I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

[Remarks at the Dinner for the America's Cup Crews, September 14 1962]” ― John F. Kennedy

It was a perfect day to officially open my holiday season and have the first bath. The boat sailed from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino with fabulous views of the famous coastline. It has always surprised me how the small fishing village of Portofino has become so famous worldwide. Maupassant moored his yacht Bell Ami there in 1880 when the village was still isolated and reachable only by boat. But what contributed in making Portofino really famous, was a viral song of the 60s Love In Portofino sang in 3 languages English, Italian & French by Dalida, which is so romantic if you think about it. A small picturesque village becoming a holiday destination for the royal families of Europe and Hollywood movie stars because of a love song.

Take 5 girls, put them in a sailing boat and see if they still will be still friends at the end of the trip. Things happen when you have limited personal space and nowhere to escape. But add some Veuve Clicquot Rich Champagne bottles, a good looking barman, the beautiful views of Portofino's coast and everyone will have a great time. Lucia, Vicky, Alice & Anna are the right type of people to have on a boat trip, they are fun and most importantly know how to cook so on a sailing holiday with them I wouldn't be left eating the bell peppers from my finished glass of Clicquot Rich.

We all found love in Portofino. Love for the beauty that Liguria coast has to offer, love for the crystal clear blue sea, love for the amazing lunch at Hotel Spendido's Chiflay Restaurant and as in every celebration of love we had champagne glasses in our hands, toasting to beauty.

 

The thing about champagne,you say, unfoiling the cork, unwinding the wire restraint, is that is the ultimate associative object. Every time you open a bottle of champagne, it's a celebration, so there's no better way of starting a celebration than opening a bottle of champagne. Every time you sip it, you're sipping from all those other celebrations. The joy accumulates over time.
― David Levithan, The Lover's Dictionary

Wearing Total Look San Andres Milano

[caption id="attachment_10034" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot La Grand Dame 2004[/caption]

Veuve Clicquot Rich the first champagne for mixology

For a person who never cooks, and the last grocery shopping dates back to when I thought that Dragon Fruit was something that I absolutely needed to try after fake-cooking on the Restaurant City game on Facebook, going shopping to prepare for a Veuve Clicquot mixology class, in this case called Clicquology, was an adventure. It was fun learning how different fruits and vegetables are named in French, and for no particular reason pamplemousse, which is grapefruit, became my favorite word of the day and the whole experience turned into a Franch learning class. On my shopping list I had le poivron bell pepper, le céleri celery, ananas pineapple, concombre cucumber, and the pamplemousse. These are the main ingredients for the preparation of the Veuve Clicquot Rich.

[caption id="attachment_9950" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Don't get fooled by the image, I don't really know what I am doing[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_9976" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Vreni Frost, German Blogger, and her favorite ingredient the Pineapple[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9952" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Marcus Troy, Canadian blogger, seems at loss in the exotic fruit department[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9951" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot Rich[/caption]

Veuve Clicquot Rich recipes

I’m sure that fine wine connoisseurs might object to having ice on their champagne but if you have ever been partying the night on the French Riviera for sure have experiences the common practice called piscine, pool, that refers to a large glass of champagne served with ice. Inspired by this popular practice; Veuve Clicquot has created a cuvée that can be perfectly mixed with ice thanks to its particular blend. Veuve Clicquot Rich is was developed with a high percentage of Pinot Noir and Meunier to give the wine more structure so that it can uphold the ice, while citrus notes offset the sugar.

The mixology class was easy, making a champagne cocktail with Veuve Clicquot Rich requires just 3 simple steps: add ice, desired fruit/vegetable and pour the champagne. No fruit syrups, no special mixing tools and no counting parts of this and that. In collaboration with bartenders Veuve Clicquot has identified the main ingredients this special blend tastes best which are pineapple, pink grapefruit (just the peel), cucumber, celery, pepper, and bergamot tea. But I wanted to try it myself by creating my very own cocktail inspired by a strawberry mojito. The result was nice, but I'd suggest sticking with what the recommended ingredients so as to get the best tasting experience. My favorites ingredients are Cucumber and Grapefruit and you need to try all to really decide on yours.

[caption id="attachment_9967" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] My strawberry mojito inspired Veuve Clicquot Rich cokctail[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9969" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] The Veuve Clicquot Mixologist teaching us how to prepare Veuve Clicquot Rich with bergamot tea[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_9974" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot Rich tea making process[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9972" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot Rich with sliced bell pepper[/caption]

Veuve Clicquot Cellars Visit in Reims

Part of the trip discovering Veuve Clicquot Rich in Reims was a special visit to the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin cellars and learn more on how Champagne is made. Even though the brand itself is one of the largest and most famous ones in the world, looking at their process and the atmosphere in the wine cellars you can breathe tradition and history. The tour is also available for tourists (needs to be pre-booked online) and through it everyone can learn how Veuve Clicquot (the woman that founded the house) contributed to the brand we have today and to the whole Champagne world that we have today.

[caption id="attachment_9958" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot cellars main entrance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9963" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot cellars map.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9962" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] The region of Champagne where Veuve Clicquot vines are located[/caption]













[caption id="attachment_9959" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Portrait of Madame Clicquot.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9966" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] In the early 1800's, Champagne was not the limpid liquid we have today. The second fermentation occurs in the bottle, the dead yeast cells left the wine cloudy. Madame Clicquot of Veuve-Clicquot found a way to clear champagne by shaking the bottles and slowly turning them upside down, so that the yeast sediment could be removed. The dead yeast can now settle in the neck of the bottle and can be removed. This process is called riddling.[/caption]