Bubbles!!!

While most people are under the impression that it was Dom Pierre Perignon (a Benedictine Monk) who invented Champagne, it was really one of the of the worlds greatest 'happy accidents', maybe? Decades before Dom Perignon's era, it is said the English had been complaining about the "foamy and funny tasting wine" exported from Champagne, France. Due to warmer shipping conditions, the casks of wine had undergone a secondary fermentation during transport and carbon dioxide had been trapped within the wine itself. Dom Perignon had actually worked diligently to try and prevent this phenomenon from occurring. There is also evidence to suggest that it was Christopher Merret (an English Scientist) who had invented sparkling wine three decades before Dom Perignon. Either way, the end result remains the same.

Another myth that I feel is worth mentioning here is that the glass designed for the consumption of champagne (more commonly used today for margaritas) was produced using a wax mold of Marie Antionette's breast. While I do like the association, It is known that the English once again had beaten France to the punch in designing that glass almost a century prior. For the purposes of enjoyment though, it is the flute style glass that helps to enhance the longevity of all those fantastic bubbles!

Of all the ways to enjoy a bottle of sparkling wine though, it was Marilyn Monroe who I thought had the most original attack of filling her bath tub with over 350 bottles of the stuff. Talk about two great tastes that taste great together! Also, a standard bottle of champagne is said to contain approximately 45 million bubbles. That would mean that Marilyn's tub contained 1.54 trillion air pearls.

Here are a few of my favorite Champagne Houses:

-Krug Grande Cuvee MV, Anything by Krug is a safe bet but in the rare experience you get to delve into the "Clos du Mesnil", it will be life altering.

-Salon Blanc de Blancs "Le Mesnil" Vintage, Power and Finesse all in one package.

-Bollinger Special Cuvee NV, Hey, if its good enough for 007, then its good enough for me.

-Ruinart Rose NV, I would choose this over a dozen roses for my date any day of the week.

-Billecart-Salmon Rose NV, Hardly gets more elegant.

"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."

-Madam Lilly Bollinger

In my personal and professional opinion, there is no better way to begin or end anything in life other than a glass of bubbles in hand.

BF