Bought any Bubbly lately?

If you mean the champagne, Ariston Fils is a small producer, with just 7.5 ha. We went there over 20 years ago and it was very cheap then in comparison to the big names, and gorgeous. Even now, it’s a lot cheaper and the quality is still excellent. The blanc de blancs is €22 per bottle but it was €16 I think when we last bought it. Costs have gone up a lot recently, so I’m not surprised it’s gone up.

How can you go wrong with a good cremant at 6 euros. Every thing food wise is so very exspensive. Supermarket cakes for instance with mostly sugar content.

There is also bad cremant at 6€!

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Migraines, that’s how you can go wrong. I haven’t had a French “Cremant” or “Blanquette” or “Clairette” yet that didn’t give me a migraine within half an hour (including Crémant de Limoux), all of which is most irritating, not to mention expensive.

Never had a headache with Champagne, German Sekt.
Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava, it has very much depended on the brand, and where I bought it.

As for the English fizzy stuff, well, it tastes alright, but the headache problem remains.

Don’t buy cakes in supermarkets, that is what pâtisseries are for, use them or lose them.

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I bought this at Limoux on my way from ES to stay with friends near Fumel [Lot & Garonne].

What made it a particularly appropriate contribution to the party was that it was from a maker called Salazar, the same name as my host.

Mine host, Count Juan de Salazar [as English as they come] had an interesting war. Their unit being moved from A to Z on some train at walking pace across India, Salazar, a young Captain and his compadres were getting a bit thirsty, climbed out of the carriage onto the roof of the train and crawled down it until he was over the compartment containing his CO and senior officers.

A face appeared in the window, upside down.

“Salazar! What the devil are you doing out there!?”

"Well, sir. I was wondering if you could spare a bottle of gin… "

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Love that sort of anecdote from what American commentators sometimes call ‘the Great Generation’. Often these tales have been recounted, honed and polished honed many times over the years - but it doesn’t matter - except that sadly they’re becoming ever more rare…

Tomorrow is my OHs 60th birthday. After an early cup of tea, we will start off with breakfast at a local, wonderful pâtisserie where we will also find the birthday cake. The rest of the day is secret, so if I told you, I would have to kill you :open_mouth:

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In that case, I don’t want to know!

Ah yes! Breakfast. Can be something special. A Christmas Day breakfast that lingers in the memory is the squeeze reappearing in the bedroom after 20 mins with a tray of smk salmon/scrambled eggs on toast + champagne wearing … umm … a garment I had no idea existed …

This is a model wearing rather more than the g/f was wearing. Her rig did not include anything below the top clips on those straps.

But then she was like that. We lived 15 mins drive part. She once turned upt my place at 5am one summer morning wearing just a raincoat and plimmies. Sportif!

I hope she didn’t ask you to “play Misty for me”. :face_with_peeking_eye:

:wink:

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English sparkling wine has come first in blind tastings.

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I would have thought high heeled wellies would have been sexier, especially with the tops turned over like Freddie Star :laughing:

I don’t know Freddie Star from a hole in the ground but your mention of wellies does bring to mind the very first words the High Maintenance Blond ever spoke to me.

She and others from the Chelsea School of Art invaded my flat one morning and proceded to turf out of bed and onto the floor my flat-mate, a fellow CSA student. While this was going on, this tall blond Jerry Hall look-a-like was rifling thru’ the drawers and wardrobe.

She came across a cupboard set in the wall, only 6" deep. Useless for everything except my fishing rods and a pair of waders.

“Good God!” she cried, “these wellies come up to your fanny!”

“Errrr… your fanny, maybe”

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If you google Freddie Star Hitler character/wellies you will see. Won’t put any link on a public forum in case I get sued etc.