If you are ever invited to a dinner party in France, what you won’t get is a tour of the home. Whether your French hosts’ abode is un appartement en ville (an apartment in town), une maison à la campagne (a house in the country), or une villa au bord de la mer (a house by the sea), you are likely to see only the living room and dining room. No gathering in the kitchen as the meal is being prepared, nor any guided visits of the rest of the house as is often de rigueur (the thing to do) in America. In France, ça ne se fait pas (it just isn’t done).
What you are very likely to experience, at the beginning of the most casual of French meals or at a more formal affair, is a glass of Champagne. The French have figured out that you don’t need a wedding or anniversary or boat baptism to drink the most famous wine in the world. Opening a bottle of Champagne creates a special occasion all its own, transforming an ordinary moment into a festive and memorable event.
Of course, a little bubbly goes beyond the dinner party. When I am in Paris, a must on my social calendar is the refined and intimate Champagne bar at the Hôtel Trocadéro Dokhan’s in the 16th arrondissement. Mood is everything in this cozy space entirely paneled in 18th century gilded boiseries (wood paneling). Tall candles illuminate every table. After a full day of work or visiting friends or taking in art shows or seeking out the latest and greatest in la Capitale (Paris), there is nothing I like better than to sink into one of the deep armchairs and contemplate the special Champagne offerings of the week. Or I let myself be tempted by the regular Champagne menu. As the first Champagne bar in Paris and arguably still the best, Le Dokhan’s Bar pours over 70 varieties of fine Champagne at any given time.
The ambiance doesn’t stop there. The knowledgeable sommeliers can tell you anything and everything about how Champagne is made. They also can share fascinating details about about the various offerings from the small Champagne houses which are rarely seen in the U.S. And after you have chosen your glass or flight of Champagne, the sommelier then emerges from behind the bar with a dazzling tray of crystal glasses–tulips, coupes, flutes, and goblets of various sizes and shapes. You get to choose your bubbly AND the type of glass you will drink it in. Only in France!
On a recent visit to Le Dokhan’s, I chose the featured millésime (vintage) Champagne in a violet crystal flute. My good friend Laura decided on the brut Champagne in a tulip. We sipped our sparkling apéritifs while enjoying the warm and salty gougères (gourmet cheese puffs) that are a specialty of the house. It was an instant fête (party).
Here are a few more festive photos of past Champagne moments at Le Dokhan’s…
If you happen to be in Paris for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, you won’t want to miss the special romantic evening at Le Dokhan’s Bar starting at 6:30pm. For the very first time, they will be offering a duo tasting of the incredible Billecart Salmon Rosé and the rare Amour de Deutz Champagnes. And they will be welcoming Cathy Kelly for some live jazz. The Champagne and jazz evening is 53 euros per person. As always, advance reservations are recommended at Le Dokhan’s.
As you might imagine, Champagne is plentiful in Paris, and it’s easy to opt for a Champagne moment at this special bar or at any café or restaurant. But sometimes those Champagne occasions find you.
One chilly January night in Paris, an American friend and I were walking to dinner at a restaurant in the 7th arrondissement. As we approached la Tour Eiffel, it was bathed in a golden glow courtesy of the 335 spotlights that come on each day at sunset. We took a flurry of photos of the Iron Lady at marvelous angles.
Then it just so happened that I paused directly under the center of the Eiffel Tower as the clock struck 8pm. And voilà, the Tower exploded in a vertical shower of twinkling white lights…and so much did those little white lights feel like sparkling bubbles, I suddenly had the sensation of standing inside a glass of Champagne. It was a mystical experience worthy of Dom Perignon.
After that night, for me, the Eiffel Tower lost its “been there, done that” overtouristed patina. It has even re-earned a place on my Paris favorites list. Now all I have to do is tote a bottle of bubbly one evening to that cherished spot and raise a real glass when the sparling lights Champagne moment comes around again.
NB: LE Champagne is the sparkling wine made in LA Champagne, the province northeast of Paris. Any sparkling wine made outside this region, whether in France or elsewhere in the world, cannot technically be called Champagne. Vintners will sometimes put la méthode champenoise (the Champagne method) on their wine labels to indicate that their sparkling wine made in the same fashion as true Champagne.
A version of this article was first published on May 14, 2008
French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter
You can find a variety of French Champagnes at your local U.S. wine shops and grocery stores. If you want a French bubbly for Valentine’s Day but without the Champagne prices, you might try a nice sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne or Crémant de Loire. Both Burgundy and the Loire valley produce lovely sparkling wines that are often available in the U.S. – at half the price of typical Champagnes.
Whatever your choice of sparkling wine, be sure and have a nice toast together French style – make eye contact and wish everyone “Santé” (to your health) or “Tchin-Tchin” (pronounced ‘chin-chin,’ it’s an onomatopoeia intended to mimic the clinking sound glasses make when they touch). In other words, “Cheers!”