Getting Into the Spirit

There is an art to entertaining, and when it comes to planning your wedding. It can become somewhat stressful if not planned correctly,

One part that may be a source of stress is your menu, dessert, wines, and coffee's.

But how does one go about choosing Champagne? If you're anything like me, clueless to liquor selection, it is wise to ask an expert.

While out and about in New York City I stumbled across the most quaint Wine and Liquor boutique, Pour. If anyone knows me customer service is my number one criteria and hospitality runs a close second.

Pour located on the Upper Westside in New York City definitely got a five star on both. This brilliantly designed establishment not only was inviting to an uneducated wine drinker as myself, but Pour's well versed professionals were educated on the art of Spirits so I didn't have to be. For those who rather just wander off on your own and decide for yourself what works, they brilliantly have tags for each bottle of spirits listed by category, price, brand and origin. Turn to the back, and there is a list of dishes best served with each bottle. BRILLIANT!

My mission was purely to collect information on Champagne and that I did. Tres the proprietor and his wonderful staff were most helpful and in good spirits. They kindly assisted me with all my questions and I walked out in bliss with my new found knowledge. If ever in New York City please make the trip it's worth it.

Tres' lovely wife Christine, Sarah-Sommelier & Manager, CS, CWP were kind enough to provide us with some amazing facts about Champagne.

When purchasing Champagne, some things a buyer ought to beware of - and this doesn't just relate to Champagne, it relates to wine in general - is a warm store. Wines don't live very long if they're in an environment with high temperatures; in effect, the heat cooks the wine (not good). Additional things buyers can look for to fairly judge the current health of the bottle is leakage - is there any syrupy-looking goo oozing out of the capsule? Also, does it look like the cork is being pushed out of the bottle, or that the fill line is unusually low? All can be good visual triggers for the buyers to know NOT to buy that particular bottle.

Some popular, very good-to-high quality negotiant brands include Salon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Krug, and Henriot. Many champagne lovers also look for "grower" Champagnes, like Jean Milan, Pierre Peters and Albert Gratien. A grower Champagne is one who makes his champagne all from his own estate-grown grapes (negotiants purchase a lot of the grapes and juice from vineyard owners), in effect being able to create his own house flavor because he doesn't have as much juice to manipulate the flavor with (some say grower Champagnes exhibit more terroir). Growers also have considerably less bottles to release every year than negotiants.

The origin of Champagne...there are a few stories. The one I've seen/heard most often is that in the early 18th Century, Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk and cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers invented it; many wine professionals - indeed, most - think that story now is just a legend. He did in fact play an important role in improving it, but inventing it is still up for debate - Champagne kind of came about by accident! Cold temperatures in the cellars kept the still wines (which were recently harvested) from going through secondary fermentation because it paralyzed the yeasts; however, once spring arrived, the cellars - and hence, the wines & yeasts - warmed up and the yeasts would begin their fermentation, which meant bubbles. The French initially thought this a flaw, but they worked with it, improved it, and then finally perfected it by the mid-late 19th Century.

Pour
321 Amsterdam Avenue
NYC 10023
212-501-7687