“I only drink champagne 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 am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty.” Madame Lily Bollinger, of the famous champagne-making family.
We all need a bit of a party. And if you have kids, like I do (three boys under the age of 7), it’s a good idea to stop and smell the roses occasionally with a little celebration for those of us over 3 ft tall and in need of some ‘adult time’!
So, if this is you, I can highly recommend a Champagne Tasting Party! Yup, Doctor’s orders – you need to have some fun.
Prescription: 1 x Champagne Tasting party – Pop, Fizz, Clink y’awl!
You can create a super stylish, super fun afternoon or evening hosting a Champagne Tasting Party – without overworking yourself OR breaking the bank! Totally.
It’s SOOO easy!
Ideally, invite a few couples or around 8 – 10 friends works well for a lovely, intimate get together. You can either ask everyone to bring a bottle of champagne for tasting, and you do the food, OR you can ask everyone to bring a snack or a dish and you supply the champagne. Either way, the load is spread, making this affordable as well as super fun!
Invitations, Toppers, Scoring Cards, Bottle Labels
And, of course, we have the most gorgeous printables set for you – stunning invitations with an elegant black and white stripe and gold glitter background. WHO could say no when invited with such style?
And then there are the matching cupcake wrappers and toppers, because, let’s face it, champagne and cake are two of life’s absolute pleasures!
And then – the most fun part – the scoring cards! Rate your champagne on a scale from ‘Never Again’ to ‘Get me another, quick’! But, if you want to be a bit more risqué, or a bit more conservative with your ratings language, you can edit the score card to include whatever YOU want.
And so that your scoring is totally unbiased, cover up the branding with our fabulous bottle labels. No cheating!
Crash course – you got it here first!
Do you know more about kids’ blowing bubbles than champagne bubbles? Don’t stress, I was in the same boat. Read this super-quick crash course, and you’ll know what you are talking about!
Color / Appearance
Color must be bright and clear, and anywhere from nearly colorless (younger champagnes) to golden (older bottles) and blush pinks (rosé). What you are looking for in a champagne is a brilliance, no matter the shade. Champagne is not cloudy, it has that fresh, crisp clarity to it.
Aroma / Bouquet
When drinking champagne, you need to try and get as much of the aroma into your nose as possible, as this enhances the taste and entire experience. The aromas are divided into five groups, flowers, fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, and “indulgent delicacies.”
Champagne is often served in gorgeous flutes, which looks stunning because you see the bubbles travelling all the way up the glass. However, small flutes that are too narrow don’t allow the aromas to get out, or your petite little nose to get into the glass. So, ideally a wider flute or even a white wine glass gives you a better chance of getting a good whiff!
Flavor / Taste
Take a sip and let it roll around in your mouth and think about what you are tasting. Citrus, green apple, tropical fruits, vanilla, toast, and nuttiness are common tastes but it is totally subjective, which is what makes it so much fun!
The flavor of champagne changes as it ages, and there are three different types of flavour to talk about. The primary flavour in champagne is typically fruit, often lemon, grapefruit, mandarin and sometimes peach, prune or apricot.
Complex or aged champagnes will have secondary flavors – usually experienced as ‘toasty’ or related to bread.
Older and very complex champagnes will have a third level of flavour which can include descriptions of cocoa, coffee and even mushrooms and leather! Nutty flavors are often typical of this third level too.
Blind tasting is fun and subjective, so don’t worry if you can’t identify exactly what you are tasting. Take your time and have fun, because that IS what it is all about!
Balance / Finish
After you swallow, contemplate the aftertaste that lingers on your palate. The longer the finish, the better the quality of the wine.
Bubbles / Sparkle
A great swig of Coca Cola certainly has its place, but Champagne is more elegant—and that’s why tiny bubbles are aesthetically preferred to large bubbles. Also, a Champagne may be very bubbly, very forceful “lots of pressure”, or it may seem a little low in force “lacks pressure.”
Serving temperature:
Champagne is best consumed cold, but not too cold. You can serve in an ice bucket, but do not leave it in the ice bucket for hours, or this ‘freezes’ some of the flavour and aroma.
Doctor’s Orders – what are you waiting for?
So, grab hold of your bubble sense, a few different bottles, some snacks, an assortment of friends and the Pop Fizz Clink Printable Set and have yourself an awesome Champagne Tasting Party!
Cheers!
Love and Bubbles,
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE POP FIZZ CLINK THEME INVITATION AND DECORATIONS
