Mireielle Guiliano, in her lovely book French Women Don't Get Fat, taught me that champagne goes with everything. And it does. Last night suricattus bought me a lovely bottle of Nicolas Feuillantte in honor of my b'day. We paired it with a couple of gourmet pizzas and it was superb. She also introduced me to my new favorite drink, a Kir Royale— champagne with a dollop of cassis. I drank it mindfully and with great enjoyment.

I drink very little now, in part because Buddhists aren't supposed to, and largely because for the most apart I can take or leave alcohol in general, and wine—with the fortunate exception of champagne—upsets my stomach. When I do drink, I think of the story Sister Chan Kong told of Thich Nhat Hanh when someone asked him what he thought of a man who drank whiskey, and if the man could join in meditation. TNH said yes, he could, but that if the man was going to drink, he hoped he would do so slowly and mindfully, aware and grateful of all that went into the existence of the whiskey-- the sun, the grain, water, the whiskey maker etc. It's good spiritual practice to approach all things in life so thoughtfully, and on a practical level, if you eat or drink anything slowly and thoughtfully, you find that it only takes a little bit to satisfy. I wonder if TNH will ever write a diet book? ;-)

In my ongoing quest to find drinkable champagnes for cheap, I picked up a bottle of a French methode traditionnelle called Elysée Framboise, a nice sparkling white flavored with raspberry. That happens to be a favorite combination of mine, and this is quite nice! Sweet, but not cloying. We drank it with ribs, and for dessert. Under $20 at BevMo.

In my continuing quest to find drinkable champagne/sparkling wines for under $30, I came across some made by Australian house Yellowglen. It was on sale at BevMo, buy one for $13 something, get another for a nickle. What the heck, says I. And I do love Aussie wines, partly because so many of them are so good (and inexpensive!) and largely due to the low sulfite content. Sulfites and I don't get along.

Yellowglen had two offerings: a white, called "Yellow" and a pink called, "Pink." I opted for pink. If it's good enough for James Bond, what more do you need?

It's really quite good, with a toasty nose and a dry yet fruity taste that's smooth over the tongue. It's no Veuve Cliquot, but I wasn't expecting it to be. Refreshing, not at all harsh, and better overall than some more expensive wines we've tried. Highly recommended!

Champagne is good with most foods, and at any time of the day, too. 5:25 pm, by the pond, for instance!