Years ago, I fell in love with Champagne. I use to believe it was only reserved for special occasions until I met my Aussie friend, Jan. She was tall, elegant, Australian, and a cross between Morgan Fairchild and Linda Evans when they were in their prime. She exuded sophistication and glamour. She was my first real friend when I moved to LA. We worked for the same company and felt an immediate connection. Little by little we started to socialize outside of work and I learned that Jan was a champagne connoisseur.
I always associated it with holidays and special occasions, etc. She use to say to me in her Aussie accent there is nothing better than French Champagne. She would drink it on a Sunday, any evening of the week, or at lunch on the weekend. Everyday was a champagne day. She taught me there is no better time than the present to drink champagne. Over the years, I have come to appreciate her philosophy.
What I love about champagne is you can be having a bad day and all you have to do is hear the cork pop. There is nothing more beautiful than watching champagne bubbles in a glass. Champagne simply put, makes me happy! My friend use to say, “Your the only person I know who drinks Champagne on a Tuesday!” My response, “Why not, Tuesday?” especially when my mom and I discovered there was such a thing as a champagne stopper at Williams Sonoma. Once I discovered that, Champagne was part of my week.
I was recently celebrating my friends ten year anniversary for her boutique. I wanted something different that we had not had before. Joe, the owner, of our fabulous local wine shop Manhattan Fine Wines suggested a bottle of Rose Bollinger to help celebrate the occasion (see below). We found this fabulous quote on the side of the box and I think it expresses my thoughts exactly on Champagne:
“I drink champagne 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.”
~ Madame Lilly Bollinger ~
In addition, there is nothing more decadent than fine chocolate while drinking Champagne. I stumbled upon these truffles a number of years ago while in the home and decor section of the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus. I had bought several champagne truffles from the chocolate case and loved them so much that I bought a box. Neiman’s no longer sells them. I became so obsessed with them, I tracked them down one year on-line (in a Boston boutique) and ordered several boxes. My neighbor Andy works for he UK Film Council and is back and forth between London and LA. He’s always asking me what I want from London. I can never think of anything (that’s within budget LOL). He was on his way home last week and texted me to see what I wanted, of course, at the very last minute, I emailed him to say, “Charbonnet Et Walker Champagne Truffles, PLEASE!”
I say to all of you ~ break out the bubbly and celebrate. Celebrate your day, celebrate your kids, celebrate your significant other, celebrate life, celebrate your friends, celebrate the craziness, but most of all celebrate yourself!
