Champagne
If you have checked Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest in the last week you couldn’t help but notice that Valentine’s day has moved up a gear… Hipster declarations of love via carved avocados, complex heart shaped cakes or chalkboard quotes all reinforce the pressure to love and be loved. But I am not a big fan of having to buy flowers or drink Champagne just because someone else says so. Instead I much prefer random, happy gestures on a bleak Monday. So consider this not a ‘what to drink on Valentine’s Day’ (the answer to which is whatever you bloody well want!) but a call to indulge in some decent champagne on a random day instead.
Coco Chanel said “I only drink Champagne on two occasions; when I am in love, and when I am not”,
A sentiment that I have embraced many times over the years. It is an indulgent luxury; just as happy with fish and chips out of paper as at a swanky occasion. A recent trip to the Pompadour restaurant involved the champagne trolley visiting our table… the ultimate luxury furniture?
But champagne is now playing second fiddle to Prosecco for many. Cheaper, sweeter (in the main) and easier to drink, Italy’s sparkler is proving perfect for a treat on a night in or out, whatever the occasion. However, in my opinion, there are times when champagne can reach the parts that other bubbles can’t. Yes, it is more expensive, and you can get at least two glasses of Prosecco or Cava to the cost of one (same applies for bottles). Yet it is more versatile, tends to have more flavour and is better with food, meaning you can justify a bottle as a pre-dinner drink and a white wine. It is a completely different drink, in fact, but it does need at least a salty crisp, olive or piece of cheese with it to balance the acidity. Unlike Prosecco, it also carries a sense of occasion, it’s what we drink to celebrate hatches, matches and despatches.
So why not make everyday occurrences take on a new meaning, like toasting the day when it isn’t dark at 6 pm or getting your tax return in 3 months in advance. Next time you feel the need for momentousness, champagne is not just for Valentine’s Day, in fact it’s for a lot more.
If you want to know more about the differences check out the Fizz Line page and the individual Fizz stations, here are the links to Champagne and Prosecco. Over the next few weeks we will be loading up our recommendations for each of the stations and have started with one of my favourite champagnes, Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, which is a special occasion bottle, although you occasionally find by the glass in a restaurant – result! We will also be releasing tickets for our Edinburgh Thirsty Thursday Fizz Line Tasting on the 7th May in the next week, so keep an eye on our social media and register on the website (here) to get the newsletter and a discount on event tickets.