We love Champagne

A delight-full treat with the “Ateliers gastronomiques”

A draw set up last July coupled recognized Champagne products with Michelin star Chefs from the Champagne region to come up with the most scrumptious meals at the Ateliers Gastronomiques. On October 16^th and 17^th, the “Champagne Stars Society” Chefs will launch a live culinary performance: create a fine meal to perfectly complement the Champagne picked. Tasting and ideas sharing will be the next step for Champagne producers, oenology students, cooks, restaurant owners, journalists or amateurs in the know. The “Champagne Stars Society” ‘s main goal is to enhance the Champagne region’s gastronomic wealth by promoting their Chefs, pastry makers, chocolate experts, bakers, delis and more broadly to highlight French gastronomy.
To get a chance to participate to this event, you should log on to the VITeff website www.viteff.com, under « De l’Effervescence au Plaisir »/Ateliers Gastronomiques par les Etoilés de la Champagne. A book that gathers recipes created during the event as well as the Chefs tips to associate fine food and Champagne will then be published. This event is organized by the VITeff, part of Chamber of Commerce of the Reims region. The « Ateliers gastronomiques » will this year be sponsored by Mrs Claudia Nicoli, the Italian Champagne Ambassador and an important member of the Italian Sommeliers Society in Bologna.

A toast to Champagne

Most people regard a champagne party as an event held strictly for the rich. This couldn't be more wrong; in fact Champagne parties very often occur in casual settings. To throw your very own champagne party, here are a few ideas.

Picking the right Champagne

To prepare for your champagne party, you should have several different types of champagne on hand. You can pick from popular champagne brands such as Moet & Chandon or Mumm. These champagnes are moderately priced from $12 to $50 per bottle. To make a real statement, and if expense is not a concern, you can select from pricey brands like Dom Perignon or Armand de Brignac. These champagnes come in different flavors. For instance, Moet & Chandon can be purchased in Brut, White Star, or Rose varieties. Fill ice buckets with ice, to keep your champagne cold. For added fun at your champagne party, have a taste test. Make sure you cover the labels on the bottles.

Food matters

You can serve pretty much any kind of food you want at your champagne party. If you have a more informal party, homemade food will do the trick. If you're having a more upscale party, try serving hors d'oeuvres, sushi and spring rolls. Other food items you may want to consider serving include pot stickers, poached asparagus and a variety of cheeses. You should definitely include fresh strawberries and chocolates on your menu. Caviar is another popular food served at many champagne parties.

Champagne cocktails

To add a little flavor to your champagne party, try serving champagne mixed drinks. You can make popular champagne cocktails, such as a mimosa or a bellini. In order to make these drinks, you'll need different types of fruit juice. You can make a pitcher of mimosas by adding orange juice to the halfway point of your pitcher. Top the mixture off with your favorite champagne. You can make a Bellini by using peach nectar juice, or any other desired fruit juice. Top the juice off with the champagne of your choice.
You can get really creative with champagne drinks. Try cutting up fresh fruits like strawberries or peaches and mix them along with fruit juice, in a blender.

Discover Bollinger

Bollinger is first and foremost a great wine which has translated into this passionate quest for Excellence over the last 175 years. Consistency is key in:

-its management style, still family oriented

-its self sufficiency for 80 percent of its production

-its wine making method combines respected tradition and required modernity

2 main beverages intrinsically represent the Bollinger House : Special Cuvée and La Grande Année. The Special Cuvée is a non Vintage wine produced every year and a signature Bollinger style. The Grande Année, only produced on specific years worth producing is Bollinger’s Prestige Vintage. Bollinger then creates striking wine and Champagne variations around these 2 combinations.

The Bollinger House is one of the last Champagne Houses still family owned since its start in 1829. Bollinger is present in over 100 countries throughout the world and  Champagne export represent about 85% of their total commercial activities.Initially focused on the German market due to Jacques Bollinger’s origins along with Northern Europe and Russia, the House rapidly expanded to the British market and celebrated its 150^th anniversary.The House was awarded the official supplier Royal Warrant by the Queen Victoria in 1884, and it stayed that way ever since. Therefore the Commonwealth territories have traditionally been Bollinger strongholds. Bollinger is part of the Australian and New Zealander «way of life».

The House today enjoys a widespread fame especially spectacular in regards to its size (0.7% of the total Champagne exports only) in most European countries reaching all the way to Russia. Bollinger is also very present in South East Asia, in Hong-Kong, Singapore, China and Japan. The United States also represent an important expansion market for the Champagne House. France remains the 2^nd biggest market for Bollinger though.

The travel retail industry and flight companies are also part of Bollinger s strategy. One can today enjoy the Grande Année 1999 in First Class aboard British Airways or Japan Airlines.