Champagne Grill

How much do you know about champagne? I am a lot the wiser, post-lunch date today with the experts from Pol Roger who showcased their fine champagnes over a three course long lunch at One Tree Grill…

How much do you know about champagne?

Like many, I knew that a) one could only call it champagne if it came from that region in France b) the bubbles seem to go to your head faster than wine does and c) Marilyn Monroe drank hers with potato crisps.

I am a lot the wiser, post-lunch date today with the experts from Pol Roger who showcased their fine champagnes over a three course long lunch at One Tree Grill.

For instance, I now know that previously a "Non-vintage" was aged for 15 months, but now to improve quality, consistency, and to position champagne as a preimum product, they have lengthened this. The Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV I tried today was aged 3 years.

I also learned that Sir Winston Churchill drank 500 cases of Pol Roger in the last ten years of his life.

And that the Pol Roger family safely hid all the belongings of their French town during the German occupation in a false-walled tunnel at the end of 7 kms of their champagne storage caves. He was allowed to be Mayor of the town for as long as he wished, after that.

First up: a trio of oysters arrives as we taste Pol Roger Brut reserve NV, Blanc de Blancs 1999, and Blanc de Blancs 2000.

Nice rack: Lamb rack and braised lamb shoulder with a pine nut crust. So good.

Seeing through a glass darkly.

I also learned that flowers are not usually present at a champagne tasting, as their fragrance confuses the nose. However we had the beautiful white flowers below, which served to complement the aromatics especially the floral characteristics in the Blanc de Blancs.

Gavin Hubble of Pol Roger speaking at the long lunch.

Luke Seeney of Pol Roger pours the tasting glasses.

Radio host Alison Leonard at the tasting.

…and it was a delight to look inside the goody bags and see not only a bottle of Pol Roger with a champagne bottle sealer – and a wine waiter’s apron to serve it with – but a delish wee cupcake baked with champagne!

Cheers to that.