December is party season, and many people will be inviting colleagues, friends, and relatives to their homes for home parties. Here are some suggestions on how to best enjoy that special champagne you acquired in Part 1/3 of this article. ---Azusa Segawa, Wine Expert and Food Analyst




Maximize the appeal of champagne by properly "keeping," "serving," and "changing."
■Storage is the key to deliciousness
Storing in a cellar is best. Some are reasonably priced, so if you often host home parties, it might be a good idea to have one. It can control temperature and humidity, ensuring the best possible flavor.

If you don't have a cellar, store it in a cool place away from direct sunlight until the day of the party. On the day of the party, keep it in the refrigerator until it's cooled, and then transfer it to a champagne cooler filled with ice once people start arriving.

Coolers themselves are very visually appealing, so having a few on hand can be fun. For example, a transparent one will highlight an elaborate bottle, and a Japanese-style one made of cypress is also stylish. Recently, a home I visited used a ceramic vessel as a cooler, which I thought was also very lovely. You can also use a large vase you own instead of a cooler.

■Pouring in two steps for elegance

First, it's standard for the host to serve. While men are usually the ones who serve at restaurants, at home parties, even if you're a female host, you should take the initiative to serve. When holding the bottle, avoiding etiquette, hold it in one hand. However, women, especially, may find it difficult to maintain balance if the bottle is heavy, so if you're not used to it, it's safer to hold it with your other hand.

Once you've finished pouring into the glasses, snap your wrist and rotate the bottle to prevent the champagne from dripping over the rim.

Champagne has a rich bubbly texture, so if you pour everyone's glass half full first, and then add the remaining half once the bubbles have subsided, you can finish pouring everyone's glasses in no time.

■ A suggestion: Change your champagne with each dish

While champagne generally doesn't have to be very specific to a dish, you can also enjoy pairing a distinctive bottle with each dish, or a different champagne with each dish.

For dishes with rich sauces or meat dishes, a champagne made with rich black grapes is a great choice. For Japanese cuisine, a delicate champagne made with white grapes is an excellent match. Sushi and champagne also go very well together. When pairing with Chinese or ethnic cuisine, which often has rich, flavorful dishes like shrimp chiri, a champagne with a slightly higher dosage (the amount lost by removing the sediment is replaced with liqueur) may be a better match. A champagne with a higher dosage is also perfect as a dessert champagne to enjoy at the end of a meal.

Now, in the final chapter, Chapter 3/3, we will teach you how to entertain guests as a host at a restaurant.