Champagne
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
Anne’s favorite drink is champagne. When we think about champagne, our thoughts go to the good life—it is elegant, sexy, cool, celebratory, and a luxury for most.
Celebration time in Brugge
Champagne is in a class of its own—there are few alcoholic drinks you can start on early in the morning and not be classified as an alcoholic. Even better, when out, folks think you are special. We toast our successes, christen ships with it, and generally celebrate life. So, on the supposed birthday of champagne (August 4, 1693), I thought I’d write about champagne, the good life and travel, in honor of Anne’s favorite drink.
Birthday Celebration the Chef’s table for Denise’s birthday
A Champagne Cruise on the Thames
Iron Horse is not a true champagne since it is made outside the champagne region of France, but it still tastes good!
Champagne
I’m no expert on champagne, or sparkling wine, but like most wine, I really enjoy drinking it. Wine is produced from grapes and the terroir or characteristics of the area (soil and climate are the most important items influencing terroir) in which the grapes are cultivated and that shapes the taste of the wine.
However, wine and champagne differ in how they are made by the wine makers. Without getting too technical, sparking wine is created when the CO2 gas remains in the bottled wine due to a second or third fermentation. When a wine is fermented in a sealed container during this second fermentation, the CO2 bubbles remain with the wine and are not released until you pop the cork.
We prefer dry wines—brut and extra brut in the lingo of champagne. This term refers to the sweetness of the wine due to the amount of sugar added during the fermentation process. There are 3 main types of champagne. They are 1) Prestige Cuvee, 2) Blanc de Noirs and 3) Blanc de Blanc. Prestige Cuvee is a blend wine and the best wine produced by a winery. Blanc de Noirs is white wine produced by black or red grapes. Blanc de Blanc is a white wine produced by white grapes.
Now to the important part—what glass do we drink from? There are two types of champagne glasses—the flute and the coupe. The legend of the creation of the coupe glass is that it was modeled after a mold of the left breast of Marie Antoinette’s—great story, but probably not true. One of the benefits of a coupe style glass is the wider surface area of the bulb, which allows the wine to breathe better and is recommended for older vintages of champagne. It was also the rage during the roaring 20’s and Old Hollywood
Our wine Expert Mark offer us wine with both style glasses
The classic coupe glass which has style and elegance.
Experts favor a flute (retains more of the bubbles) but who can argue with the elegant, sophisticated coupe glass? The narrow opening of the flute prevents the champagne bubbles from escaping too quickly, allowing you to savor the bubbles of the wine.
Flute glasses at the ready for an AmaWaterways welcome celebration at the start of our cruise in 2013
Both use stems, which is important as champagne should be served at cold temperatures (one article I read recommended between 49 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit, while others recommend cooler), with small amounts in the glass and the bottle kept on ice. By holding the wine glass by the stem, it keeps the wine cooler longer. Also, unlike most wines, you should not swirl champagne, as it causes the bubbles to release faster.
My advice—use both and drink more champagne and sparkling wine!
There are two other fun facts about champagne.
Legend says champagne was invented by a Benedictine Monk, Dom Perignon. There is no doubt he made significant contributions to the production and quality of champagne, but he probably did not invent champagne. Most folks know about him, since the best known of all Champagnes, Dom Perignon, the prestige cuvee from Moet & Chandon, is named in his honor. He supposedly said upon tasting champagne “Come quickly, I am drinking the Stars” but it possibly appeared in a print ad in the late 1800s (thanks Wikipedia).
The world’s best known fictional spy, James Bond, is an avid champagne drinker. Do you know his favorite champagne? The answer is both Bollinger’s and Dom Perignon (we learned this on the trivia quiz on an AmaWaterways Wine cruise).
James Bond would approve of our selection of the Bollinger Champagne
The Good Life
Life is too short not to enjoy champagne. We all work hard and need to recognize there is a need for balance in our lives. Everybody’s definition of the good life is different, but there are some common threads for most of us. These include sharing time with loved ones, family, and friends, acquiring nice clothes, homes, cars and other cool stuff, enjoying good food and drinks, and especially for us, travel to dream destinations to experience other cultures.
Most importantly, I think we need to celebrate life to the fullest—slow down a little and smell the roses, as the saying goes. One way to have a good life, in my humble opinion, —drink more champagne!
Champagne and Travel
There are many ways to enjoy champagne when traveling. Number one for champagne lovers has to be the champagne region of northeastern France. The area of chalk plains and gentle hills between Paris and Lorraine is the home to the most famous sparkling wines in the world. In fact, by European Union (EU) and most countries of the world, the term champagne to identify a sparkling wine is exclusively reserved to wines produced in the champagne region of France.
Although champagne technically only from the champagne region of France, the term is used to describe its cousin, sparking wine worldwide. According to the website About France.com, it is possible to visit 51 champagne cellars around the towns of Reims and Epernay. Besides great wine tours and tastings around Reims, another good site to visit is the medieval gothic cathedral, with its exquisite rose window. It is the location where the former kings of France were crowned, and a site not to be missed.
In Epernay, along with the wine tours, there is a champagne museum and the Abbey of Hautvilliers, where Dom Perignon created his version of champagne.
Another great way is on an ocean cruise or Europe River cruise. On our 23 Europe River cruises, all involve a champagne welcome and farewell. It is truly a great way to start and end your trip. Several river cruise companies offer either pre or post land option that include going to Reims.
A welcome reception for the start of our AmaWaterways cruise in 2013
4 champagne wines we got to sample in 2016 during an AmaWaterways Wine Cruise
Let’s all celebrate with champagne! You can be sure Anne and I will drink some today. We also hope this will inspire you to try to visit France’s wine region or go on a wine cruise and enjoy the good life--we will be glad to help!
The champagne wine tasting in Lyon
Our Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this report. So, to all who read this week, a toast to you—Thanks for Your Trust in Us! Be well and sip a little champagne tomorrow.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
