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Champagne & Chandeliers
grand dining celebrations
B E R N A D E T T E O ’S HEA
Contents
FOREWORD
v
John F. Kennedy
57
CHAMPAGNE PHILIPPONNAT
PREFACE
xi
Mikhail Gorbachev, Paris
Esprit du Siecle Brisbane
125
CHAMPAGNE MOËT & CHANDON
69
Princess Margaret, Dar es Salaam
01
CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER
Babette
69
CHAMPAGNE RUINART
9
CHAMPAGNE DE VENOGE
King George VI
François Mitterrand, Caracas
15
133
Royal Wedding, Charles & Diana
75
CHAMPAGNE DUVAL-LEROY
Emperor Hirohito
King Louis XV
85
89
CHAMPAGNE HENRIOT
Royal Wedding, Frederik & Mary
Royal Wedding, Naruhito & Masako
CHAMPAGNE BOLLINGER, CHAMPAGNE AYALA
Nobel Prize
29
CHAMPAGNE MERCIER
Karl Lagerfeld, Great Wall of China
141
147
155
CHAMPAGNE GOSSET
Oxford English Dictionary
Elvis Presley and the Beatles
163
Baltic Sea Champagne
CHAMPAGNE PIPER-HEIDSIECK
221
227
CHAMPAGNE CHARLES HEIDSIECK
Hiroyuki Hiramatsu and Salon
101
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow
CHAMPAGNE JACQUES SELOSSE
173
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
238
INDEX
241
CHAMPAGNE DELAMOTTE
CHAMPAGNE POMMERY
45
Princess Grace
109
183
CHAMPAGNE DEUTZ
Seven Kings
CHAMPAGNE POL ROGER
213
CHAMPAGNE HEIDSIECK & CO MONOPOLE
CHAMPAGNE PERRIER-JOUËT
Winston Churchill
Gerard Boyer and Krug
CHAMPAGNE BRUNO PAILLARD
King Edward VII
Henry Ford, Brussels
207
CHAMPAGNE LANSON
93
CHAMPAGNE DOM PÉRIGNON
35
Rémi Krug, Hong Kong
CHAMPAGNE KRUG
CHAMPAGNE SALON
Picasso and Ferran Adrià
201
CHAMPAGNE JACQUESSON
CHAMPAGNE TAITTINGER
23
King Olav V
CHAMPAGNE LAURENT-PERRIER
CHAMPAGNE G.H. MUMM
Luciano Pavarotti, New York
The Titanic
193
CHAMPAGNE COMTE AUDOIN DE DAMPIERRE
CHAMPAGNE VEUVE CLICQUOT
Emperors
President Clinton and Jiang Zemin
49
King Edward VIII
CHAMPAGNE BILLECART-SALMON
117
POL ROGER 1892
189
Preface
Champagne –– the
the very
very word
word says
says celebration.
celebration. With
With itit we
we toast
toast success,
success, mark
mark life’s
life’s milestones,
milestones,
Champagne
christen ships
ships and
and even
even babies,
babies, and
and welcome
welcome with
with hope
hope and
and joy
joy every
every new
new year.
year.
christen
Champagne sparkles
sparkles its
its way
way into
into all
all the
the best
best moments
moments on
on the
the world
world stage
stage –– royal
royal weddings,
weddings,
Champagne
presidents’ inaugurations,
inaugurations, nations’
nations’ treaty
treaty signings
signings –– significant
significant occasions
occasions instantly
instantly recorded
recorded in
in
presidents’
history. In
In these
these pages
pages we
we join
join royal
royal celebrities
celebrities in
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen at
at the
the wedding
wedding dinner
dinner of
of Prince
Prince
history.
Frederik and
and Princess
Princess Mary,
Mary, attend
attend aa charity
charity dinner
dinner in
in New
New York
York with
with Princess
Princess Grace
Grace of
of Monaco,
Monaco,
Frederik
and watch
watch over
over President
President John
John F.
F. Kennedy’s
Kennedy’s Inaugural
Inaugural Luncheon
Luncheon in
in 1961.
1961.
and
Champagne is
is also
also aa form
form of
of applause,
applause, our
our way
way of
of honouring
honouring remarkable
remarkable creative
creative and
and
Champagne
intellectual achievement,
achievement, the
the finest
finest human
human endeavours.
endeavours. We
We visit
visit Stockholm
Stockholm for
for aa Nobel
Nobel Prize
Prize
intellectual
dinner in
in the
the Blue
Blue Hall,
Hall, and
and sit
sit in
in with
with the
the great
great pointy
pointy heads
heads of
of the
the day
day for
for the
the launch
launch of
of the
the
dinner
Oxford English
English Dictionary
Dictionary in
in Goldsmiths’
Goldsmiths’ Hall,
Hall, London.
London. And
And not
not only
only do
do we
we time-travel
time-travel into
into
Oxford
yesterday, we
we also
also slip
slip into
into celluloid
celluloid when
when we
we take
take aa peek
peek at
at Babette’s
Babette’s famous
famous feast.
feast.
yesterday,
With champagne,
champagne, too,
too, we
we toast
toast our
our friends,
friends, people
people who
who have
have made
made our
our world
world aa better
better place.
place.
