Pour Champs Like a Champ

my handwritten note that says "last night we went to a diner on union and they served us champs in MUGS"

My paperblog of the event.

Last week I excitedly told Meatball about a place I went for dinner that served us champagne in MUGS. I even drew a picture for emphasis.

my line drawing of a mug with "life size" handwritten on it

"Life size"

Turns out I was totally on trend! BBC news reports today:

Researchers, based (appropriately) in France’s Champagne region, say the effervescent drink should be poured “like beer” in an angled way, down the side of the glass.

Gerard Liger-Belair from the University of Reims and his colleagues measured the loss of CO2 gas from champagne as it was poured. They compared three champagne temperatures – at 4C, 12C and 18C – and two different ways of serving.

Infrared imaging showed the clouds of CO2 escaping from the drink as it was poured.

The beer-like pouring method, where the champagne flowed along the inclined flute wall, was much less turbulent and released less gas than the more traditional pouring method.

How awesome is this? Studying champagne with infrared imaging? That’s FRENCH SCIENCE.

Dear James Beard Foundation,

Martha and some looker doing what we love to do – drink Champagne.

While we adored commenting on the JB Awards this past Spring, we are terribly sad that we weren’t invited to Chefs & Champagne.  Martha Stewart’s blog about the affair has me crying in my poor man’s mocha this AM (to those not in the know, that’s Swiss Miss + coffee) about missing it – it was all champagnes and wines and some tent and then you’re kinda near the beach!  Oh, James Beard Foundation, please don’t forget us again!

Love,

Meatball

We Are the Champ-ions, My Friends

Perrier-Jouet has just released a beautiful slideshow introducing their latest “flower table” which yes, I will admit, looks pretty rad.  I would love to have a fancy table just for a bucket of chilled champagne, especially if it was Perrier-Jouet.  (Please send me one.  Please.)

However, and God knows I do not want to offend any Champagners out there, but the pairing shown here is really just a real fancy rice krispy treat, isn’t it?

Champagne’s "stiffest" competition?

eva

Viagra, according to Decanter.com:

Like most of the major Champagne houses, Taittinger’s sales have been badly affected by the economic downturn, with volumes down 10% during 2009. But Taittinger said he expected sales to rise 10-20% this year, aided by 40% year-on-year growth in China. Champagne’s only competitor? ‘Viagra’. 

In all honesty, I buy so much champagne, I thought for sure I was keeping the market afloat.  Or abubble.

Putting the "pain" in Champagne

Bottle of Veuve at Wally Wine: $39.99

Bottle of Veuve at Paul Sevigny’s Kenmare: $175

As Eater NY says:

The Veuve-y trap is the oldest lowbrow trick in the book. Here we find this benign bubbly marked-up more than three times its retail price to hook unassuming diners and patrons in a celebratory fog. The kind of cardinal sin that risks demon possession, Wiccan hexes, and eternal damnation.

In this case, it’s 4 times more.  Just because it’s in a Paul Sevigny joint.