June 14, 2012

Pop The Cork!

After a six hour delay, Renée finally landed in Paris to meet up with Alexander and the hunt is on. Our first stop, just outside Paris, was a visit to see Frederic and Annie. Twelve years of working together means sharing personal milestones as well. They have just become grandparents for the first time, so naturally a bottle of champagne was in order.

Champagne Cultural Tidbits

The traditional champagne flute was overshadowed by the 17^thcentury invention of the champagne coupe, which was modeled after the breast of Madame de Maintenon. This famous mistress of King Louis XIV went from a humble birth in a prison to the bed of the most famous king in French history . As the French express it, she worked her way up the social ladder by “promotion canapé” or in the vernacular “promotion on the sofa.”

Ever wonder why the champagne bottle has a longer foil label than a bottle of wine? After bottles were filled with this famous bubbly, the French clientele complained that some bottles ended up with more champagne than others. The solution: keep them guessing and cover it up!

A silver spoon is the touch of class bestowed on a baby born in the United States. The French start their wee ones early and dab champagne behind the babies' ears to wish them good fortune and prosperity while the rest of the family toasts the birth of the new arrival.

Off to a good start for this shipment…