CLUBHOUSE | LIQUID ASSETS
CHAMPION OF BUBBLES AS YEAR-END FESTIVITIES ARE NEARING, JULIEN YUNG MAMEAUX TELLS US WHAT SETS CHAMPAGNE APART FROM OTHER WINES AND HOW TO BEST ENJOY IT. LET’S SEE WHAT ALL THE FIZZ IS ABOUT.
T
here is no wine quite like Champagne. Adored The endless vineyards by people as diverse as Napoleon and Marilyn of Champagne, Monroe, the “sauté-bouchon” (literally jumping northeastern France cork), as it was once called, has been the dedicated potion of choice for magical nights since the 1600s. The epitome of the French art-de-vivre, the wine was born still, just like those of Burgundy and Bordeaux, but wasn’t destined to remain so. A series of mistakes, including early bottling, led formation to continue inside the bottle – and the effect of the sun and heat during transportation had turned the wine into a fizzy beverage by the time it reached the tables of European aristocrats. The “devil’s wine” quickly became the royal courts’ subject of extravaganza and was lavishly drunk outside of France in London, Berlin and Vienna. This period was named the “Belle Epoque” (1871-1914) and was a time of great profligacy, which was depicted on the bottles of Perrier-Jouet and Alphonse Mucha’s famous posters. Rarer Champagnes with powerful, fruity It took several major figures to define the prestigious standards of Champagne that we enjoy today. The iconic monk Dom Perignon, often mistaken as the inventor characters from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier of Champagne, devised key processes to refine sparkling wine production. Later, the grapes, such as those produced by Gobillard and demanding widow Veuve Cliquot designed the riddling system thanks to which a Bollinger, are known as Blanc de Noirs. Extreme cloudy wine could be made clear. This is one of the critical steps of the “Méthode subtlety can be found in a Vintage Prestige Cuvee of a grand maison like Roederer. Champenoise” (the traditional method). Whichever is poured into my glass, I always Queen Marie-Antoinette is said to have lent her breast to shape the Champagne coupe, the shallow, broad-bowled glass that is used in official ceremonies and love contemplating the 48 million bubbles that weddings. More recently Champagne-based producers Adolphe Jacquesson and grow bigger in size as they make their way to the William Deutz contributed to the evolution by tying the cage around the cork and surface. In these I picture myself travelling through the actual Champagne region of northeastern adding the metal cap on top. One may remember that at that time Champagne was deadly: with immense France. Not only is this the only area of production pressure in each bottle (triple that of a car tire), glass bottles would explode and that allows a wine to be named “Champagne”, loose corks would become airborne missiles. It’s still something to be wary of. When it is a place of endless beauty, with vineyards popping a cork at 40 km/h – it can reach speeds upwards of 100 km/h – it’s much stretching as far as the eye can see, and a warm and passionate people. Let’s pop a bottle and let more preferable to open it softly, an act that retains the Champagne’s effervescence. Champagne is best tasted at a temperature between seven and nine Celsius the Champagne flow. degrees (45 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit). Sometimes I enjoy it “frappé” – which involves To arrange an exclusive Champagne tasting tour, giving the bottle a flash chill in the freezer for a few minutes before serving. Most Champagnes are non-vintage blends of three different grapes: Chardonnay, sword sabrage etiquette and nights of drinking Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Champagne made exclusively with Chardonany, which in cellars, contact The Experience Company provide distinct flowery notes, are known as Blanc de Blancs, a French term that (www.TheExco.com) at +852 2179 3307 or email means “white from whites”, and are produced by notable houses like Pol Roger and contact@TheExco.com . Quote “HK Golfer” for a special discount. smaller boutiques such as Henri Lemaire. 34
HK GOLFER・NOV 2013
HKGOLFER.COM