party plannera special advertising section of the bermuda sun n December 12, 2012 n page 33

Celebrate the holidays with champagneby AmAnDA DAleadale@bermudasun.bm

The New Year is fast approaching and it’s time to savour the past, present and future.

So what better way to ring the New Year in than with champagne?

Champagne is the finest sparkling wine in the world and has been associated with celebration since Marie Antoinette deemed it to be the wine of corona-tion.

Produced solely from grapes grown in the Cham-pagne region of France, only bottles produced here can be truly deemed cham-pagne.

Each bottle is also produced individually — from the grapes of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier — and will contain millions of fine, tiny bubbles. Hence the popular term, bubbly.

HistoryBut champagne also

comes with a price tag.Associated with luxury,

power and mobility, it is considered the ‘elite’ among wines and in Bermuda, one bottle will set you back about $50.

But on New Year’s Eve, many see this festive bubbly as the only way to ring in the New Year.

Michael Robinson, direc-tor of wine at Burrows Lightbourn, said starting the New Year with a glass of the finest sparkling wine money can buy is associ-ated with optimism and celebration.

“This is our busiest time of the year for selling cham-pagne,” he said.

“We probably sell at least a third of all our champagne in the month of December, and this is mainly due to New Year.

“If you’re going to be looking forward to a new year, why not do this with something which has hundreds of years of histo-ry behind it?

“And it is regarded as the finest sparkling wine in the world,” he added.

However, if you are host-ing a party or get-together, the number one factor in what you serve will prob-ably be your budget.

When choosing your midnight tipple, consider how many guests you have and whether they are wine connoisseurs, or whether they would be just as happy with a cheaper sparkling wine.

There are lots of options for those on a budget to still celebrate New Year with a decent bottle of sparkling wine.

It may not have the word ‘champagne’ on the label but many wines are made in a similar style,

with similar results on the palate.

Mr Robinson said: “When people are having a party, the main thing to decide is, ‘Do we want champagne?’.

“It is the best sparkling wine in the world but it is expensive. Countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, their desire for champagne is growing in leaps and bounds, but champagne is only made in a small, limited area in France, so that puts a lot of pressure on price.

“There’s a lot of good sparkling wines out there which are made the same way,” said Mr Robinson.

“They are not as good but can come close. So consider, do you really want champagne or do you

just want a festive bubbly, a bottle of sparkling wine.

“If you want the very best, you will have to be prepared to pay $50 or more for a bottle of champagne.

“But if you and your friends are not true connoisseurs of cham-pagne, then buy a good bottle of Spanish sparkling wine for $15 a bottle.”

Mr Robinson recom-mends Freixenet cava, which he says is “made the same way” but in Spain, from the grapes of maca-beo, parellada and xarel-lo.

A bottle of cava will cost you from $15-22, but Freix-enet is made in the ‘meth-ode champenoise’, with each wine left to ferment naturally in individual bottles.

Mr Robinson also recommends Californian sparkling wines such as Schramsberg.

Schramsberg is also produced in the ‘methode champenoise’, and uses the same types of grapes as champagne, such as pinot noir and chardonnay. It costs from $25-30 a bottle.

“You can buy sparkling wines from the $12 mark, up to $100, but French champagne is considered the benchmark,” said Mr Robinson.

He said most sparkling wines are produced by the ‘Charmat (bulk) method’, by which the wine is fermented in large tanks.

“That’s the way most inexpensive sparkling wines are made, whereas

real (French) champagne is individually made in each bottle.

“That is a lot more labour intensive. For example, getting the dead yeast cells out of the bottles.

“The difference is, is that champagne has much finer, tiny bubbles. They are deli-cate and persistent, where-as with the ‘bulk method’ the bubbles are larger, not as delicate, and don’t last as long.

“Champagne also uses higher quality grapes and is a more expensive process.”

Its finesse also makes champagne an excellent choice of wine for Christ-mas Day dinner, said Mr Robinson.

“Champagne or a good sparkling wine goes well with any type of food,” he said.

“You can start with it, with the soup, and still be drinking it when it’s time for dessert. Its acidity and fine, tiny little bubbles cleanse the palate.”

Rose champagne is currently in vogue, added Mr Robinson.

“Rose is very popular now. It’s a phenomenon that has really taken place in the past five years.

“Laurent-Perrier is the most popular rose cham-pagne in the world, but it’s $95.25 a bottle.”

n istock photo

bubbly: Champagne is the finest sparkling wine in the world and is associated with celebrating happy occasions.

