How To Order Champagne

Don't be intimidated, it's easy to order champagne in a restaurant or online. It's actually a bit easier than ordering wine if you can remember a few simple things.

First off, you'll probably want to experiment with some champagnes first to find out what kind you prefer. This, of course is a matter of personal taste. Luckily you can order it in quarter bottles which is about 1 glass so you won't have to go broke or get drunk trying to pick your favorite!

Champagne Brands

The first step in learning to order champagne is to determine which brand or Marque you want. The best champagne is made in France and there are only a few Names that you will want to be familiar with in order to drink the cream of the crop. Those include Joseph Perrier, Bollinger, Krug, Moet En Chandon, G. H. Mumm, Ruinart and Taittinger.

Dryness

Another important choice when you order champagne is the dryness. Again, you will want to experiment to find what suits your particular taste. In the making of champagne, sugar must be added to the mix in order to help make the alcohol – the more sugar added, the sweeter the champagne and the less sugar, the dryer. Some of the terminology for dryness may be familiar to you but perhaps you didn't associate it with the level of dryness. Anything with Brut on the label will be very dry, this includes Extra Brut, Brut Sauvage and Brut Zero. The next step up in dryness is Extra Dry and Extra Sec. Next on the scale comes Sec, with Demi Sec being a bit sweeter then Sec. Finally Doux is the sweetest.

Vintage

Does vintage scare you when ordering wine? Well, when you order champagne it is much less confusing. Champagne, like wine, is made from grapes and there's good years and bad years associated with the harvest of grapes. But here the similarity to wine ends - champagne is stored for up to 5 years after it is made - once released it is only good for 2 years. Unless you had a really bad year for grapes in there, the year of productions doesn't make that much difference. So when it comes to champagne, vintage isn’t a big deal.

Size

When you order champagne, you want to order just enough to fill everyones glass but not too much so that there is any left over. Luckily, champagne comes in many sizes so you can get the perfect size for an intimate dinner or a large party. Here's some tips on what size to order: