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Champagne Bondage
©
Michael Vaughan 1999
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Friday,
December 24, 1999
Winston Churchill said of champagne, "In victory
we deserve it, in defeat
we need it." Victorious athletes shower in it, '30s movie stars
bathed in it, newships
are christened with it and almost everyone tells you to toast the new
millennium with it. Why,
exactly, are we so hung up on champagne? Why is a tiny region of France
that is located so far north that it can only make mediocre wine, the
exclusive home of the world's most expensive and sought-after drink?
How has it become the thing to drink when celebrating new years or new
millennia? Is it because it truly is worthy of momentous occasions, or is
it merely a triumph of marketing, along the lines of the wedding diamond
and
the retirement watch? There's
no simple answer.
Certainly, doomsday predictions by gullible wine writers that there would
be a millennium-induced shortage of champagne this year have not
materialized:
There is still plenty of the stuff on LCBO shelves. Most likely, the
prospect of a shortage was manufactured by the same people who have, over
the centuries, turned champagne into one of the most recognizable - and
protected - brand names in the world.
As author Nicholas Faith puts it in The Story of
Champagne (Fact on
File, 1989), "Champagne is made and sold by a hard-headed,
hard-working, rather cold-blooded bunch of people, fully aware that no one
needs to drink
Champagne, that its glamorous patina needs constant polishing. They can
never let up. The selling has to be continuous." Moët & Chandon
is owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton). Seagram's controls the
North American distribution of Mumm and Perrier-Jouet Champagne
(which explains why Universal Studios, owned by Seagram's, is flying a
20-foot-tall bottle of Perrier-Jouet Champagne in by helicopter for a
millennium party at its Hollywood studios).
Under French law, champagne can only be produced from
grapes from the
Champagne region of France. It is made by the unique and labour-intensive
"méthode Champenoise," whereby the secondary fermentation takes
place in
the actual bottle you buy. The process is now copied around the world but
is referred to outside the Champagne region as the "méthode
classique" or "méthode traditionelle,"
thanks to the vigilance of producers in Champagne and their never-ending
cause to reserve the name of their locality for their own products.
(Producers in North America can still refer to their sparkling
wines as "champagne," thanks to favourable court rulings in
Canada's case, and the United States' economic clout. They can do this
even if they aren't making champagne in the traditional way, i.e
fermenting it in the bottle.) Part
of champagne's exotic appeal is its high price, which results mostly
from its costly and time-consuming method of production, but is also
boosted by its relatively limited supply.
See Champagne on Page E2
A good bottle from the Champagne region can cost
hundreds of dollars; an
equally good bottle of sparkling white wine made in the "méthode
classique"
in a neighbouring region of France might fetch $30. The price alone is a
good reason for reserving champagne is important occasions, but there's
more to it than that.
There's the bubbles - 49-million of them in a 750 ml bottle, according to
scientific research posted on the Moët & Chandon website. It
is the thrilling stream of champagne's effervescence that really drives
its fans mad. Columnist Art Buchwald loved it "because it always
tastes as though my foot's asleep."
There is also champagne's link to the decadent '20s
and the jazz era, a fact documented in Mr. Faith's book. "The only
art form which has greatly benefited from its association with
champagne (and vice verse) is jazz. Champagne was so common in the
brothels of Storeyville in New Orleans in the early years of the century
that it
was simply called 'wine,' an acknowledged inspiration to the
players," he
writes. But there's still more to it.
Last summer, Guy Lévesque, owner of Le Nouveau Parigo French Bistro (1675
Bloor Street West), began selling French champagne in his restaurant for
a nearly laughable $10 markup per bottle.
"I decided that Champagne is simply too
expensive to have a 200 to 300 %
markup," Mr. Lévesque said. "By adding only $10 a bottle, I
enable my
guests to celebrate the small victories of life. And in an intimate
restaurant
like mine, the mood is infectious. The pop of the cork brings smiles from
around the room. The eyes sparkle. Open one bottle and the table beside it
feels
the energy. "People feel special when they drink champagne. And what
I have done is
make this festive treat attainable to all my guests as an everyday
celebration
of life."
As Mr. Faith writes in his book, "Champagne is
more than an emollient for
distressed composers or victorious politicians. Its role as a universal
vehicle of rejoicing, or consolation, is greatly helped by the fact that
it is the only alcoholic beverage which is enjoyable to drink at any hour
of
the day or night: A champagnes' breakfast can be eaten either at the end
of a night's festivities or after a good sleep."
The problem facing consumers on the eve of the
millennium is whether they
should spend good money on a bottle of real champagne, thereby preserving
a certain code of purity created by a marketing board in France, or go for
less expensive, but equally deserving, sparkling wines from the United
States, Australia, Canada and elsewhere. Will they get that same pop, that
same feeling of celebration, from a
Bottle of Canadian sparkling wine as they would from a bottle of Moët
& Chandon?
Personally, I could go either way. Champagne is
delicious and often worth
The price. But its aggressive branding has obscured the fact that worthy
sparkling wines are being made around the world - bubblies that would
make no less honourable a toast to the new millennium.
What follows is a guide to the best champagnes and
sparkling wines
Available in Ontario.
Champagnes There are many styles of champagne. There are
"vintages,"
which are limited to grapes from a single, exceptional year, and
"non-vintage"
champagnes, which contain grapes from a variety of years and, in the
hands of a skillful blender, can be as good as a vintage champagne.
Like anything else, there are great champagnes and ordinary ones. The
rush to get bubbly to the millennium market has meant, in some instances,
that
there hasn't been enough time to permit the wine to properly age before
it's
shipped. This aging period is often critical in permitting the flavours
to develop. As a result, I have had some very pleasing (obviously earlier
shipped), and some not-so-fine (recently arrived), bottles of the world's
largest selling non-vintage cuvée, Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial
($46.95).
Ultimately, what's best is a matter of taste. At the very top, at least
In terms of price, there are the prestige brands,
such as the beautiful
flower-enamelled bottles of Perrier-Jouet Belle Époque Brut and
the
delicate 1990 Dom Perignon. Who wouldn't get giddy sipping
something that costs
$5.88 an ounce?
Personally, I want more flavour that those two
exceedingly dry brands
offer. A prestige best bet would be the seamless, toasty Pommery Louise
1988;
it's available at Vintages at $109 and is worthy of the price.
For everyday drinking (if that's possible with such an expensive elixir),
let me recommend two award-winners from this year's Toronto Wine &
Cheese
Show: Pommery Brut Royal ($44.60) and Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve
($42.95).
The LCBO's least expensive champagne, Piper-Heidsieck
Brut, which
Received the highest score in last month's Consumer Reports, is a
surprisingly
tasty best buy at only $37.90. I also love rosé champagne, which gets its blush of colour
from the skin of pinot noir grapes. The two winners from this year's
Toronto Wine & Cheese Show are the refined Moët & Chandon Rosé
Brut at $49.70 and the light
Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut at $49.95. Sparkling wines Also
worth considering, especially for the price, are sparklers from other
parts of France. My favourite is the bone-dry William Crémant d'Alsace
at $24.10. It's best served with hors d'oeuvres.
Moving on to other parts of the world, my 1999 best buy Champagne
knock-off is the delicious Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut for
$29.95 at
Vintages stores. Dry, creamy and well balanced with fine, refreshing,
winter melon
fruit flavours, I actually prefer this label to their more expensive
L'Ermitage.
At the other end of the spectrum is the pleasant,
fruity, easy-to-quaff
Cooks Brut American Champagne at only $8.95 on the General List.
Like Canadian
"champagne," it really has nothing in common with the real
thing, except
its bubbles, and even then the bubbles are much larger than you'd find in
French champagne. There's nothing wrong with its dry, light,
apricot-grapefruit
flavours, although it isn't a very brutish "Brut." Sparkling
wines are made in almost every grape-growing country. And while German
sparklers seem to have lost some of their allure, Spain keeps plugging
ahead with a wide selection of well-priced listings, the best
being the fresh, dry but not austere Codorniu Cuvée Raventos Brut
Chardonnay at
only $13.80. Italy offers a
variety of good sparkling wines, too. One gem is the sweet
(8% residual sugar) award-winner Fontanafredda Asti Spumanti for
only $12.50.
