A Champagne Christmas
62
An Ode To Champagne from Madam Lilly Bollinger
Champagne Cocktails &/or Frascati with White Christmas and homemade cheese biscuits are an ideal way to start Christmas day ; medium heat salsa dip and corn chips (bought) and a platter of sliced of fresh fruit.
Frascati is a truly delicious strawberry sparkling wine – serve it with a small strawberry floating in the champagne glass; a personal favourite along with “Yellow” champagne/ sparkling wine (which my sons spoil me with!). Of course if you are not a lover of sweet then the Frascati maybe not for you but you may find Houghton’s Chardonnay Videlho to your taste which when served icy cold is totally delicious.
It is a really great idea to imbibe Champagne and particularly at Christmas so I present you with some thoughts from Madam Lilly Bollinger on when it is the proper time to drink it!
When To Drink Champagne
“I drink it when I am happy and when I am sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I am alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it when I am not hungry, and drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it – unless I am thirsty.”
Madam Lilly Bollinger (attrib.) Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany: Ben Schott. 2003.
To my mind Champagne is a truly wonderful drink - it adds that special sparkle larkle to any celebration. My son married two weeks ago and before we went off to do the deed he produced a bottle of Bolly (Bollinger really!) and we drank with him and toasted him and wished him well!
When I was a four year old and my parents were overseas I spent the Christmas break with my grandparents and my uncle Frank who christened me Champagne Annie. I think he made me at this tender age an afficionado of this celebratory drink, so I learned to enjoy and appreciate the bubble effect of a few tiny sips! Not sure whether he meant to influence me on a lifelong basis but he did!
So to this day if I am happy, or sad, or broke, or distressed in any way I will buy a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine - as the French have insisted we call our version of their special drink - in a tried and true but in fact proven method of my spirit being uplifted.
author: a.a.gallagher
24 November 2010
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Me too Larry!! Just love it....Haven't tried the brandy or the halved peach sunk into the glass but have had it with a strawberry doused with a couple of drops of angostura bitters with the champagne then filling the glass..yummy. Haven't heard of Amon Ra - what part of Australia does it come from?? was it a boutique wine? cheers and thanks
Silly me I have tried a Bellini and it was totally delicious....made with peaches too...cheers
ajcor...Amon Ra is located in southern Australia, in the Barossa Valley... Robert Parker has given the 2006 vintage 100 points !! As a Californian born and bred, and having some experience with wine making, I am envious of your accessibility to this great Shiraz...The markup over here is beyond my means...we are talking 150 dollars a bottle...maybe I can slip in a Christmas hint to my wife, who controls the purse strings in our family...
I visited this winery in 1994, known as Glaetzer Wines then, and was blown away with the tasting...I snagged a couple of bottles, under 50 Aus. dollars as I recall, and shared them with friends during the 2000 bicentennial...
I've had angostura bitters in a Manhattan, never thought of it in Champagne...Have to try that...Larry
Hi Larry - with the angostura bitters you place a cube of hardened sugar at the base of the glass with just a few drops of angostura on it then fill with the champagne...tastes great - my mother used to prepare this for us all for Christmas morning for many, many Christmases! Hope you get your wine - I would offer but I am on the other side of Australia - although we have many boutique and prize wining winery's here....cheers or should I say Salud...anne ...fact is we try something tonight as news has come that my niece is having her baby as I write in Madrid... a bottle of yellow has just made it's way into the fridge...
Mmmm, champagne or any lovely sparkling wine are indeed my favourite. Must try brandy in it next - gosh guess that will go to my head!
you must try the brandy acaetnna! sound like a plan for over the Christmas break...cheers and thanks for calling in...
ajcor: Champagne marks every Christmas for us! Good hub! I am also celebrating reaching my 500th Hub with a special holiday greeting to my followers! May this Festive Season bring you Warmth, Friendship and Happiness, no matter when or how or with whom you celebrate! To add to your holiday merriment, I offer all of my hubs devoted to this time of year: All About Santa; The Polar Bear; Kris Kringle, the College Years; An Alphabetical Christmas; All About the North Pole; Enjoy Reindeer; and, of course, Little-Known Santas No. 1 through No. 17! Enjoy!
Boy rickzimmerman! you sure have written a few...I have probably written about 6 in all...thank you for your good wishes - I also wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year...
Hi there aj, I be back, and will be doing sone postings shortly
How are you Just_Rodney? good to see you here....I have not been around a lot lately...cheers
I loved this hub. Frascati is to sweet for me so the Videlho is more my style. Great ideas for the Christmas Holidays!
Hi Mrs. J.B. thanks for your comment - I actually wrote this hub after I prepared a booklet for ebay re. Christmas celebrations in Australia incl. food preparation but found that after they (as in ebay) changed the rules it all became too hard with the CD processes... so I broke it up and used some of it on hub pages..cheers and thanks again
Rhema's Live Christmas Performance 12/24/2009- from utube
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All I Want For Christmas Is You-from utube-RhemaMarvanne
O Holy Night - Incredible child singer 7 yrs old --from utube -RhemaMarvanne
maven101 Level 5 Commenter 18 months ago
I love Champagne !! This hub has captured the spirit and enjoyment of Champagne imbibment...
My favorite Champagne cocktail is with Brandy...another is with a halved peach sunk in the glass...almost any brand works for me, although I do not " enhance " a really good bottle of Champagne, like Bollinger, Krug, or Moet Chandon White Star...
You Aussies have an outstanding winery named Amon Ra that produces the finest Syrah, or Shiraz as you pronounce it, that I have ever tasted...Larry