42,000 bottles in his

42,000 bottles in his lifetime. He liked to be served champagne at 11am precisely – Pol Roger was his favourite. He wasn’t the only famous person to enjoy champagne. Napoleon Bonaparte declared ‘“I cannot live without Champagne. If I win, I deserve it; If I lose, I need it” and F Scott Fitzgerald claimed “Too much of anything is bad. Except Champagne – too much is just right.” In fact, the reason it’s so popular probably originates from the tradition or royals and aristocrats drinking it to mark celebrations in the 18th century when the expensive drink (even then, though largely this was due to its habit of the bottes blowing up) made it a status symbol, plus it was thought to have ‘positive effects on a woman’s beauty and a man’s wit, and who are we to disagree?! Oh, and one more reason to enjoy the bubbles – according to some scientists, a couple of glasses of Champagne is thought to help counteract the process of memory loss as you age. I’ll raise a glass to that! If you want to find out more about Champagne, read more here where Laurent explains: how Champagne is made – and how to serve it Find out more and join the club at: somMailier.com and get a special introductory offer of 10% on any product including Champagne – just use the code TGLF2022 on the check out page… CHAMPAGNE – how it got its pizzaz! Wine expert Laurent Yung of SomMailier. com, the French Wine Club in the USA, shares some sparkling fizzy facts about the world’s favourite celebratory drink! Champagne is irrevocably associated with glamour, luxury and festive occasions. Is it the bubbles? There’s an estimated 49 million of them in each bottle. Or perhaps it’s the pop of the cork, shot out due to the staggering 90 pounds per square inch of pressure in a single bottle (a car tyre has about 30 pounds per square inch!). There are people who obsess about the ‘recorded flight of a cork’ and the record is a whopping 177 feet (54 metres). And corks are fast – flying out at a speed of up to around 30 mph (much more if you shake the bottle)! For me it’s the taste and the feeling you get when you sip a glass of Champagne. Some 300 million bottles are produced each year in Champagne and left to mature for at least 15 months, and to ferment twice (that’s what gives it the bubbles) in hundreds of miles of underground cellars. It’s exported to around 190 countries and after the French, Americans are the biggest consumers of Champagne, followed by the British with Winston Churchill setting an example by drinking an estimated The ONLY Authentic French Wine Club in the U.S. somMailier.com The Perfect Gift: Exclusive Boutique French wines! 108 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 109