 'I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise, I never touch it – unless I'm thirsty.'
Mme. Lilly Bollinger, who ran the well-known Champagne house for 30 years from 1841 who supposedly made these quotes famous, would perhaps also encourage us to drink the globally favourite fizz fantasising the Mumbai Sensex piercing through the 20,000 mark once again!
Drappier- the new champ.
Drappier is the new Champagne label joining Indian importers' team hoping to make a dent in the share of Moet & Chandon, the ubiquitous champagne that quenches the parched throats of rich and famous Indians as on date.
It is perhaps also a way of making a statement by the Sovereign Impex that they are finally entering the French market for sourcing wines. Rosé and Carte d'Or, both Brut bubblies (under 15 gms/l of residual sugar) are being imported at the moment.
Star of Côte des Bar
Champagne appellation is divided into five main production areas: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and Côte des Bar which is in the Aube département, closest to Chablis region and where half the Pinot Noir for Champagne is cultivated. Drappier is considered to be the best champagne house in this production area.
The family owned business is being run by Michel Drappier , the 7th generation in the family.
Aube-based Drappier Champagnes are fruity, lively, exuberant, and offer excellent value for money. Carte d'Or is a Pinot Noir based well-structured wine with 90% pinot Noir, 7% Chardonnay and 3% Pinot Meunier. It is fresh, firm and well structured, well balanced and complex with biscuit flavours and good length.
The Rosé Brut is salmon pink in colour with a hint of red fruits in its aromas. It is a wine with a lot of character and is made from 100% Pinot Noir. The flavours are slightly peppery and backed by good acidity.
 Both wines are prices at around Rs. 1500-1600 duty free and Rs. 3500- 3600 duty paid and will be available in 5-star hotels and premier restaurants (higher in Maharashtra), according to Naresh Uttamchandani, partner of Sovereign.
With a history of its being a favourite of Charles de-Gaulle, Maurice Chevalier and actor Jean Paul Belmondo, Naresh expects it to be a favourite with the Indian palates as well.
Both the variants are ideal as an aperitif, but could match light dishes as well. Rosé would pare the meaty fares better, especially Chinese cuisine.
For more information on the champagne, you could visit their website which is one of the most difficult and time-consuming sites to navigate, though. If you learn how to swim through it, let us know! |