Recently I received literature from Champagne Bureau of Washington, D.C., regaling me on all the ins and outs of champagne. This organization is fighting to keep the name of Champagne protected; to keep sparkling wines that aren’t actually Champagne from using the name.

Location
According to Champagne Bureau, location is the difference between Champagne and any other wines. Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France, located 90 miles northeast of Paris, in an area that covers less that 80,000 acres. The characteristics of the Champagne region create a very specific terroir that cannot be recreated anywhere else on Earth; geographic location is matched with harsh climate, chalky subsoil, erratic sun and a limited harvest.

Map courtesy of the NY Times

Quality Control
Only three grapes have been allowed to grow in Champagne since 1927: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Standards have also been enforced for pruning, height, spacing and density of the vines, to ensure the ability to harvest by hand. Strict regulations are enforced all through Europe to cover all stages of Champagne’s production, from cultivation to bottling. Every single step of the process, from the way to grow each of the three grape varieties, to the positioning of the vines, to the method of winemaking and its aging process, to the demarcation of the vineyards, is strictly controlled by French law.

Next time you’re browsing the store shelves for a bottle of Champagne, keep an eye out for American versions that might be attempting to utilize the Champagne name, erroneously. If straight-up sparkling wine simply won’t do, make sure to pick up a bottle of bubbly from none other than the Champagne region itself.

To date, 13 of the world’s most renowned wine regions have signed a declaration to protect winemaking location names:

• Champagne
• Chianti Classico
• Jerez/Sherry
• Napa Valley
• Oregon
• Paso Robles
• Port
• Sonoma County
• Walla Walla
• Washington
• Tokaj
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Cheers!

TAGS [ CHAMPAGNE | ABOUT CHAMPAGNE | CHAMPAGNE REGULATIONS | CHAMPAGNE BUREAU ]

Beer-Baseball is a drinking game in which players shoot a beer pong ball across a table and try to land the ball into one of 4 cups of beer on the other end.

The game consists of two teams of even numbers, one team stationed on each side of a table, and 4 cups set up on each side. The cups are lined up in a straight line, representing the bases, with the last cup at the edge of the table.

When a ball lands in a cup, the defending team must drink all of the beer inside that cup and all the cups below it, i.e. if the third cup is hit, a triple, the third, second and first cup are drank as well.

The cups are filled according to their position on the table. The cup closest to the opposing team is ¼ full, the second cup is ½ full, the third cup is ¾ full and the last cup nearest the edge (by the home team) is completely full. You should also have an extra cup filled with water, so you can wash the balls between tosses. After drinking, the cup is refilled to its original level and placed back in line, on the table.

The game consists of nine innings in which each team gets to "bat." If a ball is thrown and does not land in a cup, this is an out; each team gets 3 outs per inning. The team with the greatest score after nine innings is considered the winner. The game can also be played using "little league" rules in which the game is over after 6 innings.

TAGS [ BEER PONG BASEBALL | BEER BASEBALL | BEER GAMES | DRINKING GAMES ]