Moet and Chandon Is the Perfect Oscar Party Champagne

Ah Hollywood - the glamour and the glitter. With Oscar night just a few days away, it's the perfect time to celebrate the style and elegance that is the stock and trade of the world's beloved Tinsel Town. And nothing says class like a glass of champagne - but not just any bubbly, please.

You see, it must be just the very best in order to match the fabulous designer gowns and legendary jewels that are the hallmarks of the red carpet. For over one hundred years, there has been one champagne that stars and producers have used to celebrate their successes and equally to drown their failures - Moet & Chandon, the favorite champagne of Hollywood (and the world).

But the fame of Moet & Chandon Champagne did not begin merely because it was favored by the movie moguls of California. The history of this great sparkling wine began centuries before in the court of the French kings who understood the power of luxury long before there was a Hollywood.   

In 1750 the initial firm of Moet et Cie was called upon to supply champagne to Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. As an arbiter of fashion and style, whatever firm Pompadour favored soon became the darling supplier of the nobility.  

Because the French court defined the elegance that all Europe sought, soon Moet et Cie were expanding their vineyards and their offices throughout Europe to serve the other international noble families. But change was in the air and few of those nobles noticed that the hot winds of revolution was blowing outside the windows of their candle lit dining rooms.

For quite some time many major economic problems had been ignored by France's rulers. High taxes, scoring food prices, unequal laws and costly foreign wars brought the final collapse of the centuries old reign. After a bloody period of adjustment, a new government, led by the young General Napoleon, restablished order and once again it was time to celebrate and enjoy champagne.

Napoleon himself was invited to Epernay, the chateau home of Moet et Cie, to enjoy with his staff the best sparkling wines available. He loved them all and, as during the rule of the former French Kings, soon the rich and famous of Europe (and America) were eager to drink whatever Napoleon was drinking. Ah fame!

It should come as no surprise that Napoleon's expanding influence and power soon led him to view himself as a great imperial monarch, not merely as the people's general serving the cause of freedom. Not long afterward he crowned himself emperor.

Well as they say, pride comes before the fall and soon he too was swept from power at the bloody Battle of Waterloo. The heads of the European states now needed to meet and reorder the confused map of broken nations leftover after Napoleon's many military campaigns. Vienna was chosen as the conference site and, of course, there had to be champagne, lots of champagne to drink.

With peace restored, soon everyone from the Russian Tsar Alexander II to Queen Victoria were enjoying Moet & Chandon again, now renamed to include the name of a new son-in-law, Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles, who had joined the firm.

Now the leading producer and exporter of French champagne, the employment practices implemented this great champagne house were far ahead of the times. Over 2,000 employees enjoyed free medical attention, housing assistance, retirement pensions, maternity benefits, paid sick leave and free legal aid when needed.  And this was all in 1872 at the height of the often indifferent industrial revolution then sweeping the world!

As you might imagine, Moet & Chandon's employees were very loyal so much so that by 1880 the firm was producing 2.5 million bottles of champagne, largely enjoyed by the upper classes. Yet soon all that would be shattered by the blast of endless cannon fire as World War I erupted not far from Moet & Chandon's priceless vineyards.

After the destruction of World War I, the manor at Moet & Chandon was rebuilt and a new champagne blend introduced: Dom Perignon. Named after the humble Benedictine monk who worked for decades at his monastery exploring the properties of the region's unique bubbling wine, it was soon the darling of the fast and wild flapper generation of the 1920's, who danced and drank to forget the horrors of the past war and rushed into all that was modern.

Once again the fortunes of Moet & Chandon soared but meanwhile a dark shadow of hate was slowly spreading out from Germany in the form of Nazi power and deceit. Once more war devoured Europe and the German soldiers who occupied France demanded bottles of the now world famous wine to celebrate their 'victory'.

Enraged restaurateurs in Paris and in France's other leading cities chose instead to hide their legendary champagne behind false plaster walls.  With smiles on their faces, the wine stewards poured the poorest champagne they dared as a substitute and then attached a Moet & Chandon price tag! It was a small victory, but one that kept hope alive.

After four long years of occupation, France was finally freed by the Joint Allied Forces. Joyous chefs and sommeliers broke down the protective walls and reclaimed their treasured bottles of Moet & Chandon as they celebrated a return of freedom and choice.   

With peace in 1950 Count Robert-Jean de Vogue became the director of Moet & Chandon and made the decision to transform the long family-owned business into a modern corporation or "Societe Anonyme" to use the French term. The resulting reorganization prompted the greatest expansion of sales the company had ever experienced.

The resulting funds soon enabled the firm to purchase their first out-of-winery investment: Parfums Christian Dior. Then in 1971 the firm merged with the legendary cognac firm Jas Hennessy. Two years later in 1973 they opened the esteemed Domaine Chandon winery in California.

