Bubbles!

The Teahouse- Tasting in the Park (Thurs, June 9th) Hosted by Corby's Distilleries
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       Well, I don’t know if it was that I was the most excited, the quickest to leave work or it was the simple allure of spending the next few hours with some strangers & sparkly champagnes… but I was ridiculously early to the Teahouse Tasting in the Park.

Yep, really early.  The only one there. Like a grown-up child on the first day of champagne school. Ready to get started.

Thank goodness the view was so lovely (bartenders included), and the staff was so great… I felt a bit like a tourist who had just rolled into town and stumbled upon the most hidden gem of a city.

I settled into a kir royale while I waited for the world to catch up to me, and got pleasantly lost in thought. 

When I was younger, I took great pride in boasting that I would drink champagne (or méthode, or sparkling) any time of day, for any occasion or none, and especially in the bath. Beyond the celebratory Moëts and Veuves, which cost me a pretty penny, I would keep bottles of Henkell instead of cases of beer in my fridge, and bring piccolos with straws on camping trips.  Injecting something so special into the mundane was my forté and not-so-secret pleasure. 

Mind you, I also used to leave the country on a whim, dream indiscriminately, and worry less about where my life was going than getting lost in a kiss. 

Hmmmmm….

          I was jolted from my reverie by the sweet sound of a cork popping, and we were ready to start.  Danielle, from Corby’s Distilleries, took us through 4 wines, and 3 countries, and gave a thorough description of each, with details of the history as well as the tasting notes.

Beginning with the Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir from South Eastern Australia paired with a warm brie & cherry compote from the kitchen, we examined its jet stream of bubbles and the easy, fresh drinkability.  Young, perhaps, and not over-refined, there were some noses turned towards the ceiling, but at $14.99 retail cost, it is a steal of a deal when it comes to a fun, fresh bubbly that you can bring to a BBQ, enjoy with friends and still afford the filet.

Next up were the pair of Mumm’s.  The Brut Prestige from Mumm Napa Valley and the Cordon Rouge Brut direct from the founding vineyard in Reims, France.  I was interested to learn of the history of the brand, originating in the Champagne region & being honoured with it’s iconic ‘cordon rouge’ by Napoleon himself to signify its excellence, then being exported and later produced in the US in the méthode traditionelle.

Admittedly, by this point, I wasn’t as good of a student… I had been invited by the couple behind me to join their table, and as the lightness in my head had started to feel like being social, it was a welcome move.  We were semi-involved in introductions and toasting, so the note-taking depleted a bit.

What I can say is that both wines, with their pairings of chilled prawn and sesame-crusted ahi tuna, respectively, were exactly as champagne should be- delightful.  Side-by-side, they were each quite distinct.  The Napa Brut was fresh and light, with an elegant acidity and layered qualities- from citrus, to melon, to white blossoms.  Meanwhile the Cordon Rouge was fuller and had a complexity in its flavours that hinted at things to come.  True to its pedigree, it had a richness to its structure that was set off by a long finish.

And then… we got to the really good stuff- The Perrier Jouet Grand Brut, from Epernay, France.  I already wanted more. 

On the nose, it had a distinct smell- almost cheese-like, or buttery baguette.  If I closed my eyes, I was back in France, sitting in the park just outside the patisserie, in the warm sun of late morning.  And then I took my first sip…

          There is just something about true champagne, an elusive sensual ecstasy that is truly special, and always unique.  My memory of the French bakery blended seamlessly with an orchard of ripe fruit in a diamond sky… I was in heaven.  (Maybe the oyster with the shallot mignonette had gotten to me.) I closed my eyes, wanting it to last… and then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone.  Like your first time, with the captain of the football team, under the hot sun of a summer romance… the anticipation was as great as the outcome.  And always over too soon.

Good wine and great company led to dinner, more wine and lots of laughing.  Needless to say I left content, with bubbles on the brain. More importantly, I realized that the spark was still there.  Like a grown-up version of a high school crush, all it took was a little taste to bring back the romance of this affair.

So, who’s to say we have to grow up and worry about what life has in store…?  I’m off to plan a trip, pour a glass, and find a kiss… to get lost in.