One of my favorite memories of Graham’s sister, Catherine, is of her ordering champagne for dinner. It was the night I first met her, and we were both Graham’s dates for an evening at a fancy-schmancy Indian fusion restaurant. Before that evening, it never occurred to me to order champagne for dinner. The experience felt deliciously decadent and ostentatious.

Today, almost 4.5 years later, champagne and the rest of the “sparkling wine” genre are still completely overlooked. Some folks prefer merlot, others pinot noir or chardonnay. No offense to them, but thanks to Catherine, I’ll take a nice glass of bubbly over the others any day. Sparking wine – it’s not just for special occasions anymore.

Iron Horse Russian Cuvee 2001

Unless, you know, it is an actual special occasion, in which case all the better!

Last evening we celebrated Christmas Eve with Graham’s parents, and enjoyed a nice bottle of bubbly. Iron Horse Russian Cuvee 2002, which “commemorates the style of Sparkling that Iron Horse made for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings, which ended the Cold War.”

Iron Horse would be a lovely choice to bring along to a New Year’s Eve celebration as a host gift. At ~$25/bottle, it’s not too expensive either. Go ahead – be decadent. (You’ll never look back.)