Why Do We Celebrate with Champagne / Bubbles?

21st Birthday party? Podium position at the Grand Prix? Wedding reception? Celebrations, congratulations, success, romance or your own special moment all somehow tend to involve a glass of bubbly no? Most times it is Champagne, though our choice is quite limitless with bubbly wine from English to South African and who can really say no to a glass of Italy’s most famous example, Prosecco?

There is something special that pulls us towards sparkling wines whenever we think of good times and especially in celebrations. A glass of still white wine, a vodka and tonic, craft beer, whisky and ice and other alcoholic favourites just would not hold the same charisma in the same situation. We prefer to raise a glass of bubbly even if non alcoholic, to toast the good times and create ever lasting memories from the moment we pop the cork of the bottle to the fizzy taste sensation uplifting our spirits.

Whether it’s the excitement released upon the cork being popped to the sheer joy on people’s faces when spraying (don’t be wasting too much I hear you say), a bottle of Champagne holds an experience, a journey from purchasing to drinking – It is one of the more pleasurable items to be sticking in the shopping basket no? Who doesn’t enjoy browsing the wine aisle of the supermarket searching for bubbles!

 

So, why do we celebrate with Champagne?

As we stand part of a group of people holding up a glass of Champagne to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, we actually are one of millions doing likewise globally such as in the USA where 25% gets consumed between 25th December & 1st January! People associate Champagne with celebrations and this is because set in history this globally famed sparkling wine was once (prior 1800’s) the drink only for the elite folk setting it as an aspirational drink.

“Most consumers couldn’t afford to drink Champagne as a table wine, but they could afford it for special occasions. Champagne’s production skyrocketed from 300,000 to 20 million bottles per year between 1800 and 1850, as the world started ordering it more and more for ship christenings and new year celebrations… ” BusinessInsider.com

Though Champagne remains a relatively expensive wine it is far from the most expensive, its famous bubbles is what sets it apart from others. Its history, household name and added romantic character thanks to it originating from France, means there is always a global audience for it and one that is always happy to appreciate its tradition as the wine of celebrations.

The choice we have for Champagne is vast with thousands of producers and even more labels, accessibility today is at our fingertips thanks to internet orders and more or less every supermarket or convenience store is likely to be selling one of our favoured brands.

One final thought on Champagne and especially within the lifestyle of France, that maybe this wine isn’t always seen as that for celebrations: “In the Champagne region of France making the time for a glass of Champagne was just a normal part of the day” Keith Floyd quote from his autobiography (page 184) ‘Stirred But Not Shaken’