Raise a glass

Celebrate With Bubbly

Celebrate!

Célébrer! Świętować!

Celebrare! In any language, Champagne is the wine of choice for celebrations.

Three hundred million bottles and $5 billion later, it must be said that there is something incredibly special about those bubbles. About 150 km, or 90 miles, east of Paris is the coldest wine-growing region in France and also one of the smallest, just about twice the size of San Francisco. Here is the only place in the world that is allowed to call its wine Champagne. Every other sparkling wine made in the world; and most every other wine-producing country makes a sparkling wine, cannot use the term Champagne. In Spain it is called Cava, in Germany it is called Sekt, in Italy it is Asti or Prosecco or Franciacorta. In Burgundy, Loire and Alsace it is Crémant, and in America it is sparkling wine.

What makes Champagne so special? The region has a rugged cold climate, hillside vineyards, and a unique chalk-and-limestone-rich soil that you can taste in the wine. There are only three grapes allowed to make Champagne and they must be handharvested — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The blend of each Champagne house directly affects the aromas, flavor and style of the finished wine. Chardonnay brings floral aromas, freshness, acidity and biscuit flavors. Pinot Noir gives red berry aroma, structure and spiciness. Pinot Meunier adds a bright fruitiness to the wine. Most are a blend, aka cuvée, of these grapes. When the label says Blanc de Blancs (white from white), it is made only with Chardonnay. When the label says Blanc de Noirs (white from black), it is made only with Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier. If the label has a vintage date, like 2010 Lanson, all the grapes must come from that year’s harvest. These are not common and are usually expensive. Most Champagne is non-vintage, meaning the wine is blended from reserves at the winery to create a consistent house-style year after year, such as, for instance, Veuve Clicquot.

How does Champagne make 10 to 15 million bubbles per glass? It happens in the bottle with the second fermentation; Champagne is the only wine made this way. It starts out as still wine. The grapes are fermented dry in stainless steel vats. Note: A few houses ferment in oak, namely, Krug and Bol- linger, and some special bottlings such as Clos Lanson and Sous Bois.

Assemblage: The grapes are intricately blended to create a consistent house style.

Drummers Set The Pace

Ray West

... is a wine lover and expert, and is the eighth woman in the world to earn the title of Master Sommelier, the highest professional qualification in the hospitality industry.

Liqueur de tirage: This blend is bottled with a small amount of cane sugar and yeast, which creates a second fermentation in the bottle. This second fermentation creates alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide dissolves into the wine and, simply put, this is the magic that creates those Champagne bubbles. The corks are cylindrical when inserted, but due to compression, develop the iconic mushroom shape over time.

The cork is held with a muselet, the wire cage around the cork. A bottle of Champagne has the pressure of a bus tire; open with care.

Before the 17th century, sparkling wine was nicknamed “le vin du diable” (“the devil’s wine”).

Cellar workers wore masks and body armor due to the exploding bottles and shooting corks. A littleknown fact is that Dom Perignon did not invent Champagne. Truth is, an English scientist C. Merrett, in 1662, presented the theory of the Champenoise method (second fermentation in the bottle) many years before DP. Sorry to disappoint. Another Englishman invented the thick glass bottles still used today.

I love Champagne; I drink it often. The price? Drink less, drink better. Until next time, cheers!

LIZ’S WINE PICKS

Save a little: Champagne Lanson. Black Label Brut. (A personal favorite). Pinot Noir dominates, ripe, rich, red fruit, brioche and honeycomb. Balanced and elegant. $50.

Spend a little: Champagne Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2013. Powerful, structured, creamy, vanilla, candied fruit, citrus and pie crust, endless finish. $250.

When most of us see a super nice car, we are taken with the aesthetics or how fast it can go. Only a few of us consider the intricacies of the internal combustion engine that dictates how fast the car goes or how much power the truck has. Such is the plight of the average working drummer.

