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Consolidated "Champagne - Questions/Suggestions/Recommendations" thread

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Consolidated "Champagne - Questions/Suggestions/Recommendations" thread

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Old Jan 17, 2012 | 4:29 am
  #481  
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Originally Posted by GetSetJetSet
Agreed. I will never understand FlyerTalk's obsession with chugging free champagne on flights either. It's an alcoholic beverage readily available everywhere wine is sold. What's the big deal.
For me ... it's because I'll drink champagne that is much more expensive than I drink at home. IN BA F for example they sell Johnie Walker Blue ..... I'd never stump up that. They are serving champers that is 100+ per bottle.

I know you'll say that if we can travel F then we can buy expensive champers but not all people are like that ....... my champers tops out at 35 per bottle and is normally around 15.
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Old Jan 19, 2012 | 2:11 am
  #482  
 
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Originally Posted by DJGMaster1
That being said, the Hospice wines are sort of a special case because you are buying a future through a wholesale channel in bulk, and the Chateau de Pommard is not in fact a Grand Cru. It may well be as good as many a Grand Cru, but it itself is merely a monopole Premier Cru. But that was one of my points in my earlier post, that Grand Crus are essentially unattainable at those prices, but if you really know what you are doing and have access directly with the producers (and apparently, both of these factors apply to you, Stimpy), you can buy some of the handful of very select Premier Crus that are as good as many an actual Grand Cru, at more reasonable prices than the Grand Crus can be obtained. I used to make a buying trip to Burgundy every 2-3 years during which I would buy several cases of these handful of Premier Cru wines that are actually hitting above their class, and which are in fact at the Grand Cru level. And I found that the sweet spot of these wines tended to be in the $35-50 USD/bottle range circa a decade ago bought directly from the domains they were produced at, and even then, they tended to sell in the U.S. for at least double, often 2.5x the prices I paid directly at the producers (I had a deal with an importer in Dijon who would bring the wines into the U.S. for me for $25 a case).
Do you guys post at http://wineberserkers.com/forum/inde...e286186a809930 as well?
it's a wine fanatic forum like this one for flying.. I think you'd be right at home there.. lots of Burg heads there. ^
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Old Jan 29, 2012 | 2:47 pm
  #483  
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Tired of champagne? I could never be tired of champagne. However, I am tired of the typical brands everyone drinks: Veuve Clicquot and Mot. I do not like neither of them and find them very displeasing. It is just that both brands have great marketing campaigns.

I drink champagne regularly. I love it because I consider it to be "the Buddha" of wines :-D Whenever I am stressed, I resort to a nice bottle of champagne and a pack of my lovely Dunhill cigarettes. I like Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Laurent Perrier Vintage 2000. If not, Tsarine is lovely too.
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Old Jan 29, 2012 | 3:03 pm
  #484  
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Originally Posted by panyafe
Tired of champagne? I could never be tired of champagne. However, I am tired of the typical brands everyone drinks: Veuve Clicquot and Mot. I do not like neither of them and find them very displeasing. It is just that both brands have great marketing campaigns.

I drink champagne regularly. I love it because I consider it to be "the Buddha" of wines :-D Whenever I am stressed, I resort to a nice bottle of champagne and a pack of my lovely Dunhill cigarettes. I like Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Laurent Perrier Vintage 2000. If not, Tsarine is lovely too.
i agree... met is very ordinary, cliquot is ok though I find. but interested that you like tsarine! they used to serve it. business class on Malaysia airlines in about 2004... I never liked it. maybe time to revisit.
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 1:15 am
  #485  
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Originally Posted by uk1
For me ... it's because I'll drink champagne that is much more expensive than I drink at home. IN BA F for example they sell Johnie Walker Blue ..... I'd never stump up that. They are serving champers that is 100+ per bottle.

