Fridays are special. There’s a reason why people call “Friday Funday.” Because it simply is. Anticipation of a weekend extends before you. Lightness and happiness enter.
As a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) Fridays are also a huge exhale. Ahhhh….almost there.
One more school run. One more snack to pack. Only a few more kid problems to resolve calmly (the hardest part because most of the time I just want to screech “cut it out!” and sometimes do).
Even better than regular Fridays are Champagne Fridays. Who can resist the happiness offered by a glass of bubbly? Why it’s simply effervescent! Gather a few girlfriends, kids/babies and all the gear. Open a bottle (or two), congratulate yourself…. another week done and now ending on a joyful note.
When S was about six months old and I was living in Geneva a friend introduced me to Champagne Fridays. She graciously hosted several mommies once a month or every other month and we all brought a contribution. We would gather, put the babes and toddlers down, sip a glass, relax, and really let our guard down. Somehow we were able to really connect on those days. It was as if we were all in this together and despite the chaos ensuing there was happiness and bubbly.
The Champagne Fridays of Geneva were such a source of happy memories that when we moved to Miami, again into a pedestrian area, a friend and I hosted the first one. Before I knew it moms started taking turns hosting. Everyone had a really good time, even the kids. It was not about getting drunk but about having a glass or two over the course of many hours and lingering together.
As moms (SAHM or working), I feel like we are always checking off to-do lists. Rushing this way and that. Planning school, then park, then play date, then grocery store, bank, cook, feed kids, bathe kids, read to kids, and at last put the kids to bed. Champagne Fridays slow the pace down; you relax and actually sit and talk maybe about things other than the latest parenting book or potty training technique. I always felt as if I reclaimed part of me before I was mom and brought the two parts of my life, before and after becoming a mother, into balance. New to Hoboken, I hope to again start the Champagne Friday tradition.
Champagne Fridays are really suited for those living in pedestrian communities, not a play date for those with a driving lifestyle. With that in place, all you need is a bottle of something bubbly. While champagne is grand, this just needs to be fun and anything bubbly will kick off the weekend spirit. It could be a bottle of Cava, Spanish bubbly from Catalunya that is relatively inexpensive at about $10-15 a bottle. It could be American sparkling wine, typically costing around $12-35. It could be Italian Prosecco, usually around $12-17. Some are fully sparkling (spumante) and others are just lightly sparkling (frizzante). Or, if you have a nice budget, it could be the real French Champagne itself, which will run you typically around $45 plus per bottle. All that really matters is the mood this “King of Wines” infuses into the atmosphere.
Here are my favorites:
Champagne – Pol Roger Brut (approx $47)
American Sparkling – Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc (approx $36)
Prosecco – Tesoro della Regina (approx $17) … the name says it all “treasure of the queen”
Cava – Anna de Codoriu Brut (approx $14)
Rosé Sparkling – Jansz Brut Rosé NV (approx $24)
Psst…how to decode some symbols on the bottle. Most champagne is blended from various years to maintain a consistent brand. Not all harvest years are great years. Most champagne is Non-Vintage (NV) and will be less expensive. Some years are amazing and for those the champagne and sparkling wine producers take a portion of the year’s production to make a cuvée (house specialty) and have a Vintage wine for that year. These are pricey. Then, there’s Multi-Vintage (MV), which is rarer to see, but means that they have blended a few particular outstanding years.
Also, ever wondered why you like say champagne more than prosecco or vice versa? It’s because they are produced differently. While both bubbling over with C02, the champagne, crémants (champagne style sparkling wines produced in France, but not in the Champagne AOC region), cavas, and many of the New World sparkling wines from the US, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are produced using a bottle fermentation method wherein the sparkling wine has more contact with lees (dead yeast) and results in a more biscuity flavor. Sparkling wines like prosecco are made using the tank method of fermentation which gives the wine much less contact with the dead yeast cells. Not only is the tank method cheaper to produce, it is also frequently used because it preserves the aromatics of some grapes. Prosecco is made with the glera grape, which literally smells of peaches and cream and producers want to preserve those delicate aromas. Champagne is made with a blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay grapes. They have different aromatic profiles and lend themselves nicely to lees contact. The Wine Jargon Toolkit has some helpful definitions.
Now you’re having fun, drinking well, and sounding smart. Santé!
Photo “Group of friends toasting with champagne in Christmas” from Gelpi is available on Fotolia under a Royalty Free license.
