
You probably already know or at least have heard of the big "marques" - Champagnes made in the millions of bottles annually, such as Veuve Cliquot, Moet & Chandon (and it's pronounced "mwet," not "mo-way"), Taittinger, Perrier-Jouet, Krug and Pol Roger. Most of these are non-vintage; that is, they are a blend of wines, typically from many different vineyards across Champagne, and from two or more years. Why? Well, they're designed to taste the same year over year, so that the buyer always knows what they're getting. That's not always true, but that's the idea. And this consistency, supported by sometimes pretty expensive marketing, is supposed to make you become exclusively a "Krug (or whatever) drinker." But that's up to you.
My view? Champagne can be great stuff for a Tuesday night when you're feeling a little down, or just because, well, it's Tuesday night!
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