IIIIIIIII’m dreaming of a buuuuu-bbly Christmas…and I bet you are {or someone you love is!} dreaming of one, too. Well, my loves, The Bubbleista to the rescue to help you achieve all your Christmas dreams!
Last year I created what I dubbed as my Christmas gift to you, “The Ultimate Champagne Lovers Gift Guide,” where I scoured the globe to unearth exquisite gifts to create a curated gift guide sure to enchant even the most discriminating bubbly lover in your life.
Turns out it was wildly popular, so I knew I had to do it again for 2016. Presenting “The Ultimate Champagne Lovers Gift Guide” Volume II!
Champagne lovers can be a finicky lot, so I’ve stepped my gift-giving game up another level for Volume II with some absolutely UH-mazing trinkets. I’ve selected 12 gifts in total–perfect for each of the Twelve of Christmas, yes?
Oh, and be sure to share this list with other bubbly lovers in your life who might want to pick up a thing or two for themselves. After all, #SharingIsCaring
So, just as I said this time last year:
On your internet marks…
Get your credit card set…
and…….GO!!!!!
1.) Diamond & Gold Champagne Cork Pendant by Gaey Joailliers: $13,973
So I confess that my jaw actually dropped when I first laid eyes on this beauty. What champagne obsessed lady WOULDN’T want it?! This exquisite pendant is fashioned in the shape of a champagne cork, known as “Bouchon Champenois” in France. It’s set in yellow and white gold as well as 1.38 carats of white diamonds AND .53 carats of yellow diamonds. Trés magnifiqué!
Rings in at a paltry $13,973. You probably have that already laying around in loose change, right?
2.) The Perlage System® for Champagne Preservation: $200
Let’s presume you have a problem that I personally never have–trying to figure out how to preserve the leftover champagne from a half-sipped bottle of champagne that you don’t want to go to waste.
A quick search on the internet will tell you a myriad of things including re-corking the bottle; putting plastic wrap over the lip of the bottle; and to even inserting the handle of a spoon in the bottle.
Perlage says forget all of that malarkey, because they have the ultimate foolproof preservation system to keep those wonderful bubbles in your bubbly intact for weeks or even months. Here’s how it works:
“The Perlage System works by returning the headspace of the opened bottle to exactly the same composition and pressure of gasses that existed before the bottle was opened, by first purging the headspace of oxygen, and then repressurizing the headspace with pure carbon dioxide to the exact pressure that existed before the bottle was opened. In a sense, the bottle doesn’t ‘know’ it’s been opened.”
Brilliant.
3.) “But First Champagne” book: $30
From the Barnes & Nobles website: “In But First, Champagne, author David White details Champagne’s history along with that of its wines, explains how and why the market is changing, and profiles the region’s leading producers.
This book is essential reading for wine enthusiasts, adventurous drinkers, foodies, sommeliers, and drinks professionals.” For me though, the best description–and reason to get this book–comes from the book’s foreword:
“Smart, entertaining, and valuable . . . one of those rare wine books that should appeal to people just getting into Champagne and longtime Champagne obsessives.” —Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor, Food & Wine
Enough said.
4.) Mathusalem Sommelier Champagne Saber: $300
Remember that nifty little “Wine Wednesday Wordologie” post “S is for Sabrage” that I did about a year ago where I talked about the art of slicing the neck off the bottle of champagne with a saber?
Well here is the perfect bottle neck-slicing saber for the champagne lover who likes to open their bubbly with a flair for the dramatic.
Like moi.
5.) Champagne trays from Rosana Inc: $24-44
Like to entertain in a “champagne state of mind?” Then these stylish, chic trays & drink coasters will have you saying “Ooh la la!”
I love, love, love these sweet little housewares that are perfect for serving hors d’oeuvres as well as flutes of champagne. Rosanna’s Inc.’s motto is “Make a toast; throw a party; and live, live, live!” That perfectly encapsulates the champagne lifestyle in my book.
6.) Saint Louis Crystal’s “Tommy” champagne bucket: $1350
What’s more deserving of cradling your $800 per bottle champagne than an elegant, fine crystal champagne bucket that costs even more?
Having graced the tables of events held at the Galerie des Glaces in Versailles, the “Tommy” pattern–diamond, bevel, pearl and rim cuts combined with an elegant linear design–has been popular since 1928. If it’s good enough for the Galerie des Glaces, it should be good enough for the bubbly lover in your life too.
