Topic: Would you like a drink?

[townie2]

lager man myself 

[xtopave]

it was basically Champagne (preferably Cristal) and a shot of Crème de menthe.

 

[dweez]

http://screamingeagle.com/index.html

Seems like a hoity toity bunch.  You have to get on a waiting list just to get information ABOUT their product.  I guess there's an internal waiting list to actually purchase it after that.

[goldshirt*9]

http://screamingeagle.com/index.html

Seems like a hoity toity bunch.  You have to get on a waiting list just to get information ABOUT their product.  I guess there's an internal waiting list to actually purchase it after that.

you ever drunk it?

[dweez]

Not I but I'll keep an eye out for it now that smokes' has recommended it.

[smokester]

Not I but I'll keep an eye out for it now that smokes' has recommended it.

I don't they're connected in any way as you cannot produce Champagne outside Epernay for one and it hardly looks like a cocktail type of business (where are the mini umbrellas I ask?).

[dweez]

Actually, that whole "It's not champagne if it's not from the Champagne Region of France" isn't really followed anymore (at least that's what I heard).

[smokester]

Actually, that whole "It's not champagne if it's not from the Champagne Region of France" isn't really followed anymore (at least that's what I heard).

A lot of European countries have their own "Champagne" like Cava and Spumante etc which are sparkling wines, but not even the French can call their other sparkling stuff Champagne if not from the Epernay region.

The second fermenation method was discovered in, and is unique to the region because of their climate, and both (the method and the name) are fiercely protected by law.  You can get away with it if you create an area called Champagne somewhere in Cali' and produce wine there, then you can call the sparkling variety "Champagne" without fear of copyright infringement.  If you're lucky and have good lawyers that is.

[xtopave]

You can still get away with using "méthode champenoise" on the label of sparkling wines (outside the European Union and USA that is).

[smokester]

You can still get away with using "méthode champenoise" on the label of sparkling wines (outside the European Union and USA that is).

Yes I always found it odd that when in the Caribbean I drink a "Champagne" called Andre that is clearly labelled Champagne.  While here in te U.K many a few years back, a health drink called "Elderflower Champagne" was brought onto the market and Epernay sued them.

The bad thing about that Caribbean (sorry U.S.A) stuff is: you are promised 2 bottles of Champers in your room upon arrival (us in the E.U knowing the law would be expencting Lanson or something), only to get a couple of bottles of what I would call fizzy apple juice that you could get in any local store for the equivalent to a couple of £s.  Be warned.

[xtopave]

you are promised 2 bottles of Champers in your room upon arrival (us in the E.U knowing the law would be expencting Lanson or something)

That's wishful thinking. 

[goldshirt*9]

This might surprise you, but the English rather than the French were the ones who invented Champagne in the 17th century. And with the word "invented" I mean making sparkling wine deliberately, and through a reproducible process. The first French documents that refer to Champagne date from 1718. These papers report that the first time this happened was around 20 years earlier (bringing the date to circa 1698). In England however, Sir George Etheredge made mention of sparkling wine as early as 1676.

http://www.champagneinfo.net/Productie/ChampagneHistorie/tabid/174/Default.aspx

the law referring to champagne is similar to Parmesan, Stilton, EU protest food names.
still applies to Champers

[smokester]

I think what that's saying is the English discovered a way to reproduce Champagne artificially.  It wasn't really invented but rather an accident caused by a double fermentation that meant the wine froze, then thawed and fermented again causing the bubbles.  This is also the reason why Epernay protect it as theirs as this process couldn't happen naturally outside the region - supposedly.

[goldshirt*9]

so agree about the invented / stumbled upon  part .
If you were to produce an excellent sparkling wine which sold millions of bottles and named it
champagne , then i would guess the fine people of the 5 areas allowed to name their sparkling wine as champagne, would come a knocking with a big Nebuchadnezzar  of sparkling champers  to politely tell you to change the name of your produce.

This is normally the case with product of originality produce.

[smokester]

That site you linked to gives about 5 different versions of the history behind it, but I consider it French 'cos it's called a French name. Had it been called Scunthorpe, I'd be pissed if the French tried to claim it as theirs.