One final merger with Louis Vuitton gave birth to the largest luxury marketing group in the world, one whose influence you will see up and down the red carpet during Oscar Week. One can only hope that with such a tale of courage, war, kings, queens, mistresses and monarchs, Hollywood will one day make a movie about this legendary wine and, of course, serve Moet & Chandon at the Oscar celebration!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011     

What Egypt’s Revolution Can Teach Us About the Meaning of Cuisine

The Future of Terroir, and Terroir of the Future

An Essay by Peter Schlagel 

First, let us praise the power of an impassioned people.  Their common yearning for a better life, an authentic meaningful living shared openly with family and friends that fills their hearts and minds and souls with pride and joy, their iron refusal to suffer further abuse or intimidation, their rising up together to transcend fear and hold their ground – these dramatic courageous recent events in Egypt and Tunisia have inspired people all around the world and forever changed these ancient lands. 

Such is the transforming power of a new vision of a life of freedom in each familiar long-suffering locality, the universal human need to be free to work and create and love and live with family, neighbors, colleagues and countryman, one unique neighborhood, city and country at a time.

Such, also, is the transformed “good ground” and terra firma of a new vision of terroir whose roots reach deep into the rich ground of a living community’s unique heart and soul and local cultural legacy extending beyond place and time and environment.

This new philosophy of hospitality and cuisine, this new vision of “La Vie de Terroir”, has a long and noble ancestry.  We owe a great debt of gratitude to the French who first introduced and popularized the term “terroir” as an ingenious marketing innovation to sell French wines by highlighting its origins from unique local vineyards and chateaus.

Others (notably Spain and Portugal) had developed systems of classification based on local origins, but it was the French advocacy of terroir that proved most successful.  It became so popular that their system of "Appellation d' Origine Controlee" (A.O.C.) came to dominate the making of the finest French wines, Champagne and Cognac.

The actual mix of grape varietals was secondary to the wine’s region of origin.  As fine winemaking took root in new regions around the world (such as North and South America, Australia and South Africa), the particular qualities of new wines in new soils gave birth to entirely new styles of wines expressing the local character of their new cultural and physical terroir.

Along with advances in knowledge about successful practices of growing various wine grapes and scientifically informed techniques of winemaking, the concept of terroir expanded to include all the local variations of time and place, of season and soil. But it is only recently that a new vision of a more complex terroir has begun to take wing, an integrated multi-dimensional terroir whose center of gravity is creative culture rather than physical environment.

From this expanded point of view, it is the rich interplay of local cultural values and master artisan traditions with the particular qualities of local soil, season and sensibilities that gives rise to the highest quality of unique local products grounded in historical cultural conceptions of meaning, excellence and depth.

Thus, while we can speak of the highest standards of French haute cuisine and the best pairings of various superior quality wine styles for each traditional course, we can also envision new styles of quality wines and beverages steeped in other great cultural heritages with profoundly different cuisines and standards of value and excellence.

For example, China (“Our Land”) has one of the world’s oldest and most diverse cultural histories reaching back many thousands of years and encompassing a vast and diverse array of different local peoples, languages, traditions and environments.

Yet the central cultural tradition of a shared community-style meal with all dishes served together on a large communal table does not lend itself easily to the foreign European tradition of sequential courses.  This kind of cultural difference can give rise to new creative additions to an already rich tradition of diverse cuisines, a new terroir of the future.

India, similarly, also has one of the world’s longest and richest cultural traditions including thousands of local variations.  The innovative marriage of modern technical knowledge with local cultural legacies and wisdom gleaned from thousands of years of practical experience can be blended and transformed by the creative choices of great chefs to yield new exciting samples of the art of cuisine as shared gifts from surprising new terroir.

This view of terroir honors its esteemed heritage while extending its depth and range to include new creative meaning grounded in the amazing wide diversity of local practice, culture and standards of value that give shared significance to our common human experience. 

Just as the cultural revolution born from the acts of brave Egyptian people has forever changed the familiar ancient lands around the Nile, so can the creative choices of food artisans, from growers to chefs to those sharing fine meals, forever change the honored traditions of our shared cuisine experiences through the new terroir of the future. 

We are grateful to the 80 million people of Egypt for reminding us that the daily art of cuisine and hospitality we all share and enjoy is made possible by a connected cultural terroir grounded in freedom, respect and civility. We thank you for your courage, your example, and for this great gift of a hard lesson relearned and freely given to our common culinary world.

Your Culinary World copyright Peter Schlagel/Ana Kinkaid 2011

Downton Abbey Reflects Our Own Changing Times

Culinary fans of historic tales have been fascinated by BBC’s new series entitled Downton Abbey.  Set in 1912 just two years before the European start of World War I, King George V in on the throne and the tides of social change are lapping at the shores of England. With the clouds of war gathering on the Continent, more then just a new century has begun. And everyone will be effected whether they like it or not.

The fictitious Crawley Family owns (at least for awhile) the ancestral Downton Abbey nestled in the beautiful rolling green English countryside. But try as they might to avoid them, the waves of change are steadily breaking on the steps of their once peaceful country home.  New and strange inventions such as electric lights, motorcars and ringing telephones are all making their jarring presence felt in the grand house.

But the changes that move Julian Fellowes’ outstanding script forward aren’t just about wires and wheels.  Society itself is changing much to the displeasure of the elder Dowager Countess of Grantham, brilliantly played by Maggie Smith.      

No one seems to know their place. A lowly housemaid wants to be a modern secretary while one of the pampered Crawley daughters longs to be a feminist, attend suffrage rallies and wear Poiret’s new harem pants to dinner.  Shocking, simply shocking! How will one get a husband (and provider) with such unladylike behavior!

From the county flower show to a love affair with a foreigner, nothing is as it was when good Queen Victoria sat firmly on a more moral throne.  As a result, the thoughtful Lord Grantham struggles with the fading value of traditions while Mathew Crawley, a distant younger cousin set to inherit the entire estate, struggles with an undiscovered sense of self and purpose. 

In short, Downton Abbey is the story of a society on the edge of all that’s modern.  But this isn’t the first series presented by BBC that explores this still contemporary issue of racing rapid change.

In 1977 the equally amazing story of Rose Lewis was presented by BBC in The Duchess of Duke Street series.  This story is about a real life individual who rode the same rising waves of change that are now being portrayed in the popular Downton Abbey programs.

Known to her contemporaries as the “Queen of Cooks” she trained under the great "King of Chefs" Auguste Escoffier and went on to own and direct the legendary Cavendish Hotel in London.  Independent and with a sense of humor that broke through Edwardian class barriers, she cooked for Kings and Emperors, all the while keeping their secrets and winning their respect. 

She loved and deeply understood people.  She believed that life should always be a feast no matter the circumstance.  When a heavy bomb fell on the Cavendish Hotel during World War II, an aged Rose emerged from the ruins to the amazement of everyone, dusted the broken glass from her hair, and shook her fist at the departed Nazi bombers.  Then she served champagne to all those crowded into the now rubble filled street! Now that's style! 

If you are enjoying Downton Abbey, be sure to check out The Duchess of Duke Street programs.  You’ll adore Rose’s fighting spirit, fine cooking and courage as she and the cast of real characters around her learned how to be modern in a faster world while still maintaining their love of life. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011 

Tim Walker Adds Magic to Scarlett Johansson’s New Ads for Moet & Chandon Champagne

Sometimes there is in advertising a perfect match of talent and image.  One such creation was grouping the beautiful Marilyn Monroe with Chanel's No. 5 perfume.

Another such match has been created by Moet and Chandon when they asked Britain’s leading fashion photographer Tim Walker to shoot Scarlett Johansson on location at their stunning 19^th century French estate in Epernay. Designed for both print and film, every image is a glimpse into the elegant yet playful soul of champagne. 

And who better to catch that unique combination than the gifted photographer Tim Walker.  As a child he delighted in the worlds of C.S. Lewis and T.H. White. After working with such artistic legends as Richard Avedon, he shot his first Vogue fashion photos by the time he was just 25 years old.  

His now legendary photographs always seem to capture a suspended moment in time, each with an epic sense of beauty wrapped in both the past and the present.

His elaborate sets and historical locations delicately balance with his choice of items from the everyday. Stunning image after stunning image merge both the fascinating with the uniquely fashionable.

So many thanks to Moet & Chandon for such a blend of skill and creativity – how like their own champagne. With such a flair for originality, it’s no wonder that Moet & Chandon is the official champagne of the 83rd Oscars. One can only hope they invite Tim Walker to attend and ask him to bring his camera all the way to the Red Carpet!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

From the Bottom of the Sea: Veuve Clicquot Champagne 185 Years Old and Still Amazing

Usually when treasure is brought up from the bottom of the sea, one expects to see gold coins and maybe an anchor or two.

This past summer, however, an amazing cache of 168 champagne bottles were discovered beneath the cold waters of the Baltic Sea, south of Aland, a Finnish controlled collection of over 6,000 small islands.

The first sign that some of champagne had survived the ancient shipwreck occured when one of the champagne bottles was brought to the surface.  The difference in pressure above water caused one of the champagne corks to pop.

The startled diver holding the bottle quickly took a drink from the overflowing champagne, expectating a bitter or at best salty sea taste.  To his amazement, it was sweet and fresh.

The next question was which legendary champagne house could claim these, the world’s oldest drinkable champagnes, as their own.  The crew hurriedly resealed the bottle as best they could and called on the services of Finnish sommelier Ella Grussner Cromwell-Morgan to evaluate the remaining champagne. 

It was then discovered, while examining the logos on the recovered corks, that the bottles held two varieties of classic French champagne: Veuve Clicquot and Juglar, an older house, now part of Jacquesson.

Also tasted by the few lucky journalists present, both champagnes were pronounced as rather sweet, just like the most popular style of champagne two centuries ago.

And though much of the fizz traditionally associated with champagne was gone, everyone declared the the wines were still delightful.

The government of Aland, which claims the salvage rights over the wreak, now plans to auction one bottle of each Champagne in the coming months and possible sell others in the future, according to Brit Lundberg, Deputy Minister of Education and Culture.

Five bottles will be retained while others may be used in a future champagne blend that can only de described as liquid history.

If you plan to attend the auction, bring a major back account as the estimated price per rare bottle is projected to be $135,000!  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010