Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Champagne/Sparkling Wine

Champagne is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, specific grape-pressing methods and secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation.

The grapes Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, and Chardonnay are used to produce almost all Champagne, but small amounts of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier are vinified as well.

Sparkling wines are produced worldwide, but many legal structures reserve the word Champagne exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne region, made in accordance with Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne regulations. In the European Union and many other countries, the name Champagne is legally protected by the Madrid system under an 1891 treaty, which reserved it for the sparkling wine produced in the toponymous region and adhering to the standards defined for it as an appellation d'origine contrôlée; the protection was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. Over 70 countries have adopted similar legal protection.

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/DD2PBFq0aqs?si=4grKfkZQNiHwOKoi - How Is Champagne Made? - No Sediment (6:49)
2. https://youtu.be/aeoDjbAUBBI?si=LIrvKrDARkW3iz2N - Understanding Champagne in 5 minutes or less! - Jacky Blisson MW (4:40)
3. https://youtu.be/9tVT71WXSIs?si=G4ZNEXwl5KD-ffb- - The Ultimate Guide to the World’s BEST Sparkling Wine - No Sediment (9:01)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!