February 9, 2011

Raising a toast

I have never really liked champagne. I think it’s one of those snooty falooty drinks that people sip on when they want to look elite or cool. And really, how do you tell one apart from the other? They all taste sour, acidic and tart (no I’m not describing the properties of vinegar here!). But a recent event that I attended with a friend has changed my perception about that little glass of bubbly.

How and why? Well, I’d like to give cheers and much credit to a certain spirited gentleman by the name of Rajeev Singhal. What does he do? Eat your heart out people because what he does for a living is DRINK! To say that he is bubbling with enthusiasm and knowledge is stating the obvious, because Rajeev Singhal, Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC)’s, champagne ambassador in India is like an eager child waiting to spill all about the queen of spirits – champagne.

My brief tete-e tete with him comprised mainly of me asking basic (read stupid) questions about champagne and him patiently answering each and every one of them. He even let me pop open a bottle called ‘Ace of Spades’ which costs a whopping 1.3 lakhs!  He starts off on an effervescent note, telling us that we have been fooled all these years being served sparkling wine in the guise of champagne. “It’s not champagne unless it actually comes from the Champagne region of France,” he says with stress, driving the point home.

Talking about how he got into the art of champagne appreciation, Rajeev says, “I’m trying to do for champagne, what I did for wine a couple of years back. It’s very heartening to see how the country has become aware and knowledgeable about wines. I see that in Chennai as well, the response has been picking up over the years.”

Champagne connotes different things to different people. While some associate it with romance and love, for most, it marks a celebration or happy occasion. While Rajeev agrees, he says with a smirk, “I don’t understand why these racers pop the champagne and spray it all over each other. My heart breaks because it is such a precious liquid. Why not drink it all instead?”

We definitely can’t argue with that logic, especially after a crash course on how delicately and beautifully these wines are prepared. Transporting us to Champagne, Rajeev says that the bubbly drink has a history that dates back 2000 odd years. He also says that champagne is made from only three varieties of grapes – the chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. The colours vary from a pale straw gold to a much richer salmon or blush pink. So how are the variations in the colour achieved? “Well, did you know that even if you used red grapes and took off the skin, the resultant juice would be white in colour? It really depends on the mix in percentage between the three grape varieties used,” he says.

Considering Chennai is still thought of as a slightly more conservative market when it comes to alcohol, does he think that there is enough variety of wines and champagnes to learn from? “I was terribly surprised, but in a pleasant way. I think Chennai is almost on par with Mumbai and Delhi, which is a more open market when it comes to champagne appreciation. I have seen some stellar varieties in all the star hotels in Chennai.”

Finally, tell him that we have all experienced whisky, vodka and rum hangovers and ask him what the devilish after-effects of champagne are and he replies pat, “Madame Lilly Bollinger put it best when she said, ‘I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I’m thirsty.’”

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