WHEN faced with a recipe such as Phil’s strawberry shortcake, I normally reach for the Champagne. To be honest, reaching for the Champagne is a bit of a default setting in my house.
Champagne goes with almost everything, but with a sweeter dish you can choose a demi-sec (medium dry) as opposed to the usual brut (dry).
The Champagne region is an amazing place with over 100 established houses and thousands of smaller producers making millions of bottles of lovely bubbly every year. It’s mostly the household names that we see on our supermarket shelves, but every good wine shop will have an offering from one of the little guys that will be worth a punt. Half bottles are also a great way to try something you’ve never heard of without committing to the full bottle purchase. You’ll also have a decent glass of fizz to enjoy while the red is decanting.
Much of the Champagne industry was built on the efforts of some very dynamic businesswomen. In fact, Champagne as we know it wouldn’t exist without the innovation and inspiration of the likes of the widow (veuve) Clicquot and Lily Bollinger. I still love Lily’s thoughts on when to drink champagne. She said: "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 when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it … unless I’m thirsty."
BollingerRose NV Champagne (Waitrose, 49.99). Drink it when you're thirsty, or when you're enjoying home-made strawberry shortcake.
Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec NV (Majestic, £42). LP has always been one of my favourite Champagne houses, but it was only relatively recently that I tried the demi-sec. The LP Brut NV is wonderfully soft, balanced and more-ish. The demi-sec is all of these things but with a lusher edge. It’s lovely.
Maillart Brut NV half bottle (Inverarity One to One, 12.99). This is an exceptional Champagne from one of the best of the little guys, Nicolas Maillart. It’s all premier cru fruit and it certainly gives the household names a run for their money. Sneak one into the wine rack this weekend.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street www.inveraritymorton.com
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