I'm in the middle of a house purge which
means tackling the piles of accumulated wealth that have stacked themselves in
every corner of my house. While engaging in a bout of "Dire, Must Keep
This!" and "Where Did This Come From?" I rediscovered a little
gem that seems holiday appropriate for this evening.
Apparently during the many years in
which I made a bottle of Freixenet central to my New Year's celebrations, I
acquired a copy of their The
Freixenet Social Survival Guide. Great little book and a fun read. It
covers all your Party Guest/Host Do's and Dont's plus so much more.
They also had a section which seemed perfect for this evening so I thought I would end this year by sharing
some helpful passages brought to you by the makers of this fine bubbly beverage
with many wishes from me for a Happy New Year and Bon Appetit for 2015!
THE FREIXENET
SOCIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE
Selections
from "Chapter 4 -- Cheers" (p. 39-48)
HOW TO HOLD A WINE GLASS
By the stem.
Always by the stem. If you hold it by the bowl, cold white wines, champagnes,
and martinis will lose their chill, while cellar-temperature reds will become
too warm.
A NOTE TO THE SUAVE
Never drink
to your own toast -- that is, when you're the one being toasted. It's
equivalent to giving yourself a pat on the back.
GREAT OPENINGS
Whether it's a prestige selection from
an ancient winery or a young, punky blend from a place you've never heard of,
you should give every bottle of champagne...an opening that even a seasoned
sommelier would approve of.
HOW TO OPEN A BOTTLE OF SPARKLING WINE
Make sure the champagne bottle has been
stored on its side and hasn't been jostled recently. Check the temperature: it
should feel like it just came out of the refrigerator (about 45° F.). If it's a
bit tepid, put it on ice in a champagne bucket for 20 minutes.
1. Keep the bottle pointed away from
every living creature, including yourself.
2. Prop the bottle on a table or
counter top.
3. Remove the foil wrapper from
the top part of the neck area.
4. Cover the top of the bottle with a
cloth (a linen napkin or hand towel will do just fine).
5. While keeping the cork stabilized
with one hand, loosen but don't remove the metal cage that holds the cork
in place. This is done by untwisting the protruding wire loop. Never leave the
cork unattended with the wire cage off.
6. Grasp the cork firmly. Hold the
bottle from the base with your thumb inside the well and slowly twist it out
from under the cork. Though you may hear a muffled pop, the bottle will likely
let out a gentle sigh when the deed is done.
7. Use a slow hand when decanting the
bubbly into champagne flutes. Tilting the glass while pouring will help keep it
from foaming up, but a slow, steady, trickle-like pour is the best strategy.
A NOTE TO THE SUAVE
Use narrow
flutes or slightly flared tulip glasses when serving champagne. And don't chill
the stemware. Sparkling wine is at its friskiest when served in cool, dry
glasses.
NOTES
The Freixenet
Social Survival Guide by Todd Lyon
Random House, Inc. (2000) / ISBN 0-609-50344-8
Freixenet comes from a Spanish winery who produces sparkling wine using
the méthode champenoise (champagne method). Because as you may know, only sparkling wines from the French province of Champagne can be called such.
My favorite is
the Cordon Negro Brut (all black bottle), but Freixenet has a variety of cavas that you can try
out, depending on what your taste runs to.
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