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3 Easy steps to picking the right bottle of champagne for you

steps to choosing the right champagne

Christmas and New Years are right around the corner meaning one very exciting thing — it’s solidly champagne season. We associate the pop of the cork and those sparkling flutes with fun and celebration. But while you may want to down a glass, or two… or three, over the holidays, sometimes all of those choices at the store can be confusing. If you’ve ever hit the wine store and didn’t know what to buy, or feel like an amateur this time of year in the alcohol department, read on for a beginners guide to shopping for champagne. Remember, whichever you choose, make sure it’s in a dark bottle to help keep light away and preserve the intended flavors of the drink inside, but relax. It’s champagne! And no one should ever take a drink this fun and fizzy too seriously. Also see, Tips to prevent a champagne hangover. Step 1:…

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This is what makes Prosecco and Champagne different

This is what makes Prosecco and Champagne different_1

As you stroll down the aisle at your local liquor store, you would be forgiven if you thought there wasn’t much of a difference between all of the pale gold bottles of bubbly. They all look so similar! But Champagne, Prosecco and simple sparkling wine are three totally different drinks whose names distinguish them from one another. If you’re just looking to pick up something for your holiday party, any of these festive bottles will suffice. But, if you want to look smart, you should know the difference — plus it’s really simple to remember. Here’s how to pick the best bottle for New Year’s Eve. Also see: Tips to prevent that horrible Champagne hangover. Sparkling wine Sparkling wine refers to pretty much any type of wine with bubbles. Champagne, Prosecco, Cava — they’re all sparkling wines. They just happen to be the three most common types. The term “sparking…

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Hail storms wipe out eight million bottles worth of Champagne grapes

Hail storms wipe out eight million bottles worth of Champagne grapesImage credit: AFP

Today the Champagne industry has nothing to toast. Strong hail storms hit the famous wine growing region of France and wiped out the equivalent of eight million bottles of bubbly. The strong hailstorm damaged 4,450 acres of Champagne vineyards — completely destroying about 1,000 of those. This isn’t the first storm to wreck havoc on this year’s harvest. The northeastern Champagne region was hit hard four times between late April and May, which is unfortunately the exact time that the delicate vines begin to flower. The fourth storm, which hit May 27, caused the most harm. “Of course storm and hail are not unusual phenomena in Champagne, but what is rare is to see them at this very early stage and with this level of violence,” the industry’s Champagne Committee said. Thanks to the region’s reserves, the hail damage is not expected to result in a shortage for customers this…

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Seasonal

19 Fun facts about champagne

19 Fun facts about champagne-3

Champagne is synonymous with celebration, and nothing says New Year’s quite like popping a bottle of bubbly. Throughout the year it might be seen as slightly snobbish, but on December 31 Champagne becomes holiday revelers’ drink of choice in countries all over the world. It seems that simply letting those bubbles fly sets the tone for a festive celebration, but what do you actually know about this fizzy favorite? Here are 19 fun facts about Champagne you likely never knew. 1. There are about 49 million bubbles in a 7500ml bottle of Champagne. 2. A standard-sized glass emits 30 bubbles every second. 3. France has the largest Champagne market (of course). The French consume 162.5 million bottles every year, or about 52 percent of the entire world production of Champagne. 4. Champagne has 3 times more carbonation than beer. 5. The pressure in a Champagne bottle is about 3 times the amount of pressure…

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Tips to help prevent that horrible champagne hangover

Tips to help prevent that horrible hangover

If you’ve ever thought that a glass of champagne hits you faster than, say, beer, you’re not imagining it. It turns out there’s a reason why a single toast at your friend’s wedding can leave your head spinning. Boris Tabakoff at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told NPR, “Some of the dizziness you can feel after champagne is due to both the brain getting [a little] less oxygen and also the [effects] of the alcohol at the same time.” Blame it on the bubbles. All of those bubbles in sparkling wine and champagne are nothing more than carbon dioxide. C02 competes with oxygen in our bloodstream, explains Tabakoff, a researcher on the effects alcohol has on the body. The science behind it is pretty simple. Carbon dioxide increases the pressure in your stomach, which in turn, forces the alcohol out through the lining of your stomach where it’s absorbed right into your bloodstream — faster…

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Why you shouldn’t drink champagne out of plastic cups

