ENCHANTING LIFE

Chill those bottles and pop those corks, it’s getting to the party time of the year!

It’s the time where we celebrate horse races, Christmas, the dawning of a new year. Parties abound, social events kick up a notch and our calendars suddenly becomes full of fun things to do.

For many of these events, popping the cork on a bottle of bubbles isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, it gives an event an extra bit of glamour, but really, quite often the bottle’s contents aren’t anything noteworthy – it’s just a drink you have because it’s the ‘done’ thing. More often than not, glasses with no more than two sips taken from them are left for the hosts to clean up at the end of the night.

I know that many people are intimidated by French Champagne, after all, the price in many cases is prohibitive but even if you get past the cost is the taste worth the purchase? Luxury shouldn’t be about social status or the contents of your wallet and there is no need to opt for a cheap sparkling wine which is ‘good enough’ for a toast.

At the recent celebration of their 40^th anniversary, Nicolas Feuillatte, the third largest Champagne brand globally, I was introduced to a drink worthy of having as a celebratory toast.

At this event, held at The Atlantic in Melbourne’s Crown Complex, I was seated amongst some of the best known food and wine reviewers/writers in Australia and also some of the big wine buyers in our country – it was quite exclusive.

While I am not qualified in the field of wine tasting and know very little about floral notes and wine making methods I know what I like, and I know what pairs well with particular foods. I also love serving good wines at dinner parties I am hosting and take great joy when my guests compliment my choices of food and wine.

For this celebration, my hosts chose very well with their choice of venue. The Atlantic serves mainly seafood and in my opinion the perfect cuisine for tasting and drinking Champagne.

On arrival guests were served a glass of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Brut NV. Normally I would shy away from a Brut Champagne, I usually find them quite dry and not overly palatable, but in this case it was difficult for me to not drink the whole glass. This Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for body, and Pino Meunier for fruitiness. I found the flavour to be quite fruity, delicate and certainly not dry.

Entrée was served with a glass of Palmes d’Or 2006, a light base blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that had slightly more body than the previous drink, but equally as delicious. It went extremely well with my choice of entrée which was Atlantic Seafood Cocktail – a take on the ‘70s entrée of similar name, but with much more pizzaz than those of times gone by.

 

Palmes d’Or Rose 2005 was served with our main course. This pretty pink drink was subtle in flavour and slightly drier than the previous drinks. Its fine bubbles gave it a slightly sensual feel on the tongue – smooth and silky. Again, it was the perfect accompaniment for my Olive Oil Confit Ora King Salmon and again, it was difficult to not drink the whole glass.

I will also make note here of the beautiful bottles that house the Palmes d’Or – they would look amazing adorning any dinner table or at any celebratory event. I hear that some matching glassware will be coming into the country soon and hope to be able to get my hands on some to have at my dinner table.

Our desserts were served with Champagne Nicolas Feuillate Brut Rose. Another beautiful drink that has completely changed my thinking regarding Brut, with its blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes creating a fruity flavour enhanced by the fine bubbles.

Any or all of these magnificent drinks would be absolutely perfect to serve at any celebration and I can guarantee that the host won’t be cleaning up barely sipped drinks at the end of the evening.

If you think you will be paying big bucks for a magnificent French Champagne, think again, the Nicolas Feuillatte Brut NV sells for a RRP of AU$60.00 – very affordable for many occasions. But when you think about it, life is a celebration, or it should be. Why should you only be treated to a luxury when it is a so called special event?

Nicolas Feuillatte is consolidating its position as a Champagne brand for emotional luxury, with a mission to: enchant life. It is Champagne for the people, Champagne to be enjoyed and Champagne that will have you feeling special – there is absolutely no need to wait for a special occasion to treat yourself and enjoy a little luxury.

Spoil yourself now with a glass of bubbles from Nicolas Feuillatte.