Here’s how I celebrated–grilled marinated chicken, oysters, delice cheese with pear…and a really special Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne to celebrate my husband’s birthday of a few days ago!
This non-vintage blend of 100% Chardonnay is hand picked, ferments in stainless steel, and undergoes a full ML. A pale golden straw color with a hint of green, the effervescence is delightfully delicate and foamy. The nose offers early season white peaches, but on the palate more of a bright nectarine with nice minerality and a long vibrant finish with some toffee and almond. It paired well with everything on the table but I especially liked it with the oysters. The bottle is remarkable in shape and because the glass is clear and the wine is fragile, to maintain it at its peak it is important to store it in a dark as well as a cool place.
If you’re a fan of bubbly, and you’re in SoCal, save the date: Sun. Dec. 14 from 2-4pm is the Ventura Wine Company’s Annual Winter Champagne Tasting! This is a wonderful opportunity to taste and discover Champagne and other sparklers from around the world for every budget from special occasion wines to weekend fun and party wines. It’s also a great chance to stock up on sparklers for the holidays since they always offer some very special prices; I bought this bottle of Ruinart in 2012 to celebrate my 2013 birthday for about $50 (and then my husband surprised me with a bottle of bubbles where we were staying in Mammoth!)
Did you celebrate Champagne Day? What did you pour into your flutes?
Find out where events are happening: bit.ly/ChampagneDay2014.
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 