Why you shouldn't drink champagne out of plastic cups

‘Tis the season for toasting with bubbly. Glasses of champagne get passed around this month so often that it can be tempting to use casual plastic cups when hosting less formal affairs. But in doing so you’re not only being less environmentally friendly, but you’re not getting the champagne’s full, glorious flavor. A new study on the popular holiday drink proves that its taste is, in fact, affected by the drinking vessel it’s served in. If you’re thinking that bottle of prosecco you cracked open before the office Christmas party didn’t taste as good out of the water cooler cup as it does at home out of your fancy champagne flutes, you would be correct. Plastic vessels such as Solo cups, water bottles, Tervis glasses, styrofoam or any other type of plasticware you may have on hand, will make the bubbles behave differently. The reason is that the bubbles stick to…

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Here’s why the first glass of champagne will get you drunker

Here's why the first glass of champagne will get you drunkerPexels

A leading professor of medicine has published a book that dives into the fascinating science behind our vices, from caffeine to chocolate to alcohol. In his book, The Longevity List, Merlin Thomas puts wives-tales to the test to determine fact vs. fiction. He explains that that the first glass of champagne poured out of any bottle will get the person who drinks it more drunk than those who receive the second, third and fourth (and so on) glasses poured from the same bottle, Mail Online reported. Thomas concluded that the fizz is the culprit for the phenomenon because it speeds up the absorption of alcohol into our bloodstream. While other drinks have fizz, champagne or sparkling wine is the most bubbly alcoholic drink of them all. With the pop of the cork, the carbon dioxide held in the champagne starts to escape partly through those tiny gas bubbles you see rising to the surface, but…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

15 Festive fall cocktails to make with apple cider

15 Festive fall drinks to make with apple ciderPexels

Apple cider is everywhere this time of year, so why not pick up some extra and enjoy it in a cocktail? Apples easily pair well with just about any alcohol, so whatever your vice, there’s probably a festive fall version. Here are 15 fall apple cider cocktails you’ll have to try this season. Apple Cider Moscow Mule Here’s an adult way to enjoy that apple cider. Just add citron vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and a touch of cinnamon. Bonus points for having the trendy cups, but any container will do. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493847915372994041/ Apple Cider Sangria This is the perfect “make-ahead” drink when you have a bunch of friends coming over and want to share — or maybe not. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417920040400628178/ Apple Cider Mimosas This “recipe” is as simple as it gets. Champagne and apple cider — but why mess with a good thing? https://www.pinterest.com/pin/176273772894955021/ Spiked Apple Cider Apple cider with an adult twist. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/56787645279754913/ Apple Cider Whiskey Cocktail…

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Moët now sells 6-pack mini champagne bottles

Moet now sells 6-pack mini champagne bottles by Everybody CravesMoët

Sip, sip, hooray! Because there aren’t nearly enough ways to spend money on booze this summer, Moët & Chandon just released a six-pack of mini champagne bottles — and they’re available nationwide! “This new take on the classic six-pack is the perfect way to elevate any celebration, allowing guests to enjoy their own personal bottle of Champagne,” Moët said, according to Cosmopolitan. Imagine, six-pack champagne for beach bubbly, backyard barbecues, or day trips on the boat. The Mini Share Pack comes with six 187-milliliter bottles of Moët’s classic Imperial Brut, which means you get about a standard champagne flute and a half per bottle. But the cuteness comes at a cost. Each six-pack will set you back $100. At that price though, don’t think you have to swig straight from the bottle. Each drink comes with a fancy golden flute topper, too, so you can sip in style. So go ahead. Plan a fancy outing and splurge…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

16 Mimosas for Mother’s Day

16 Mimosa for Mothers Day by Everybody CravesThinkstock

Because without booze, it’s just breakfast. Give Mom what she really wants this Mother’s Day. Show that you love her — more than your siblings, obviously — and go beyond the basic OJ with one of these 16 simple recipes. STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE MIMOSAS CRANBERRY ORANGE MIMOSA BELLINI STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MIMOSA Creamsicle Mimosas TEQUILA SUNRISE MIMOSA Pomegranate Kombucha Mimosa Grapefruit Mimosa ORANGE SHERBET MIMOSA PUNCH Unicorn Mimosas APPLE CIDER MIMOSAS Mimosa Floats Lemon Mint Pineapple Mimosa Strawberry Cream Mimosa BLUEBERRY LIME MIMOSAS MIMOSA SANGRIA Blackberry Mint Mimosa

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