See chAmpAgne, page 37

‘Champagne or a good sparkling wine goes well with any type of food.’

michael robinsonBurrows Lightbourn

34 n DeCember 12, 2012 Party Planner: a special advertising section THe bermUDA SUN

THe bermUDA SUN Party Planner: a special advertising section DeCember 12, 2012 n 35

Top off your party with delicious, fresh pizza

Located at:

Southside, St. David’sTel: 293-5700

Shelly Bay Plaza, Hamilton ParishTel: 293-8465 • Fax: 293-6323

Heron Bay Plaza, SouthamptonTel: 238-2753 • Fax: 238-3170

Party Size Pizza Available with 24hr Advanced Notice!Catering Services Available • Call Today 293–8465

Also try our super sub sAndwiches, sAlAds, desserts & beverAges

by AmAnDA DAleadale@bermudasun.bm

Everyone loves pizza, so if you’re thinking of party food for the holidays, slices of the tasty dough and toppings can prove a real winner.

Simple, straightforward and satisfying — there is little preparation with pizza and minimal clean-up afterwards.

At Pizza House, the staff are well-seasoned in providing parties with piping-hot slices.

The company has a repu-tation for producing ‘the best pizza on the island’, with locations in both the East and West End.

ChoiceFranz Egenolf, manag-

ing director and owner, said: “Our advantage is that we have six sizes and 21 different toppings to choose from, so the variety is endless.

“You choose what you want on your pizza. The different toppings cater to a range of tastes.

“But our most popular pizza is pepperoni and mushroom.

“We also make every-thing fresh, from scratch. We have fresh ingredients and everything is made to the highest standards.

“I think we offer the largest choice of sizes on the island. Our smallest is seven inches, and the larg-est, 18 inches.”

The seven and 10 inch pizzas are cut into four slices, and the 14, 16 and 18 inches are cut into eight

large slices. But it depends on what the customer wants.

When it comes to Pizza House’s Party Pizzas, these measure 18 x 26 inches, and are cut according to the client’s specifications.

“Generally we cut 20 slic-

es, sometimes 30 if request-ed,” said Mr Egenolf.

“We just need a day’s notice for the Party Pizzas, and need payment upfront if you are ordering more than one.

“We’ve been doing the Party Pizzas for several

years and they are very popular.

“They cost $40, plus $5 for any additional toppings, so if you have a party of 15-20 people this proves inexpen-sive.

“It’s also less work if you order your party food —

it’s one less thing to worry about.

“Children and adults all love pizza. It’s easy and there’s no mess to clean up afterwards.

“The pizzas are popular with schools (events and outings) and at parties.”

Pizza House began at Shelly Bay 25 years ago and then expanded to Heron Bay. It added the Southside location five or six years ago.

Mr Egenolf said: “We also do general catering for birthdays, weddings, wakes and other events — catering from anywhere between 10 and 200 people.

“We offer a complete catering service, it’s not just ‘fast food’. We can do anything from pizza, to lobster and caviar.

“At Pizza House in St David’s and Shelly Bay we have a daily hot buffet where we prepare all differ-ent kinds of food, from barbecue ribs to chicken to vegetables.

“At Heron Bay we only prepare pizzas and sand-wiches.”

The Party Pizzas are available from all three locations. n

n creative commons photo by cyclonebill

tasty: Whether it’s cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian, margherita or some other combination, everyone loves pizza.

pizza houseThe marketPlace, Heron bay, middle road, Southampton. Tel. 238-2753Shelly bay marketPlace Plaza, North Shore road, Hamilton Parish. Tel. 293-8465Southside road (next to Southside Cinema), St David’s. Tel. 293-5700. Opening times: 11am-10pm mondays to Saturdays; and 1-6pm Heron bay, 1-9pm Shelly bay, and 12-9pm Southside on Sundays. Closed on public holidays.

36 n DeCember 12, 2012 Party Planner: a special advertising section THe bermUDA SUN

T E L E P H O N E 4 4 1 - 2 9 5 - 8 2 7 9 | W W W . D I N I N G B E R M U D A . C O M

Eat, Drink and be Merry!

What does the perfect Christmas Party look like to you?

Whether it be for an elegant Christmas Lunch, a lavish Christmas Dinner, an enchanting event or anything in

between, we offer a variety of unique locations perfect for those looking for a glamorous way to celebrate Christmas.

LIDO Elbow Beach Sea Terrace, Paget | T 441-236-9884 E manager@lido.bm

FOURWAYS INN RESTAURANT 1 Middle Road, Paget | T 441-236-6517 E info@fourways.bm

FOURWAYS INN CATERING T 441-236-6517 | E info@catering.bm

LITTLE VENICE 32 Bermudiana Road, Hamilton | T 441-295-3503 E info@lv.bm

L’ORIENTAL 32 Bermudiana Road, Hamilton (above Little Venice) | T 441-296-4477 E info@loriental.bm

MARGARITA’S GRILL 12 Bermudiana Road, Hamilton | T 441-296-3330 E lvsmanager@lvs.bm

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THe bermUDA SUN Party Planner: a special advertising section DeCember 12, 2012 n 37

A bottle of champagne at Burrows Lightbourn will cost from $45-100 but a bottle of rose champagne will cost $60-100.

