Bubbles of Love

All I know about St. Valentine is that he was a Christian priest in Roman times who died a gruesome death for his beliefs.

Isn’t that romantic?

Maybe not, but I think bubbles are. Sparkling wine conjures images of celebration and there is nothing more worthy of celebration than your relationship with the one you love. If one special person should not be available, good bubbles can help you fall in love with the world at large.

Sparkling wine is any wine with bubbles in it. Champagne is the king of sparklers and comes from one place….Champagne. This is a magical region of northern France, an easy drive of just over 150 kilometers from Paris. Reims (sort of pronounced Renz) is prettier than Epernay and has great historical significance, but Epernay is the business end where most of the famous producers reside.

Like a good relationship, it takes a lot of work to make a good Champagne. First you have to make wine and then you have to create a second fermentation. This happens in the bottle in which the wine will eventually be sold. A little sugar and yeast are added and the resulting fermentation creates alcohol (something that has always helped my relationships) and bubbles. The bubbles are trapped in the bottle and re-absorbed into the wine, only to appear when the cork is popped.

Here’s a note on opening a bottle of bubbles. There is a lot of pressure in the bottle of Champage. (I will refrain from any relationship connection here.) Never aim the bottle at a loved one. Hold it at a 45 degree angle and firmly grip both cork and bottle. Then gently twist the bottle instead of the cork. If done correctly, a Champenois once told me the cork should not ‘pop, but sigh like a satisfied woman’. How very French! If this is true I am yet to open a bottle correctly. (Either that or I have never satisfied a woman.)

I always keep the metal cage on the cork to help me grip. This is however, a very bad idea if you don’t follow my earlier advice about not aiming it at a loved one.

So, why is Champagne the drink of lovers around the world? For this answer, I think I will defer to the iconic Epicurean, Brillat-Savarin.

“Burgundy makes you think off silly things, Bordeaux makes you talk of them and Champagne makes you do them.”

Should you find yourself without companionship on the 14th, allow me to make a suggestion. Be somewhere with a glass of Champagne and a fabulous view.

[Photo]Nick in Istanbul without his wife, but with his Champagne.