LuxeGetaways is very fond of Champagne. In fact, it is our favorite bubbly. Celebrations are never complete without a toast to the happy couple; raising a glass to the job promotion; or spending time creating memories and sharing the good life with family and friends. With the holidays upon us, we thought about doing a Champagne pairing dinner with the help of our friends at Moët & Chandon. So let’s open a chilled bottle and begin the festivities.

Warmly welcome your guests as they arrive with a special celebratory cocktail made with this crisp, dry Champagne Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut that is combined with hints of seasonal flavors. This is the perfect party-starter paired with passed small bites like tiny Endive filled with Dungeness Crab Mouse, or a Thai Shrimp Crostini with lemon grass foam and pickled vegetables.

Moët Honey & Spice

• 3 oz Moët Imperial Brut
• 0.5 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water)
• 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Cognac Hennessy VS
• 1 quarter size fresh ginger

Directions: In a shaker muddle the ginger with the honey syrup and lemon juice, then add the cognac, ice and shake. Double strain into a rocks glass with a big ice cube. Add the Moët Brut Imperial and garnish with a candied ginger in a pick.

When it is time to move to the dinner table, open and pour the Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé. With a rich burst of exotic fruits and the roundness of stone fruits, this wine beautifully compliments a traditional turkey meal with all of the fixings. I would venture to say that it might even pair with the Chiffonade of Brussels Sprouts your cousin (the aspiring-chef) brought, and maybe even with Grandma’s gelled Pineapple Salad.

After the meal, it’s time for dessert and if you are like us, we will have a little of each. To play off the richness of the pecan, pumpkin, apple, cherry or chocolate pies, a lively Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé offers notes of peach with flavors of ripe berries.

Tip: For this party, be sure to have lots of glasses. There are many types of Champagne glasses; once we were told not to use the old coupes because bubbles dissipate more quickly, thus changing the flavors. So we embraced the flutes. Flutes are now considered not wide enough at the top to deliver the full bouquet of a good Champagne to the nose. The new movement for Champagne is to more of a white wine glass, with the Rosé Champagne glass nearly the same as the new white Champagne glass, but with a slightly larger opening and an elongated bowl. We say that this is the time to use what you have, maybe even the crystal set your mother gave you that has been passed down through the generations. After all, the holidays are about the celebrating the memories and creating new ones.

Tasting Notes

Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut (SRP $40) is the House’s iconic Champagne. Made from more than 100 different wines, of which 20%-30% are reserve wines specially selected to enhance its maturity, complexity and constancy, its assemblage reflects the diversity and complimentary flavors of the three grapes varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé (SRP $50) is made of 50% Pinot Noir, with Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, of which 20%-30% are specially selected reserve wines to enhance its intensity, richness and constancy; exotic fruits and stone fruits.

Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé (SRP $50) is a voluptuous expression of the house’s style, distinguished by its bright fruitiness, its seductive palate and its elegant maturity. Comprised of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with a small percentage of Chardonnay; powerful peach with flavors of ripe berries.

Learn More: http://luxegetaways.info/moet