“Rose is more difficult to make, to get the colour and the flavour just right,” said Mr Robinson.

“All grapes have a clear juice, hence white wine. But for a rose or a red wine, you have to let the grapes sit in their skins and tannins.

“The colour comes from the skin of the grape, which ‘tans’ the juice and makes it a darker wine.

“If you take away the skins straight away you will get a clear, white wine.

“So to get a rose you have to leave the juice in the darker grape skins for a few hours, to extract the colour.”

In rose champagne’s case, this would be the pinot noir grapes.

But whether you opt for rose champagne, cham-pagne, Spanish cava, Ital-ian prosecco or another sparkling wine, this comes down to your budget, the number of guests and taste.

“Do you and your friends appreciate a good cham-pagne or would you prefer something which just goes ‘pop’ and is festive?,” said Mr Robinson.

“It comes down to budget at the end of the day.”

He also recommends sipping champagne from a regular white wine glass rather than the traditional tall, thin flutes.

“The wine tastes better and smells better,” said Mr Robinson.

“You can appreciate the flavours and aromas more in a regular wine glass rather than in a flute.

“This is what science reports are stating, and I feel that drinking cham-pagne may soon be done in regular wine glasses within a few years’ time.”

Whatever your tastes, the staff of Burrows Light-bourn are happy to assist you in your holiday wine selection. n

Burrows LightBourn, 2 Addendum Lane, Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke. Call 295-0176. Retail outlets: 127 Front Street, Hamilton; Harbour Road, Paget; and Water Street, St George’s.

Tasting notes:

Champagne — Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut

No. 84 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2012

93/100 rating, $52.75The majority of the

blend of Piper-Heidsieck signature’s Cuvee Brut is composed of pinot noir.

Hand-selected parcels of pinot meunier and char-donnay also play important roles in the elaboration of this well-balanced cuvee.

Selected reserve wines from preceding years are incorporated into the blend. The blend is aged for minimum 24 months on the lees before release.

(Piper-Heidsieck)“Elegant, with rich base

notes of toasted brioche and smoke adding depth, this integrates finely honed acidity, detailed texture and flavours of black cherry puree, apple tarte Tatin, kumquat and grated ginger. Provides a creamy, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2022.”

Wine Spectator

Rosé champagne — Laurent-Perrier

91/100 Wine Spectator$95.25The best selling rosé

champagne in the world, Laurent-Perrier is one of the few rosés still made by the saignée (bleeding off)

method. To emphasize this traditional technique, the champagne is bottled in an embossed bottle that is a reproduction of those used in the late 17th century.

This salmon-pink rosé champagne is truly remarkable for its highly expressive bouquet, stem-ming from very careful preservation of fresh fruit aromas during the wine-making.

Made with 100 per cent pinot noir using skin contact, also known as the saignée method, Laurent-Perrier’s know-how and attention to quality produc-es a finely crafted rosé with both depth and freshness.

It has become the bench-mark for rosé champagne around the world. Bright, fresh and intense, with notes of raspberries, straw-berries and black cherries.

(Laurent-Perrier)

“Delicate and subtly textured, with sweet cherry, ripe plum and rasp-berry fruit notes that are balanced by citrusy acid-ity. Shows fine attention to detail, ending with a light smoky finish. Drink now.”

Wine Spectator“Copper pink in colour,

this is a red-fruited rosé. It’s firm with gentle grape-skin tannin that rounds it without astringency. A mineral back note and a hint of raw almond mark the end. A firm, clean line of flavour, this is ready to pour with crab.”

90/100 Wine & Spirits Magazine

Quality sparkling wines —

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2009

$35.45Blanc de Blancs (white

from white) made from chardonnay, is the counter-part to the Blanc de Noirs (white from black), made from pinot noir.

Blanc de Blancs was the first wine Schramsberg produced in 1965 and was America’s first commer-cially-produced, chardon-nay-based brut sparkling wine.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs gained interna-tional recognition in 1972 when US President Richard Nixon served the wine at the historic ‘Toast to Peace’ in Beijing, China.

(Schramsberg)“Elegant and sleekly

styled, with appealing aromas of green apple and almond brioche, featuring focused layered flavours of lemon curd, cinnamon and ginger.”

Wine Spectator

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad

$25.30Spanish cava “Gold-tinged, with ripe

green citrus and apple

notes accented with light toast and smoke. Distinctly heavier than the average cava, the taste still displays

Continued from page 33

CHampagne: Add some fizz to your Christmas and New Year celebrations

See chAmpAgne, page 38

38 n DeCember 12, 2012 Party Planner: a special advertising section THe bermUDA SUN

We can cater to all your needs from food preparation and delivery to serving your guests; and we’ll clean it all up!

Our menu offerings are wide and varied. If you have something special you want, tell us and we’ll prepare it for you.

Having a house party and no time to prepare!Then you need to call The Flying Chef!

Sounds perfect doesn’t it!

W E W I L L W O R K T O G E T H E R W I T H Y O U T O M A K E Y O U R N E X T E V E N T T H E G R E AT S U C C E S S I T S H O U L D B E .

CALL THE FLYING CHEF FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS:

TEL: (441) 295.1595 | FAX: (441) 292.2651 | w w w.f ly i n g c h e f .b m

WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE AWARDED THE BEST CATERER AWARD FOR 2010 & 2012

bright acidity, with a dry, ample mineral finish.”

New York Wine Salon“After four years of

secondary fermentation, this limited release wine develops toasted brioche qualities that marry well with the apple and quince notes through the smooth, spicy finish.”

Three stars, excellent, recommended.

Food & Wine Magazine’s Wine Guide 2011

“A selection of macabeo and parellada grown at estate vineyards in the Alt Penedes, Reserva Heredad is a complex and heady cava that delivers on its richness without sweet-ness. Its potent depth of flavour has a smoky miner-ality and fresh apple-skin notes.”

92/100 Wine & Spirits Magazine

Budget —

Canella Prosecco di Conegliano

$16.65Brilliant straw yellow

with fine, persistent

perlage (preservation), fruity aromas of peach, apple, pear and citrus fruit, the palate gracefully balances zingy acidity and a subtle hint of sweetness, richness and silky-smooth texture.

(Canella)“The non-vintage

Prosecco di Conegliano is a creamy, perfumed wine with good definition in its

aromas and flavours, and excellent overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2010.”

88/100 The Wine Advocate

Barefoot Pinot Grigio Bubbly

$12.80Sparkles are our favou-

rite! Light-bodied and refreshing, our Pinot Grigio Bubbly bubbles over with citrus flavours and orange blossom aromas.

(Barefoot). n

CHampagneContinued from page 37 New Year’s Eve events

city ballDecember 31, 8pm-1amCity Hall, HamiltonThis black tie event marks the City of Hamilton’s first ‘City ball’.Cocktails 8pm in the foyer, dinner 9-11pm in the bermuda National Gallery and the bermuda Society of Arts galleries.New Year’s celebrations fol-low in the foyer, with a bal-loon drop, confetti cannons and a champagne toast at midnight. Fireworks will be displayed on large screens.music in the bNG gallery by the Wayne Davis band and by James richardson in the bSOA gallery. A four-piece live band featuring vocalists Lloyd Holder, Sheila Smith and mcCartney Darrell will then bring in the New Year.Tickets $200, including five-course meal, signature welcome cocktail, glass of wine at dinner and glass of champagne at midnight, plus NYe party favours.Seating: Tables of four, eight and 10. Tickets for

tables of 10 cost $175 per person.Tickets from the City Hall offices or call 292-1234 or e-mail events@cityhall.bm n

Jimmy Keys new year’s eve Dinner & ShowDecember 31, 6:30pm-1amHarbourview ballroom, Fairmont Hamilton PrincessA night with comedian and musician Jimmy Keys followed by dancing to cel-ebrate the New Year.Cash bar cocktail recep-tion 6:30pm, followed by five-course gala dinner at 7:30pm.The show starts at 9pm, followed by a DJ and danc-ing until 1am. The british comedian’s characters will include bob Dylan, Tom Jones, Van Halen, Aerosmith, The Who and the rat Pack.Tickets $169 per person, including dinner, show, dancing and gratuities, from www.bdatix.comThe Fairmont Hamilton

Princess is also offering a room package. Call 298-5717 for reservations. n

new year’s eve Disco party — AbbA meets the bee geesDecember 31, 9pm-2am.Poinciana ballroom, Fairmont Southampton resortTurn back the clock to the Seventies with music by AbbA and the bee Gees, performed by Canadian trib-ute bands AbbA mania and Night Fever. bermuda band The Travellers will also play cover hits from the Seventies.Tickets $99, or enjoy a dinner and show package at the Jasmine Lounge for $155, Windows on the Sound, $169, or Newport Gastropub, $179. From 6pm onwards. Tickets from www.bdatix.bmThe Fairmont Southampton resort is also offering a room package. Call 238-8000 for reservations. n