There are lots of great reasons to pull out all the stops when celebrating New Year, and National Champagne Day (31st Dec) is one of them! Let go of all your inhibitions for New Year Eve 2019 and enjoy National Champagne Day, fireworks, fun, and food to the full. As the corks pop and the bubbly flows, your festive close to 2019 will be memorable and ensure 2020 gets off to the best possible start.
About National Champagne Day (31st Dec)
Champagne is the “go to” drink for celebrations, so it’s unsurprising that National Champagne Day is scheduled on one of the biggest nights of the global calendar. Although there are loads of sparkling wines on the market, only France has the legal label for this sparkly bubbly from the Champagne regions. You may think the authentic French sparkling beverage is a tad expensive, and there are lots of famous labels and vintage bottles or cases on the market. But, we found loads of affordable French Champagne in supermarkets when we hunted around. What’s more, you might want to consider keeping a bottle or two of Moet or Dom Perignon aside until midnight, while opting for popular sparkling wines like Italian prosecco or Spanish cava throughout the build up to your magical New Year countdown.
- Legend has it that champagne was invented in the 17th century by the monk Dom Perignon, the cellar keeper at the Abbey of Hautvillers. At that time bubbles in wine were truly frowned on, and cellar masters needed to ensure all bottles were free of them. Dom Perignon failed! So, he decided to drink his ruined wines, rather than waste them. He was delighted and amazed by his failed wines, apparently shouting it was like “drinking the stars”. That’s how the French Champagne making tradition began in earnest
- This new bubbly wine did pose dangers to wine makers, though. It’s said that at least 20% of all bottles of Champagne exploded during the bottling and cellar storage stages, often injuring workers. This is the reason the drink was termed “le vin du diable” (the devil’s wine) by many workers!
- Opening or cork popping traditions have built up around Champagne over the centuries. We’ve probably all seen these traditions over the years; whether it’s a sporting hero celebrating success with a bottle of fizz after winning a Grand Prix or a bottle smashing on the hull of a newly-built ship. A party hosted by the French courtesan Mme de Pompadour in 1739 apparently got through more than 1,800 bottles! Hopefully your New Year’s Eve celebrations won’t be quite so decadent…..
Celebrate National Champagne Day in style for 2019
See in the New Year in style by celebrating National Champagne Day at some of our favourite haunts. We recommend Champagne with complementary oysters at The Black Swan or quaffing Champagne cocktails while viewing the spectacular Singapore skyline at City Space Bar in the Raffles City Tower. Alternatively, why not order in all your bubbly, alongside red, rose and white wines from The Straits Wine Company? Party like a lord on National Champagne Day 2019….. there’s no time like the present!