Don’t like it dry?
The traditional champagne tends to be very dry, so Lee warns that for some it might be an acquired taste. However, he suggests that those who find the dryness just a little bit overwhelming can instead have a champagne cocktail.
A popular option is to add a measure of Creme de Cassis to the bottom of the glass to make a Kir Royale when topped up with champagne.
Champagne myths
Although many know the story of how a Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, discovered champagne, it isn’t quite true. The method of secondary fermentation, which lends champagne its bubbles, was in fact documented by an English scientist, Christopher Merret, in 1662.
He wrote a paper setting out how the presence of sugar in wine caused it to sparkle, and that any wine could be made sparkling
Dom Perignon was only appointed to his position at the Benedictine Abbey in Hautvillers six years later, and at the time was still attempting to remove the bubbles from his wine, not introduce them.