Champagne And Strawberries, My Idea Of Heaven

True Champagne is French. It is only made in one small region of the world. In fact, a bottle bearing a label which says 'Champagne' it guarantees that the wine has been made in the cooler northern part of France.

The champagne makers of this region are very protective of their name and it is not uncommon for law suits to brought where manufacturers in other areas of the world claim the name 'Champagne' for their sparkling wine. However, the name Champagne on a bottle is no guarantee of quality.

It just tells you where it was made. However, you can generally use price as a guide. For example,don't expect the cheapest bottle in the supermarket to be the same as Bollinger, or Moet, but you still don't have to pay top price for a drinkable champagne.

There are three types of grapes used to make Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The Pinot grapes are black ones and the other is white.

Most champagne is white (although you can find it in pink) and it is made from a combination of these three grapes but the proportions of each vary.

The juice of black grapes is white and the coloured skins are removed from the process before they can impart colour to it.

Three wines are usually selected and blended according to the cellar-masters preference before the 'bubbles' are added.

The best known name associated with Champagne is Bollinger but there are others of note including Heidseick, Perrier Jouet and of course Dom Perignon.

Like all wines, there are prices to suit all pocket and you don't have to pay a fortune to get a Champagne that you like.

Some hypermarkets do their own brands of Champagne which may not look as expensive when you read the labelling but taste great when chilled and sipped in style. It's all down what you prefer. Find a reasonably priced champagne that suits your taste and stick with it.