Champagne Wishes: Rosé for Romance

“It’s a good thing I got this job,” Moet Hennessy USA Champagne Education Manager Belinda Chang told K Street Magazine.  “My trainer told me it was the only thing I could drink!”  Among it’s other exceptional qualities, champagne contains only about 100 calories per glass.

But of course it’s not weight-watching that’ll have women — and men — filling their flutes with champagne, and particularly rosé champagne, this month.  There’s amour in the pour.  And pink is having its moment.

Champagne, perhaps the best known celebratory drink, is experiencing a grand resurgence in popularity.  And just because it’s tipped back at the trendiest parties and gulped at ritzy galas doesn’t mean it has to be saved for only special occasions.  In fact, in the world of wine, Chang explains, “Pink bubbles are the fastest growing category, but still the smallest category in production.”

And the laws of economics don’t lie.  Read: This drink is in demand.

So why is pink champagne so popular?  It often has a soft, sensitive taste that is highly appreciated both sipped on its own or accompanying a light — or robust — meal.   “The varieties of champagne are like the varieties in a women’s wardrobe,” quipped Chang.  “And there is always one to fit the mood.”

Bottles range from the easy enough for everyday (like Chandon Rosé, Napa Valley: $19.99) to the more aspirational “let-me-impress-you” (Moët Rosé NV: $59.99/ Veuve Clicquot Rosé NV: $69.99) or even the “you’ve-obviously-done-something-serious-to-deserve-this” (Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rosé Palmes d’’Or 2000: $175) — with so many in between, and all available at local retailers like Schneiders, 1 West DuPont, and Calvert Woodley.  But those looking at life through rosé colored champagne glasses know that vintage is the industry’s best kept secret.

So if you’re looking for a way make that big statement that’ll translate from star-crossed lover to significant other… pink might make it possible.  Chang says if you can’t give her baubles, give her bubbles.   “The Ruinart rosé half bottle is the cutest gift ever!”