A Bit of Bubbly

I was cooking a recipe on Thursday that called for sparkling wine. We have a few bottles on hand, one of which is a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, vintage 1996. (Most Champagne is not vintage specific. They mix grapes from previous years in for blend and quality control.) Vintage Champagne isn't usually a splurge I go for but I got this bottle on deep clearance a few years back. The place I bought the wine isn't one known for it's long-term storage or proper care of the good stuff. We've had quite a few occasions worth celebrating but I never knew if the wine was still any good so I wouldn't take the risk. I decided that our final night as a threesome for the summer was good enough reason to pop it open without much risk.

Yum. Yummmm. I'm not going to try and analyze it for you; all I can say is that folks who obsess over good Champagne are right. I've never been a huge fan of bubbly and now I know it's because I just wasn't drinking the right stuff. Smooth, dry yet still flavorful, subtle fruit, and a tart kick to finish it off. This could get me addicted to the good life, if I weren't so frugal. Some might think that such a fine wine would be wasted on a mundane Thursday, and maybe those folks have a point. But I'm glad I got the chance to celebrate my everyday life with such glorious treat. I hope that you'll find some extravagent (but not costly) way to celebrate the good in your life too.