A Champagne Tasting

December 2, 2015

20151202-061656.jpg This Wine Wednesday post is not about a particular bottle of wine, but of an idea for the season. Champagne is usually at its best price of the year in November and December. So now is the time to stock up. On Thanksgiving we asked folks to bring a bottle of rosé Champagne to the day. We thought it would be a festive & bubbly way to start the holiday. We also thought it would be fun to see what folks chose, thinking most likely each world pick a different one. We were right! The group got to try a bunch of different bottles that many of us had never enjoyed. Favorites picks were bantered around. What was liked and certain notes pulled from each. It was really fun. Guests so often asked what they can bring to a meal, and so often all that is already covered. A tasting before the meal or with the meal is a lovely way to have guests feel like they contributed. Choosing a certain type of wine for guests to bring also insures a certain level of cohesiveness to what you are planning for the appetizers or meal, depending on when you do the tasting. We started the holiday with a good variety of appetizers that would work well with rosé Champagne, so I just opened a bottle at a time so everyone could try a bit from each bottle. This is certainly not limited to Champagne. A certain wine from a certain region would be cool. Or a vodka tasting. Or a port tasting. All the possibilities combined with a little creativity can make for an entertaining dinner party.