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Ian Blackshaw, Frogsiders’ resident wine expert, salutes the bubbly delights of a drink for all seasons – and reasons.

Not sure what to serve?  It’s got to be champagne, the sparkling wine reputedly invented by the Benedictine cellar-master monk, Dom Perignon, of Hautvillers, near Epernay.  It can be drunk alone or with almost all foods, served throughout a meal and at any time of the day.

In a strictly controlled region some 90 miles east of Paris, champagne is produced by the methode traditionnelle and is a blend of the grape varieties of pinots noir and meunier and/or chardonnay from different years.  However, a true vintage champagne combines only the grapes from one year and one source.

Regarded as a glamorous – and expensive - tipple, champagne has, over the years, lost some of its elitism and has become more widely available to wine drinkers.  Some of the famous brands, such as Moet & Chandon, Krug (reputedly the favourite tipple of British entertainer, Cilla Black) and Dom Perignon itself (beloved of James Bond), are still beyond the pockets of most of us.  However, it’s worth splashing out, from time to time, for some very special occasion and serving one of the great champagnes. You will taste the difference.

If you’re buying on a budget, Blanc de Blancs champagne is also worth drinking; this is made only with white grapes and is very refreshing on the palette.  Some wine connoisseurs say that this is a matter of style rather than quality but, in my opinion, this champagne - while lacking some body and character - is still very gluggable!  Rose champagne is worth drinking; the most famous and enjoyable one is Laurent Perrier, said to be the favourite drink of Prince Charles.

Although not, strictly speaking, champagne, France also produces a wide range of other sparkling wines produced by the same method. Some are pretty good – some are pretty horrible!  In the former category, I would recommend the Cremant de Loire from the Loire wine region, selected by Pierre Chanan, the well-known French vigneron.  In case I offend some of my readers, who are also friends, I won’t mention the really bad ones.  The price will often give them away.

Cremant de Burgogne is another good ‘sparkler’ and soon the wine region of Champagne will be extended further south eastwards to incorporate some of the existing Burgundy wine territory.  So, you may be sitting on a Burgundy ‘sparkler’ that one day will double in price having been transformed overnight into a champagne!  We have some in our cellar, produced a few kilometres outside the present Champagne region, and we are keeping them!

Perhaps the best way of finding out what you really like is by visiting the Champagne region itself.  Centred on Reims and Epernay, tastings are available at many vineyards and a Route du Champagne is well marked through twisting lanes and pretty villages.  A visit to Mercier in Epernay is quite an experience, travelling through miles of chalk cellars on a laser-guided train and ending with a delightful tasting in elegant surroundings.

If you don’t want to drink and drive, the C. Champagne boutique in rue Gambetta in the centre of Epernay provides a showcase for up to 250 varieties and the opportunity to taste.

If you are travelling (or tasting) around the region, stop off at a favourite of our family; the house of Goutorbe-Bouillot in Damery, a charming village on the banks of the Marne, not far from Epernay.  It has a good selection of champagnes of different vintages at affordable prices!  The ‘Reserve’ is well worth buying and represents very good value indeed!

Ian Blackshaw, Frogsiders’ Food and Drink Correspondent is an International Lawyer specialising in Sports Law.  He is well known for his magazine articles about expat life in France and he is the owner of a beautiful gite and a  Bed & Breakfast at Sains les Fressin      www.7valleysbandb.com

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