There is a popular sentiment that we should not wait to celebrate, because life itself is the occasion. Why wait for special events, major milestones and perfect moments when there are many small wins along the way also worthy of marking?
Whether to keep great champagne for some future date, or chill and enjoy it on the regular, is weirdly controversial for fans of fizz. I lean to the view that all champagne is made with skill and care and some simply match more easily to everyday gatherings, while others can seriously level up your party, dinner, or anniversary toast.
If you’re a keen keeper, champagne requires careful storage – laying bottles flat in a dark and preferably cool space is ideal. I am often asked how long a bottle of champagne will last, and its storage makes the difference.
Other factors in longevity include its grapes, origin and style. Generally, non-vintage (NV) champagne is blended and made for drinking now, not cellaring, while many vintages have been known to sleep gently in the right conditions and age with grace for decades. Some long-lost bottles recovered from a Baltic seabed or war-damaged cellars were even found to be “drinkable” more than 150 years on. Drinkable, however, is not necessarily palatable for most of us.
I was fortunate to find and tuck away for years a rare bottle of 1966 Dom Pérignon, priceless today. Truthfully, every year that I held onto it waiting for a remarkable occasion to open this valuable treasure, I also worried it was deteriorating. This year, I chose to drink the 60-year-old bottle to learn its fate.
Dom Pérignon is only made as vintage champagne and the current release of 2017 (51 years younger than mine) is described in the House’s own tasting notes as mineral, fruity and complex, with jasmine flowers and citrus zest on the nose.
I can only imagine how tasting the freshly released 1966 may have compared. The House of Dom Pérignon has an extraordinary vintage library that describes the 1966 vintage as well-rounded, with a silky finish hinting at preserved citrus fruit.
The extra-long ageing of my champagne had made the champagne syrupy, tasting of treacle and buttery brioche, nougat, pralines and smokiness. It smelled of truffle. The bubbles were gone, the colour dark gold. It was like cognac and best sipped slowly. I may never see that vintage again and we savoured it. Was it worth it? Yes – for the anticipation, excitement and discovery of a wine opposite to the champagne at breakfast that day. It proved that champagne is timeless but, like all great things, cannot last forever.
Speaking of breakfast, people also remark with surprise about the tradition of offering champagne at breakfast across France and Europe. It’s part of the cultural joi de vivre, a celebratory way to start the day. There’s no better start to Mother’s Day than a floral glass of champagne, especially from an historic, female-led house that honours the famous matriarchs of the industry, like Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger or Pommery. A heavier champagne, however, would not be quite so delightful.
Choosing the best match of champagne for any occasion has simple guidelines, based on its complexity, acidity and flavour profile to complement your food and formality. These are my suggestions, with thanks to the advice of houses and chefs of Champagne and their encouragement to embrace the creativity that underpins the spirit of champagne making.
At breakfast, Blanc de Blancs are singular chardonnay champagnes with crisp, fresh mineral and tropical notes, so pair well with salmon, eggs, buttery toast, fruit, pastries and pancakes. The champagne houses of Ruinart, Ayala, Henriot, Delamotte and Perrier-Jouet are sophisticated, light choices.
Lunch with friends kick-starts with champagnes that have backbone. Complex blends of champagne’s grape varieties by Charles Heidsieck, Louis Roederer, Agrapart et Fils, Taittinger and Egly-Ouriet are wine list leaders for their ability to pair with entrees to mains, from seafood to pastas and roast vegetables. Steak and game lovers will find the intensity of Pol Roger, Bollinger and Krug elevates flavours, and the versatility of Billecart-Salmon Rosé to complement dishes from oysters and lamb to dessert makes it renowned.
Anniversary date night calls for memorable champagne. Vintages of Louis Roederer Cristal, Dom Pérignon, Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque or Veuve Clicquot Grand Dame help make new outstanding memories.
If you have a milestone for a man in mind, I’ve learned that men often taste wine differently and offer fascinating tasting notes, identifying wood, smoke, chocolate and forest floor flavours easily. Dom Pérignon, Bollinger, Philipponnat, Armand de Brignac and Pol Roger deliver on depth.
Ultimately, there are more than 1000 champagne makers in the Champagne region and each vintage produces a changing kaleidoscope to explore. I hope you embrace the journey, as every opportunity to enjoy champagne is remarkable – santé!
Rebecca Grisman is a journalist and wine writer. She has worked in Champagne, France and interviewed chefs de caves and families of houses for international media and airline magazines. For more than a decade she has hosted champagne events, tastings and masterclasses, and she founded the Sunshine Coast Champagne Club. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram @The Champagne Class.