The End of the Adventure 

~ Meg

Week 52 in the Year of Drinking Adventurously. Cremant d’Alsace.

This weekend we say goodbye to 2016. Truly I say, good riddance. So much loss, so much upheaval, so much uncertainty. We enter 2017, carrying so much of that with us. And yet, the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one always brings with it hope for something better in the coming days, weeks, months. With hope we go forward, even it is all we have left in our arsenal.

On to the last week of this series: The Year of Drinking Adventurously. I am sorry to say my final adventure was, alas, a fail. Nevertheless, I will try to end on a high (and relevant) note. I was to visit the region of Alsace, France –that most desirable  territory historically disputed over, first with the Kingdom of Prussia, then with the German Empire. Alsace produces some fine wines, among them, the ‘cremant’ varieties. Cremant is a generic term for sparkling wines not from the Champagne region –that term is exclusive, or at least it’s supposed to be. The robust carbonation of these sparkling wines is said to give them a certain creaminess. Cream, creme… get it?

img_1463I was unable to find cremant d’Alsace in my local liquor stores. By now, you are not surprised, I know. So my substitute for this week is a nice (real) champagne… Moët And Chandon Nectar Imperial.

“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.”
― Bette Davis img_1465

And why is that? It’s a symbol of luxury and of celebration. Drinking champagne feels special. 

Champagne may be served in a flute or a coupe. The champagne flute is a stem glass with a tall, narrow bowl, generally holding about 6 to 10 fluid ounces. The coupe, on the other hand is a shallow, broad-bowled, saucer shaped stemmed glass generally capable of containing 4 to 8 fluid ounces. Legend has it, the shape of this glass was modeled on the breast of Marie Antoinette. My art expert friend Cake tells me, there is a champagne glass modeled on the breast of Lee Miller, photographer and Man Ray collaborator. 

    Whichever way you choose to drink your champagne, sparkling wine or cremant d’Alsace or even a non-alcoholic sparkling cider, drink it with optimism. Hope was the only thing left in Pandora’s box. Do hang onto to it with one hand on the stem of your glass and the other reaching for the hand of another. 

    Thanks to Lula Harp for inviting me o.n this adventure!

    Published by Meg

    Easily amused, never bored and constantly distracted. My creative pursuits include writing, drawing, painting and photography.

    42 thoughts on “The End of the Adventure ”

    3. Pingback: The End of the Adventure  — Meg Sorick Writes | Wanda D. Jefferson

        1. Yes, lets! I’m not a huge Beatles fan, but Lennon wrote some amazing words. I love the lyrics to Imagine. I decorated my oldest daughter’s room in Imagine things and bought her a globe that plays that tune. She still has it.

          Liked by 1 person

    6. The unsinkable Meg Sorick: cremant and gran cremant, eh? We toasted our fiftieth with Freixenet and then with Codorniu. I have always liked the Spanish ‘cremants’ … got to them very young and never looked back. As for one hand on the stem and the other … reaching out for … another … I’m afraid my shampers / bubbly / buck’s ‘county’ fizz (hey, you’ll like that one), just doesn’t last very long!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    11. Lovely end to the series. I’m not a huge champagne drinker, it always bothers my stomach )the bubbles) so I drink very little, but every once in a while I’ve been at a rare event where they served some good kind of pink champagne and I like that a bit better. Good tips on how to drink and hold the glass. Have a great New Years!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    What's on your mind?

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.