Friday, April 01, 2005

Champagne Tasting

The frog has been involved in organising several visits to the family champagne house from anglo speakers. Historically, they have generally been friends of friends, potential private customers who get a tour of the vineyard, production and cave and then a tasting.

Because there has been some mutual friend connection these have been quite social occasions and a selection of bottles for tasting usually get finished off. The usual result is that Frog and I end up collapsed after the guests have gone, succumbing to the proceeding champagne induced snoozes.

Last weekend a Swedish couple who share a mutual friend with us, came to visit for the afternoon. They are waiting approval for an alcohol importers licence in Sweden - which is not easy to come by. Pre-approval they were touring over the Easter period for potential products to import to the blonde Nordic nation that loves to drink.

A lovely chatty, informed couple, we completed the tour and sat down to taste. Since my mum was staying she also joined for a chat and drink. Nearly four hours after their arrival, we waved them off, wobbled and promptly fell over. All the bottles put out to "taste" had been finished off.

So the challenge for the Frog now is to set up his tastings so that they really are a "taste" and then onto the next bottle/cuvée. Especially now that he is targeting wine societies and wine tour companies to visit and set this up on a more regular basis.

Pour/taste/spit. That's all it needs to be.

But it seems such a shame not to finish the bottle each time. Another example of his anglo influenced behaviour!

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