The drummer, though rarely the “face of the franchise,” is perhaps the most important player on the field of live music. Often hidden behind a wall of shiny brass, the drummer dictates the tempo, volume and intensity of most live playing situations.

Let’s work our way through a very average song structure. The drummer counts it off — 1, 2, 3, 4. From this exact point on, the speed or tempo of the song is laid down by the drummer. And he has to know what that is going to be, then stay as true to that tempo for the entire song, unless the song changes tempo, then he needs to handle that also. The entire band depends on that tempo, and everything they do is governed by it.

As we play through the intro, which can include any number of specific hits and fills, we come to the verse. The texture of the verse needs to differ from that of the intro, while creating a “feel” that is in line with what the band intends. A chorus usually follows the verse, and the drummer changes “feels” yet again, increasing the intensity as the music requires. The drummer may strike the drums with more velocity or increased frequency while keeping the tempo intact. Many songs include a bridge, which is an entirely new section, with yet a different “feel.”

... a professional musician, singer, actor and executive director of the Key West Music Awards, is known to sacrifice his comfort for that of his cat.

Then back to a chorus, which may change in intensity as the song proceeds. This does not include solos. Those require intense listening skills and the ability to play well with others. All the while remaining conscious of volume. All this for a simple song.

In some situations, the drummer is filling in and is not well rehearsed in the material. He must rely on his practice, his technique, his musical instinct and his communication skills to guide him through the gig. Robert Brandon, a professional drummer who travels the country playing with bands and multiple theater groups explains it this way.

“Cues and communication come from a plethora of options that include a look, physical gestures and even in a verbal manner,” he said. “Sure, there are chord progressions, melodies, callbacks to phrases and fills that musically set up a transition or indicate moving forward with new ideas. The most important thing you can do is to look up, communicate and enjoy creating art with those you share the space with.”

None of what we have touched on here includes the thousands of hours of practice, the understanding of rhythm and time signatures, a steady tempo, hundreds of possible beats and flavors, syncopation and back beat, downbeat, paradiddles, a one drop and the knowledge of not only which drums are which, but how to put those drum kits together, take them apart and then put it all on your scooter and get it home each night.

Thursday, March 16

• The Big Pine Key Botanical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Big Pine United Methodist Church, 280 Key Deer Boulevard on Big Pine Key.

Friday, March 17

• The Key West Art & Historical Society offers free lecture by Sharika Crawford, “The Last Turtlemen of the Caribbean: Labor, Conservation and Boundary Making from the Cayman Island to Key West.” 6 p.m. at Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St. Register at kwahs.org.

Saturday, March 18

• Key West’s chapter of National Organization for Women (NOW) will host a fundraiser for its Connie Gilbert Scholarship from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Gardens Hotel, 526 Angela St., Key West. KWNOW is hosting a live orchid auction, silent auction and plein air painting. Funds will be used for scholarships for Monroe County women to continue their education. In 2022 four scholarships were given, totaling $7,000. Free admission, cash bar. Donations to the auction greatly appreciated; contact Darlene Lovell Thomas at 305-304-1043 or email kwnowinfo@ gmail.com.

Monday, March 20

• Congregation B’nai Zion will host a free screening of “The Keeper,” about a German prisoner of war in the United Kingdom who becomes a football (soccer) star after the war, causing outrage to thousands of fans. Movies are shown the 3rd Monday of the month from November to April at the synagogue, 750 United St. Movies are free and open to all. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Coffee is served after the movie.

Wednesday, March 22

• The Key West chapter of NOW’s Women’s Film Festival continues with a screening of “Cleo from 5 to 7,” two hours in the life of a beautiful, young, famous pop singer as she awaits the results of cancer tests. The film starts at 6 p.m. at the Tropic Cinema, Key West.

Friday, March 24

• The Tropic Cinema will host a fundraiser and preview screening of “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” based on the book by Key West resident Judy Blume. The event will welcome Blume as well as star Rachel McAdams, producer James L. Brooks and others. Visit tropiccinema.com for tickets.

Saturday, March 25

• The Lilly Pulitzer shop at 600 Front St. in Key West will donate 10% of all sales to A Positive Step of Monroe County to help fund the organization’s 2023 Idle Hands Summer Youth Employment program. The fundraiser takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 28

• The Keys Chamber Orchestra and the Lower Keys Community Choir will perform Easter cantatas at 7:30 p.m. at the Big Pine United Methodist Church, 280 Key Deer Blvd.

Wednesday March 29

• The Keys Chamber Orchestra and the Lower Keys Community Choir will perform Easter cantatas at 7:30 p.m. at Venture Out on Spanish Main Drive, Cudjoe Key. Concerts are free and last about an hour.

• The Key West chapter of NOW closes its month-long Women’s Film Festival with the landmark documentary from 2022, “The Janes.” The Jane Collective provided thousands of safe abortions in Chicago in the late ’60s and early ’70s before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. The film’s directors, Emma Pildes and Tia Lessen, won the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award’s Silver Baton for outstanding public service for reporting in television, radio and digital journalism for this film. After the 6 p.m. screening, two of the original Janes, now in their 80s, will be available for discussion about how the current situation compares with their experiences 50 years ago.

April 15 & 16

• Blue Angels return for the Southernmost Air Spectacular at Naval Air Station Key West at MM 8. Admission is free both days. Gates open at 10 a.m. and the show starts at 11 a.m.

Briefly

Key West honors Women’s History Month

Mayor Teri Johnston and the Key West City Commission proclaimed March as Women’s History Month. The proclamation notes that women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our nation and our community.

In fact, women have played a unique role throughout history by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force and were particularly important in the establishment of charitable, philanthropic and cultural institutions.

They have served in the military and are leaders who secured their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but were also integral in the abolitionist movement, industrial labor movement, civil rights movement, and in the peace movement.

The proclamation was accepted by Darlene Lovell Thomas, executive director of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Road construction in Key West will affect traffic

Two road work projects are taking place in Key West.

Travel on South Roosevelt Boulevard from Bertha Street to the end of Smathers Beach is reduced to a single lane in each direction while staging of equipment and materials takes place in preparation for new drainage installation.

Portions of the promenade remain open. Please follow the designated pedestrian path for areas where the promenade is closed. Stairway No. 11 is closed. Please use open stairways for beach access.

Electrical work is in progress on Whitehead Street from Fleming Street to west of Truman Avenue. Sidewalk repair will begin at the corners of Angela and Whitehead streets.

No lane closures or detours are anticipated this week; however, traffic may be delayed or detoured at intersections while equipment is in use. Temporary pedestrian detours near intersections may be necessary. Some parking spaces near intersections will be closed for equipment.

Botanical Garden seeks volunteers

The 15-acre Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden seeks volunteers who want to learn about native plants by helping preserve the only "frost-free" botanical garden in the continental United States. Enjoy sharing time with fellow gardeners, trimming, weeding, installing new plants and performing general maintenance in the garden or in the native plant nursery where propagation and maintenance of over 1,500 plants takes place. All tools and gloves are supplied.

Volunteers meet in the nursery on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon.Call 305-296-1504 or visit keywest.garden. The garden is located at 5210 College Road, Stock Island.

Key West man arrested for battery with knife

A 70-year-old Key West liveaboard resident was arrested March 13 for attacking another liveaboard resident with a knife. There were no life-threatening injuries reported.

Scott Alan King was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

The Sheriff’s Office was called to Margaret Street near the Key West Harbor at about 11:45 a.m. King and the 31-year-old male victim were present. The victim was being treated by the Key West Fire Department for cuts to his hands. The victim said King’s vessel had begun dragging anchor, causing their boats to hit each other.

The victim was working to resolve the issue when King became angry and cut both the victim’s hands with a filet knife. King was taken to jail.