Christmas, the Season of Giving Back

As the chill sets in and the air thickens with mist, there’s an unmistakable smell all around: that of fir trees covered with sprinkles of snow. It’s time; Christmas is around the corner!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, as sung by Andy Williams.

 

It is the season that everyone waits for year after year, and it’s sure to bring fun, jolly carols, and radiant lights at their fullest.

Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of writing about glitzy Christmas decorations and how they adorn our homes, adding a touch of magic. Then, I loved talking about fabrics and how they intimately evoke wines of any kind.

For this year, my dear fizz lover, I’d love to talk about the Christmas tree and how it represents, more than any other symbol, the true spirit of these festivities.

If we consider its shape with its long branches and its firm trunk providing shelter from the elements, it similarly evokes that sense of protection as a home would. It’s reassuring, healing, and peaceful. It gives off that typical smell of nature in our homes during the holiday season and it stands as a meeting point for sharing glorious presents and wishes with our beloved.

If adorned with glass baubles and twinkling, playful lights, it can generate excitement and wonder around us.

It’s the silent spectator of our happiest moments throughout Christmas time.

Now, to fully celebrate, we need a glass of bubbly to bring that sparkling euphoria to our tables.

And here is the magnificent Roger-Constant Lemaire Champagne Les Hautes-Prières 2014, made on a family estate located in the village Villers sous Châtillon, in the beautiful Vallée de la Marne.

The Lemaire family history began at the end of the 19th century in Hautvilliers, where a family tradition was born when the gardener and poet Désiré Lemaire purchased what is now the Lemaire vineyards.
The full vision was developed by his grandchild, Roger Constant Lemaire, who understood the importance of harmoniously blending different grapes in order to create high quality Champagne. In 1945, he doubled the size of the estate and relocated the family home and headquarters to Villers-sous-Châtillon.

Roger-Constant Lemaire’s daughter, Brigitte, married Gilles Tournant, a talented winemaker, and together with their sons, Sébastien and Guillaume, they continue the family tradition of producing outstanding Champagne.

Champagne Les Hautes-Prières 2014 Brut

100% Chardonnay, Millésime Blanc de Blancs, Premier Cru.
This wine offers an intense gold colour enlightened by a fine foam.
It exudes notes of white peach, a burst of lemon and toasted cocoa nuances.
Soft minerality enhanced by light saline notes. On the palate, it’s lively with zesty notes of ginger and bergamot.

It embraces the mouth, offering flavours of pastry and bread yeast. Its long finish is marked by a good intensity.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to invite you to an exceptional gustatory experience through an unparalleled pairing between The Abysses collection by Pierre Hermé and Roger-Constant Lemaire Champagne Les Hautes-Prières 2014, carrying you on a mysterious journey to the depths of the sea.

Inspired by the handcrafted and glazed stoneware and porcelain works of American ceramic sculptor and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison, who combines the convictions of a biologist with the commitment of an artist, this infinitely indulgent and definitively marine Pierre Hermé Christmas collection showcases coral, sea anemones and other sea sponges, inviting us to explore a new dimension of taste.

 

The combination between the Champagne Les Hautes-Prières, Gold Medal winner in the Pastries Delight Category, and the refined pastry from Pierre Hermé is superb.

What’s extra special about the Christmas tree? It’s a gift from nature and it gives us parcels of joy throughout Christmas time without asking for anything in return.

It reminds us of how nature is generous with us and how we should take care of it and respect it.
From the forest to the ocean, we receive countless gifts and we need to preserve them now and for generations to come.

For this year, my dear fizz lover, I wish you that you have the most wonderful Christmas ever, full of warmth and love. And I would encourage you, for once, to avoid material objects. Instead, fill each of your presents to put underneath the Christmas tree with a good purpose: respect, care, generosity, gratitude, and honesty.

May Christmas be the season of giving back. May these simple, meaningful words be our gift to nature and humanity, offering the very best of us to the world.

 

From the bottom of my heart to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale…

With love,

Stefania Ruffo

 

Photo Credits as below and Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use the images.

Pierre Hermé photos copyright belongs to Laurent Fau.
Courtney Mattison photo copyright belongs to CourtneyMattison
Champagne Roger-Constant Lemaire copyright belongs to Champagne Roger-Constant Lemaire