Best Under Pressure

It is estimated that there are 100 million bubbles in the average bottle of French Champagne. That’s a lot of pressure built up, from the secondary fermentation that takes place in the bottle for which the time honoured Methode Champenoise is responsible. The muselet, a French term, is the wire and metal hood that holds the cork in place. Then there is the punt, the indentation in the bottom of the bottle. This creates more surface area in the glass, again giving extra strength to the bottle since the pressure inside can reach a ballistic 90 p.s.i. All this is calibrated carefully by the producer, in our case, the venerable house of Taittinger.  

A longtime favourite, and top selling Champagne brand in Ontario, Taittinger Brut Reserve is perfect for all those holiday celebrations. And, of course, finish with a big pop and usher out the old year while bridging the celebrations into the New Year. Champagne pairs with almost everything except red meat, so we will let you choose what to pair it with. Our favourite is Oysters Rockefeller. And then there’s an added incentive! It’s a $6 per bottle limited time price reduction through December 31.    

Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne LCBO # 365312, $ 69.80. (includes $6 off)