I know you'll say that if we can travel F then we can buy expensive champers but not all people are like that ....... my champers tops out at 35 per bottle and is normally around 15.
I still don't get it. Even if I'm not going to keep my fridge stocked with bottles of dom, i'll have 1 glass pre-departure, then switch to water so I'm hydrated and wake up at my destination refreshed and not hung over. Just because free booze that's normally out of your price range is available doesn't mean you have to clamor to drink them dry.
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 1:21 am
  #486  
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Some people get hangovers, some don't. It depends usually on your age and the quality of the Champagne.
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 3:55 am
  #487  
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Originally Posted by stimpy
Some people get hangovers, some don't. It depends usually on your age and the quality of the Champagne.
Its very much about getting enough water.... if you drink a lot of water while you down your booze of choice, chances of having a hangover are greatly reduced. Folks forget that drinking alcohol will dry you out...
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 7:15 am
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Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
Its very much about getting enough water.... if you drink a lot of water while you down your booze of choice, chances of having a hangover are greatly reduced. Folks forget that drinking alcohol will dry you out...
I'm pretty sure champagne with the carbonation gets into your blood stream faster.
plus unless they're serving decent bubbly, crap alcohol will leave you with a hangover more than decent alcohol?
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 3:28 pm
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A hangover is basically entirely dehydration. Drink lots of water and you won't get one at all. The "quality" of the alcoholic drink does not matter, nor the speed at which it is absorbed into your blood. Water is the cure.
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 5:08 pm
  #490  
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Originally Posted by CyBeR
A hangover is basically entirely dehydration. Drink lots of water and you won't get one at all. The "quality" of the alcoholic drink does not matter, nor the speed at which it is absorbed into your blood. Water is the cure.
hmmm... I've been lucky enough to have fake alcohol a few times and it certainly produces one big hangover... water or not!!
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Old Jan 30, 2012 | 11:58 pm
  #491  
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Originally Posted by CyBeR
A hangover is basically entirely dehydration. Drink lots of water and you won't get one at all. The "quality" of the alcoholic drink does not matter, nor the speed at which it is absorbed into your blood. Water is the cure.
I don't believe that is at all true. Ask any experienced bartender even! Poor quality alcohol, especially poor quality sparkling wine, can give anyone a hangover. But other than that, I never had a hangover til my mid-30's. And it had nothing to do with water. I'm not a doctor, but a quick Google search produced this....

"When we drink, our livers release an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down the alcohol into a harmless chemical so less of it enters the bloodstream. Young people - and regular drinkers - produce more of this enzyme, so they don't feel the effects of alcohol as much as older people."

That said, I absolutely agree that drinking water on long haul flights is critical. Alcohol is dehydrating as is the cabin air.
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Old Jan 31, 2012 | 1:39 am
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Originally Posted by stimpy
I don't believe that is at all true. Ask any experienced bartender even! Poor quality alcohol, especially poor quality sparkling wine, can give anyone a hangover. But other than that, I never had a hangover til my mid-30's. And it had nothing to do with water. I'm not a doctor, but a quick Google search produced this....

"When we drink, our livers release an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down the alcohol into a harmless chemical so less of it enters the bloodstream. Young people - and regular drinkers - produce more of this enzyme, so they don't feel the effects of alcohol as much as older people."
That quote is not about the hangover-effect, it's about how the people mentioned get less intoxicated to start with. This is the difference between two people consuming the same amount of alcohol and one getting completely smashed while the other stays reasonably functional.

Sure, there are multiple causes for the hangover-effect, but I do believe dehydration is the most important one.
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Old Mar 11, 2012 | 8:56 am
  #493  
 
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Personally I much-prefer Prosecco over Champagne!
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 7:53 am
  #494  
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Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
Its very much about getting enough water.... if you drink a lot of water while you down your booze of choice, chances of having a hangover are greatly reduced. Folks forget that drinking alcohol will dry you out...
Originally Posted by CyBeR
A hangover is basically entirely dehydration. Drink lots of water and you won't get one at all. The "quality" of the alcoholic drink does not matter, nor the speed at which it is absorbed into your blood. Water is the cure.
+1 ^

You can drink some crazy amounts of booze and yet still have no hangover if you down enough water in the process. A lot of water actually.

Best tip is to always go to sleep with a full glass of water by your bedside. The difference between a hangover and not having one (or a much, much LESSER one) is taking a few gulps of water when you wake up during your sleep. It only takes you a few seconds, so if you do get the chance then take those few sips before continuing your sleep. As mentioned, definitely put a glass of water by your bedside before you crash out...
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 7:59 am
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To be honest I'm tired of this champagne/sparkling wine issue. It's all the same thing. Otherwise what's next, can't call cheese "mozzarella" if it's not made in a certain city in Italy? Or maybe the name pizza should be banned if it doesn't come from wherever it was invented, so all those pizza places the world over will have to rename their product as "cheese on bread."

Champagne is a process, a way of making the product and shouldn't have been locked down to a specific region in France simply because it was named after it.

In the end, apart from the top brands, I have become extremely suspicious of all "champagnes" I haven't heard of previously, simply because there's an extremely high chance that they're complete rubbish. All they need to sell is just have the name, so quality went out the window completely...

Give me good sparkling wine (real champagne) over "champagne" any day...
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