12/27/06 Champagne History Cont.

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and yesterday with New Year's Eve looking us right in the face we looked at a bit of history of Champagne. Today we are going to continue that topic! We all know by now that Champagne was a region of France long before it became synonymous with the bubbly libation. And yesterday we learned that Dom Perignon did not invent Champagne but he sure did advance our ability to produce it and that Veuve Cliquot wasn't just any widow who inherited a winery. She made the most of it and is credited with many of the advances in dealing with getting that last bit of nasty tasting yeast out of the bottle. But did you know that the coupe or little dish shaped glass that we once drank Champagne from really may not have been designed from an imprint of Marie Antoinette's breast  Fact? Or it was just a coincidence they looked so much alike? In any event the same thing was said of that style glass when the Greeks designed it as an inspiration and tribute to the breasts of you guessed it - Helen of Troy. And of course we attribute the widespread acceptance of Champagne to Lily Bollinger who is quoted "I drink it when I`m happy and when I`m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I`m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I`m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I`m thirsty." Hmmm & I like her way of thinking. And on that note, we here at Vine to Wine are wishing all of you the happiest of New Years and thanks for joining us this past year we look forward to 2007 when we will continue to take the mystery out of wine.