If you’d like to make it a set, the gorgeous matching flutes ring in at $230 each. Champagne coupes more your thing? I’ve got you covered with a fun post I did a couple of months ago on my picks for Fabulous & Chic champagne coupes–they’d make perfect stocking stuffers.
7.) The “Champagne and You” Wine Tourism Festival: $$$$Priceless
Time for a champagne holiday! Make travel plans to whisk the champagne lover in your life off to France next year to attend the “Champagne and You” Wine Tourism Festival, October 22-23, 2017, on the esplanade of the medieval Chateau-Thierry, in the western Marne Valley. The event will feature 30+ winemakers focused on “celebrating the art of the champagne lifestyle.”
Winemakers will offer tastings of their very best vintages, and there will be several interactive events to indulge bubbly lovers from all over the world. According to event site, festival goers can look forward to “blindfolded tastings; performances; exhibitions; activities; fine-food tasting; and…a series of workshops will give you the chance to discover the skills involved in making champagne, how vines are pruned and grafted, and the process of removing yeast sediments from the bottle.”
If you’re like me you’ll sign up for their newsletters and/or follow them on Instagram so you can be the first to get updates on the event! I am getting positively GIDDY just thinking about the prospects of going. In fact, this trip makes the next gift below on this list quite handy…
8.) Krug-Berluti Champagne Travel bag: $5,150-6,300
Here’s a fun little equation for you:
Luxe French champagne house Krug + Luxe Italian leather goods purveyor Berluti = the ultimate accessory for the champagne loving luxury traveler.
Being the ever-thoughtful champagne house they are, Krug partnered with famed Italian apparel retailer Berluti to ensure you can take your Krug champagne with you when you travel and rest comfortably knowing your bubbly will be safely transported too. Modeled after Berluti’s “Un Jour” bag, each champagne bag has removable compartments inside that you can gently nestle your precious champagne bottles and glasses in.
The limited-edition bags (only 100) come in to sizes: the smaller “Short Journey,” and it’s larger big brother “Long Journey.” Riedel also joined the party with specially made glasses that you can ONLY get by ordering this bag.
9.) The Bubbly Bauble champagne cork keepsake: $26
This cute little decorative bauble is perfect for beautifully saving the cork from that bottle of champagne you sipped in celebration of a special, joyful milestone.
For us bubbly lovers that means any given Tuesday. But I digress.
You can personalize the bulb with engraving to commemorate special occasions such as engagements; births; a business launch; weddings; promotions; and any of those moments in life where you want to pull out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate.
Also known to bubbly lovers as any given day of the week.
10.) Bath Tub Champagne Bucket: $50
Sometimes you need to drown your sorrows by taking the kind of bubble bath that doesn’t require you to remove a stitch of clothing. Enter this adorable little champagne bucket shaped like a vintage claw foot bath tub.
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “I’d drink your bath water,” no?
Speaking of “bubble baths…”
11.) Lafco Champagne Luxury Bath Soap: $17
So when you want to envelope yourself in the scent of champagne but you’d rather drink bottles of it instead of bathe in them, this luxe soap is the next best thing.
This coconut oil-based soap is perfect for pampering your skin since it’s solvent-free and contains olive oil, almond oil, and silk protein. Better yet is that the fragrance echoes that of a lovely Blanc de Noir champagne with notes of citrus {grapefruit and lemon}, raspberry, and ginger.
12.) Artwork by Haute de Gamme: $220
Time for today’s French vocabulary lesson: “HAUTE DE GAMME”– French [Adjective] No.1. High-end, Upmarket, Upscale
That definition alone should let you know that this artwork is #BubbleistaApproved {wink}.
Artist Alexander Hall is the creative force behind Haute de Gamme and, like the name of his artistic enterprise suggests, the subjects of his artwork often include high-end items such as Hermes bags; Channel perfume; and, of course, bottles of expensive champagne.
He recently rolled out a series of smaller pieces perfect for creating a champagne artwork gallery wall at your home. One of my favorites is “Breakfast, Lunch, Supper II,” a Mixed media on Board with Gold leaf 45 x 80 cm painting of bottles of Dom P.
Alexander creates using acrylic, oil paints, glitter, diamond dust, and even some other “cheeky” and inventive media {click here to see what I mean!}.
If this gift guide doesn’t epitomize my personal edict of”Live an effervescent lifestyle” then I don’t know what does!
Champagne cheers, darlings.