I have, in my memory bank, an unforgettable day in Paris that involved champagne (naturally), Valentino and a little black dress. It’s a memory that I conjure up when I am feeling slightly inadequate, or want to remind myself that fairytales do exist, you just sometimes have to move the goal posts. At the time, I was living…
Experiences
There is a little bit of magic in those bubbles
There is magic in bubbles. I am convinced. Look at this photo. It shows two women having a great time. You can almost hear the sound of happiness. Five hours before this photo was taken I did not feel like being seen in public. The world was coming to an end as far as I was…
Champagne under fire
At this time of year I think a lot about my father-in-law and all the wonderful stories he told me during the times we spent together. He told me about his youth trying to get chewing gum from American soldiers during World War II when war was like a game to a kid, to stories…
I sabered alone
I did it, and I didn’t even feel guilty. I felt empowered! I sabered a bottle of champagne alone. No crowd, no occasion, no fanfare and no witnesses except the slightly surprised kookaburra in the tree to my left. Sabering a bottle of champagne, like drinking one, is usually done in company. You do it with…
White Truffle Dreaming – the perfect Champagne Match
I am sure I was dreaming over the weekend. I have a memory of such a fantastic meal that I am not really sure if it actually happened. It was a perfect synergy of food and champagne. There was a glow in the dark label from Dom Perignon, a magnum of Laurent Perrier with a…
Bitten by a bottle of Bollinger
This is very hard to admit, but a few days ago I was bitten by a bottle of Bollinger. Bitten. By an old friend. That’s right, after a perfectly admirable sabering attempt. You see, after you decapitate a bottle, the rim is very sharp. I know that. I am usually very careful. But this time,…
Every cloud has a bubbly lining
The weather was against us on our most recent trip back from France. Or so it seemed. Delay after delay meant our initial 22 hour trip home turned into a 43 hour marathon. Luckily for us, the lovely people at Emirates Airlines in Paris let us go into the business class lounge – with 3…
You can’t put a price on memories
“I drink it 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 if I am; Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” Madame Bollinger, one of the “grande dames” of French…
