THE HISTORY OF BLANCPAIN

BY JEFFREY S. KINGSTON
34
THE BLANCPAIN
WINE LETTER
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What if you have been an avid consumer? Loyal, dedicated,
a repeater to the degree that if frequent flyer
points were awarded you would have diamond or platinum
status hands down. A start of every significant restaurant
meal with a purchase. Every meaningful holiday with a purchase.
Every memorable event in life marked by a purchase.
Not a single celebration absent of a purchase.
That’s more than fidelity. Religious crusaders seldom rise to
this level of unswerving fervour.
But for many people that’s the place that champagne has
achieved. It is the unquestioned accompaniment for grand
meals, holidays, celebrations, weddings. And somewhat incongruously,
even the baptismal liquid for locker room dousing
by athletes who are likely to have not even a glimmer of
comprehension of just what champagne is, other than its fittingness
to pour over the heads of their teammates.
Now a bit of freezing rain on this made in heaven partnership
between the producers of champagne and their never
doubting customers. It is almost certainly the case that this
consuming ardour is accompanied without the slightest notion
of exactly what it is that is being purchased. Before sprinting