In Champagne is also Der Chantecoq, an artificial lake built in 1974 to contain the Marne River during high water levels and, indirectly, prevent the Seine from overflowing in Paris. It covers an area of 4,800 hectares and is now a mandatory resting place for wild geese and ducks, as well as other migratory birds on their way south. With so much water, it is clear that a lot of fish is eaten, primarily eel and trout. Of the vegetables, in relatively cold Champagne, potatoes, cabbage and turnips are the most popular, and the Flemish contribution to Champagne cuisine is cooking with lots of leeks.
A classic lunch or dinner in Champagne can start with smoked trout fish pâté and the cold cuts that we know so well: ham, salami and white sausages, which can best be described as blood sausages without the blood. They also have a wine sausage called andouillete. The side dish are eggs stuffed with garlic, cream and parsley. The warm appetizer is a cross-border, Flemish leek pie, and the hearty soup, which can also be the main course, is rooster in Champagne. Pieces of rooster meat are marinated in Champagne and then slowly cooked with lots of seasonal vegetables.
The series of main dishes can start with lamb chops prepared in a wok-like pan, and the finished meal is most similar to our peka. Next comes roasted wild pigeons, marinated and fried in a pan and served with carrots and wine sauce. Beef is also prepared with forest mushrooms, which are abundant in Champagne, and venison with camelina sauce made from breadcrumbs, vinegar and red wine spiced with cinnamon, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper... The famous Champagne dessert is fritters with cinnamon and flambéed plums.
Champagne is drunk with all these dishes in Champagne. They are also drunk it without food, even for good morning. My colleague and I saw this while waiting for the morning meeting at the famous Bollinger champagne house in the village of Ay. We arrived too early and wanted to sit down for a coffee. There were several tractors in front of the local inn, and a group of winegrowers in classic rubber boots stood behind the bar. A picture like one in any Croatian village, except that before plowing or any other work in the vineyard, instead of brandy, the boys toasted each other with Champagne. So we also gave up coffee. In Champagne, after all, Champagne is drunk at any time of the day and/or night, and it is a custom that is very easy to accept.
I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it alone, but I always drink it with company. I sip it when I'm not hungry, and I drink it when I feel hungry. Otherwise, I never drink it. Except when I'm thirsty, said Lily Bollinger, former owner of the famous Champagne house that bears her family name. Although it is drunk all the time, it is well known when will which kind of Champagne be poured. According to the occasion in which it should be enjoyed, it is divided into Champagnes with spirit, with body, with heart and with soul.
Champagnes with spirit are the freshest, most playful and most drinkable. They are made only from Chardonnay, when they are labeled Blanc de blancs, or Chardonnay dominates in them. They are served as an aperitif, with oysters or appetizers made from tender fish. In Champagne, it would be poured with marinated trout, for example, and such is the Perle d’Ayala champagne. Champagnes with body are a classic blend of varieties from that region. In addition to Chardonnay, they contain Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Although the latter two varieties are red or sometimes reddish, they are used to make white wine as a base for Champagne. They are an excellent accompaniment to seafood and chicken, and on our Champagne menu they will be drunk with smoked trout, rooster meat, and even wild pigeons. An example is Lanson Black Label, a sharp and full-bodied, masculine wine especially because it is produced without malolactic fermentation, which converts the rougher malic acid into a softer lactic acid.
Champagnes with a heart have the same composition as those with a body, but are more aged. As a rule, these are Champagnes with a vintage label, and very often they are pink. They are drunk with meat dishes. A good example of this type of champagne is Veuve Clicquot Rosé. In their cellar in Reims, there is a document about the export of Rosé to Croatia as early as 1808. The owner at the time, the widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin, stopped in Croatia on a trip to Russia. She is credited with determining the name of the wine Klikun from the Kutjevo vineyards. She allegedly recommended a blend of varieties to the local winemakers.
Champagnes with soul are a special story. They are drunk in the beloved company or on special occasions. These are the best Champagnes aged for 10 years or more, and among them are Dom Perignon, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Salon, Crystal or Bollinger with the label R.D. That is an abbreviation for recently disgorged, what means that it was matured on yeasts until recently. Then it was disgorged, so the bottle was opened, the yeasts were thrown out, and finally it was closed with characteristic champagne cork. Before disgorging, it was under a metal crown cap that resembles the one on beer bottles.
Champagnes with soul would go well with very fine dishes, but even James Bond only drinks them when he wants to show off to a female spy, be it a colleague or a rival. Such champagnes are sugar at the end, although they have no sweetness. Almost all Champagnes non-sweet wines, according to the rules established by the CIVC, the Council of Grape and Wine Producers and Champagne Merchants. They do not even allow the production of red champagnes, and they limit production and sales in order to maintain quality and prevent the market from being saturated. This may not be absolutely necessary, because the producers themselves limit sales:
I only sell the champagnes that I cannot drink myself, is the legendary statement of the famous Victor Lanson from Reims.