Who Knew about Ratafia Champagne?

Been a while crocodile! It certainly has been a while, but very recently we were on holiday in Champagne and discovered Ratafia de Champagne, which is made from the third pressing of those heavenly grapes and it turns out it is utterly delicious. It’s made in a similar way to sherry, but it tastes wonderful and can be drunk as an aperitif or as a chaser to the meal. It’s about 18% alcohol so you don’t need a lot to feel the benefit.

During the harvest time, which our guide told us is getting earlier and earlier- moving from late September or early October to September as the world gets a bit warmer, the grape pickers would take a break about 10 am to grab a drink of the golden nectar that is Ratafia. Stephane our guide was also a mine of knowledge on the history of Champagne and it is the most highly organised industry. They have a trade association that controls how much Champagne is made and who can make it and officially the association dates back to 1947, but our guide told us this is a polite fiction. In fact the German occupiers in 1942 having pillaged all the local supplies of Champagne decided that in order to keep the supplies rolling into the Third Reich there needed to be a tight organisation and so they created one. As representatives of the Auld Alliance we were welcome everywhere.

Champagne production suffuses every bit of viticulture in the region and so we went to the Champagne museum in Epernay and guess what we saw there? Inside one of the cabinets was a baby’s bottle in the shape of a Champagne flute. It was called “Cheers, Champagne Flute Baby Bottle.” The picture on the packaging shows a child cuddling the “Champagne” flute and looking well pleased. Rab C Nesbitt would no doubt have approved! I couldn’t resist taking a photo for the record.

Now of course we went to lots of Champagne tastings and everywhere we went the locals imbibed the local brew, so naturally we bought a few samples, but not from the biggest houses. It seems many of the big houses were established by German merchants in the 19th century, so Tattinger and Mumm aren’t French, except by long tradition and adoption. One lot of sampling involved descending 100 feet, or 30 metres down into the chalk landscape and sampling Champagne from decades ago. To be honest a bit too sophisticated for our country mouse palettes, but the sensation was not to be missed. And if we had dug in any direction we would have hit the neighbouring cellars and even more Champagne. Indeed if you were to wish that the ground would open up and swallow you in Epernay then you would be left sitting among millions of litres of the bubbly stuff. Lovely!

And if you fancy a glass of bubbles try Diamante a dazzling collection of stylish hand cut contemporary crystal. They are absolute crackers and these Royal Scot Crystal Diamante Champagne Flutes make a perfect gift for yourself or someone else who enjoys a glass of Champagne, Rose, white or sparkling wine. Just to make them extra special they are supplied in charcoal glossy presentation boxes with a cool satin lining.

https://www.jamespirie.com/diamante-2-crystal-Champagne-flutes-presentation-boxed.html

Or if you fancy a tipple of Ratafia then try a dram in the mouth blown and handmade air twist Jacobean - Individual Dram Glass and it’s gift boxed too. There’s only one in a box, but you are special!

 And to conclude I’ll say that I’ll see you laters alligators!

https://www.jamespirie.com/jacobean-air-twist-single-whisky-dram-glasses-gift-boxed.html