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21.
Tasting Champagne
A - A simplified tasting method
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Before drinking Champagne, it must be tasted. It is the host's role in a restaurant to give his approval to the sommelier after a very brief olfactory and gustatory examination or, if need’s be, to express his observations. At home, he can check in the same way that the bottle is suitable. Nothing prevents this role being played by the hostess. In fact, a woman's intuition makes her an excellent taster.
Tasting is covered in detail in the oenology section. Even very simplified, it must be done without rushing and according to a logical method if you wish to make a serious judgement about the wine in question. To be able to judge the characteristics of Champagne as well as possible, the temperature must not be too low. One can taste better at 12° than at 6°C. You should also use suitable glasses, filled to the one-third level.
Having duly tasted your Champagne, you now can drink it. Of course, you can drink it as you wish, slowly or quickly, in small amounts or in abundance. There are no rules, but it is, nevertheless, advisable not to gulp it down, but to savour it slowly, returning to your glass several times before emptying it. This allows you to prolong the pleasure experienced when drinking this great wine. By doing this, you can also enjoy the attractive display of the rising bubbles for longer. But nothing stops you, in certain situations, from drinking in abundance, from cracking open a bottle of Champagne. This is, indeed, the meaning of this expression.
Apart from with meals, it is a good idea to serve Champagne with dry biscuits to enhance the tasting. In reality, for healthy people, this is not essential but it is definitely pleasant for everyone. In order not to disturb the tasting of "brut" Champagne, the biscuits should be savoury (but not at all or only slightly spicy). One can also offer walnuts, green olives or cubes of gruyere. With "sec" or "demi-sec" Champagne, sweet biscuits would be more suitable. A good example is the speciality ‘biscuits roses de Reims’ (pink biscuits from Reims), especially by Fossier.
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