I'm sure that Dom Perrigon lovers have stopped
reading by now (Asti will never go with their Beluga caviar), but I have
yet to come across anyone who
didn't appreciate its lovely sweet flavours. It's perfect for quaffing
with
a Jan. 1 brunch. For something less sweet, you might want to try the
gently honeyed,
citrusy Bottega Vino dei Poeti Prosecco at $12.50 or the
attractively packaged,
dry, crisp Millennium Cuvée Brut at $12.65 (both on the General
List).
Why the LCBO insists on putting Ontario sparkling
wines under the
"Champagne" heading with the real thing is beyond me. Worse yet,
genuine VQA "méthode traditionelle" wines are mixed up with
these inexpensive Ontario blends.
Best from the latter group is the relatively dry, lemony, well balanced
President Cuvée 2000 at $11.95. From the first group, both Chateau
des
Charmes Sec Méthode Traditionelle ($16.95) and Colio Lily
Chardonnay at
$14.95 are quite pleasant. Finally,
if you have a super sweet tooth, check out the world's first Sparkling
Icewine from Magnotta, which comes in an attractive dark-blue
half bottle. This delicious bubbly is only available at Magnotta stores
for
$49.95 and comes with a frosted icewine glass. On even a higher level is
the recently released Inniskillin VQA Sparkling Icewine, which is
available
through Vintages at an astounding $89.95 per half bottle. It's wonderful
with lots of finesse but, of course, at a price.
Planning to make a toast on New Year's Eve this
year?
The people at Charles Heidsieck champagne have a few tips,
among the most important being keep it short and to the point. As an
example, they give Jonathon Swift's famous toast: "May we live all
the years of our life." For further guidance, below are toasts
submitted by Toronto residents at the request of the Post: "To my
family for continued health and happiness. And toasting the greatest city
in the world, Toronto, the best place to work, live and play."
Mel Lastman, the mayor of Toronto, is scheduled to be
on national Television at the foot of Yonge Street "banging a
gong" at midnight. Mayor Lastman Does not drink alcohol.
To Canadian writers in the new millennium "who
aren't averse to making money." Anne McDermid is one of the
most successful literary agents in Canada. She represents such authors as
Wayne Johnston, Andrew Pyper and Sarah Sheard. She also makes no bones
about liking champagne, especially Bollinger. "I drink
it," she says. "What was that quote from the daughter of the one
of the founders of champagne? She
said she only drinks it when she's happy or sad or when she's lonely or in
a crowd. In other words, all the time." On New Year's Eve, Ms.
McDermid will drink whatever people offer. "Let's twist again."
Mark Breslin, founder and chief executive officer of
Yuk Yuk's will be at Yuk Yuk's Superclub and "drinking crystal clear
Evian water to hydrate my outh from all the pot I've been smoking.
"The year communities all over the world will be able to connect
wirelessly to the Internet." Bruce Sinclair, president and CEO of
WaveRider Communications, Inc. Mr. Sinclair will be toasting with
champagne. "To my wife and I." Ed Mirvish, entrepreneur, who
will be toasting with cranberry juice with his wife at home. "To the
health of our new child and the two we have." Lorne Erenberg,
president of E-Bond Ltd., who will be at home with his wife - expecting a
baby that evening or close to it. This will be Mr. Erenberg's first new
year celebration in Toronto after the last nine in Asia. The toast will be
made with cold sake, for the rest of the family it will be grape juice.
"I'll be toasting to myself, for longevity and for a dear
friend."
Austin Clarke, author, who will toast with a Bombay
Sapphire martini, dry, no ice, chilled glass, twist of lemon and four
olives on the side, at a great literary party held in Rosedale. "Bliadhna mhath ur dhuibh. A h'uile latha sona dhuibh
gunlatha idir dona dhuibh." (Gaelic for: Happy New Year. May every
day be a happy day without ever a bad day.)
Alistair MacLeod, author, who will be celebrating the new year with
friends and family and listening to music from Cape Breton.
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