Celebrating with Champagne

This time of year is all about celebration, and nothing says celebration quite like champagne. So in honor of this festive and effervescent beverage, I’m supplying you with a few historical snippets that might impress fellow party goers, as well as letting you in on two of my favorite champagnes, which surprisingly aren’t made by well-known and publicized producers like Dom Perignon or Cristal. On top of everything, I’m including a delightful recipe for champagne risotto with applewood-smoked bacon and champagne poached scallops.

Champagne is, other than delicious, a sparkling wine whose carbonation is due to a second in bottle fermentation. Most champagne is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes from across several vintages. They run the gamut from the sweet demi-secs to the most popular dry bruts, with some special productions of blanc de blancs, blanc de noirs, and rosé.

This beverage has a rich history beginning in the Champagne region of France before medieval times. Churches owned vineyards and the monks would produce wines for sacrament and the coronation festivities of French kings. While the champagnes of this time were crisp and light, they were also still, and remained so until around 1535. At this time the first commercial sparkling wine was produced in the Limoux area of Languedoc; however, champagne as we know it today wasn’t born until 1700.

The invention of modern champagne is often credited to the French monk Dom Perignon, however it is documented that Christopher Merrett, an English scientist and physician, was the first to intentionally produce champagne about thirty years before the monk. But let’s not completely rule out Dom Perignon’s influence. He was responsible for many advances, including the addition of the wire collar that holds the cork in place.

It’s amazing to think how long champagne has been connected with luxury and power. First there was the association with European royalty and coronations, later followed by the celebrity endorsements of entertainer and sophisticate George Leybourne, who famously drank only champagne when in public and wrote and sang songs that identified it with the good life. Today we still associate champagne with extravagance and influence, paying top dollar for excellent bottlings and hearing entertainers rap about popping bottles of “Cris”.

While I’m sure a bottle of the aforementioned Cristal is fantastic, the small but respected producer, J. Lassalle, makes two of my favorite champagnes. I’m enamored with the J. Lassalle Blanc de Blancs, 2000 ler Cru Champagne. It is one of the special categories of champagnes, made only with Chardonnay grapes. This blanc de blancs is perfectly balanced and then some. It manages to escape the razor-shard acidity and minerality that is characteristic of this category of champagne, allowing the fruit to shine through. This is the perfect sipping champagne, but it pairs well with lighter food like seafood and vegetables.

You’re in for a treat with the J. Lassalle ‘Special Club,’ 1998 Premier Cru Champagne. I was introduced to this at a wine tasting courtesy of the popular Ann Arbor wine shop, Morgan and York. They describe this champagne as “generous and toasty, with strawberry, apple and pear fruit, hints of spice and a long, lingering finish.” I will have to agree; this champagne is truly a showstopper.

While champagne is usually enjoyed with oysters and caviar, why not try it as the main ingredient in a risotto? This recipe is a filling and a different approach to champagne/food pairing.

Champagne Risotto with Bacon and Champagne Poached Scallops

3 slices of applewood smoked bacon
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs. butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup Arborio rice
3/4-cup champagne
Small pinch of rosemary, preferably fresh
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups champagne
4 scallops

(These are just recommendations, I usually eyeball my measurements.)

Pour chicken broth into a saucepan and simmer, keep off to the side for later. In a large sauté pan or dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Add the shallot and garlic to the bacon fat and sauté until tender. Add the rice and the first Tbs. of butter; stir to coat. Stir the rice constantly allowing it to toast for about 2 minutes. Add the champagne and simmer until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add a ladle of the warm chicken broth and stir till it’s almost absorbed. Continue adding the stock in the same manner; stir constantly. Add a pinch of rosemary and the bay leaf. After approximately 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the remaining butter and cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring the champagne to a boil. Add the scallops and poach until no longer translucent. Remove scallops and let the champagne reduce by 2/3. Garnish the risotto with broken bits of the cooked bacon and the scallops. Spoon the champagne reduction over the scallops letting it drip into the risotto.