With
And so
so we
we observe
observe aa quiet
quiet dinner
dinner with
with Luciano
Luciano Pavarotti
Pavarotti in
in New
New York
York during
during an
an opera
opera season
season
And
at the
the Met,
Met, and
and don
don cashmere
cashmere wraps
wraps and
and join
join Karl
Karl Lagerfeld
Lagerfeld on
on The
The Great
Great Wall
Wall of
of China
China for
for the
the
at
world’s most
most extravagant
extravagant fashion
fashion show
show ever.
ever. II welcome
welcome you
you as
as my
my dinner
dinner guest
guest in
in Brisbane
Brisbane to
to
world’s
enjoy Moët
Moët &
& Chandon’s
Chandon’s history-making
history-making Esprit
Esprit du
du Siècle.
Siècle.
enjoy
Most celebrations
celebrations involve
involve aa meal,
meal, because
because dining
dining together
together is
is one
one of
of the
the happiest
happiest gatherings
gatherings
Most
we know.
know. II hope
hope to
to show
show you
you how
how bringing
bringing champagne
champagne to
to the
the table
table provides
provides unrivalled
unrivalled matching
matching
we
potential for
for almost
almost all
all types
types of
of food
food and
and cuisine
cuisine styles.
styles. Each
Each of
of the
the book’s
book’s celebration
celebration revolves
revolves
potential
around aa menu,
menu, and
and itit brings
brings me
me great
great pleasure
pleasure to
to match
match aa dish
dish with
with aa champagne.
champagne.
around
No two
two champagnes
champagnes are
are the
the same,
same, with
with different
different terroirs,
terroirs, grapes,
grapes, slopes,
slopes, seasons,
seasons, styles
styles
No
and techniques.
techniques. Here
Here II present
present two
two hundred
hundred champagnes,
champagnes, many
many of
of them
them readily
readily available
available today,
today,
and
as well
well as
as some
some rare
rare and
and iconic
iconic ones
ones from
from the
the past
past that
that II have
have been
been privileged
privileged to
to drink
drink –– great
great
as
treasures beyond
beyond price,
price, as
as the
the late
late great
great Max
Max Lake
Lake put
put it.
it.
treasures
Over and
and above
above still
still wines,
wines, champagne
champagne brings
brings texture
texture and
and mouth
mouth aroma
aroma to
to aa match.
match. Its
Its high
high
Over
acidity tones
tones down
down saltiness,
saltiness, cuts
cuts through
through fat
fat and
and reduces
reduces excessive
excessive sweetness.
sweetness. Its
Its effervescence
effervescence
acidity
“degreases the
the tastebuds”,
tastebuds”, while
while adding
adding elegance
elegance and
and “height”
“height” to
to “heavy”
“heavy” foods.
foods.
“degreases
So “What’s
“What’s for
for dinner?”
dinner?” has
has just
just become
become much
much more
more intriguing.
intriguing. Each
Each champagne
champagne match
match
So
propose either
either complements
complements or
or contrasts
contrasts with
with the
the character
character of
of the
the food
food –– qualities
qualities such
such as
as
II propose
creaminess, crunch,
crunch, crispness
crispness and
and of
of course
course taste
taste that,
that, in
in combination
combination with
with the
the other
other sensations,
sensations,
creaminess,
create flavour.
flavour.
create
My interest
interest in
in champagne
champagne began
began in
in the
the late
late 1970s.
1970s. From
From the
the first
first sip,
sip, II was
was overwhelmed
overwhelmed
My
by how
how aa wine
wine could
could be
be so
so beautifully
beautifully crafted
crafted and
and display
display so
so many
many exquisite
exquisite nuances.
nuances. II still
still am
am
by
overwhelmed! The
The aromas
aromas in
in particular
particular fascinate
fascinate me,
me, assisted
assisted no
no doubt
doubt by
by my
my background
background as
as aa
overwhelmed!
floral artist.
artist.
floral
grand champagne
champagne occasions
occasions
grand
xx
preface
preface
xi
xi
King George VI
At the time it was tagged the greatest reception ever, and its like has never been
seen since. When the King and Queen of England visited France in July 1938, it was
a staged statement of solidarity between the two countries not long after Hitler
had signed an alliance with Italy. The political mood in Europe was tense amid
premonitions of war.
The symbolism was unmistakeable. In a show of military
all white. A French precedent for this all-white protocol had
strength, 50,000 French troops lined the railway from
been found back in the seventeenth century, when queens
Boulogne-sur-Mer to Paris as the royal carriages passed by.
wore white while in mourning.
When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Paris,
The Parisians adored the fashionable wardrobe and
10,000 white doves – doves of peace – were released from an
Norman Hartnell was acclaimed by couturiers and made an
enormous flower-bedecked cage to the cheers of two million
officer of the Académie Française. His soft and impeccably
Parisians. The public reception of all time had begun.
elegant designs influenced Paris collections that year and
As the royal motorcade reached Place de la Concorde, an
were immortalised in the photography of Cecil Beaton.
enormous Union Jack – said to be the largest flag ever made
Matchless, though, and priceless, were the royal jewels,
– fluttered to life from the Eiffel Tower.
which so rarely leave London. To the opera the Queen wore
At Versailles the smartly drilled, heavily motorised might
the 106-carat Koh-i-Nur diamond, the legendary Indian
of France unrolled in a broad military pageant before the king
diamond with a history as dazzling as its lustre, and on
and a host of dignitaries. The military attachés of Germany
another occasion she wore the magnificent “Indian” tiara
and Italy were given front-row seats, no doubt in support of
of Queen Victoria, set with 2,678 diamonds. The tiara is
the maxim attributed to the French general, Marshal Lyautey:
named for the Indian rubies set into it in 1902, when Queen
“Show your strength so as not to have to use it.”
Alexandra had its “unlucky” opals removed. Also in evidence
As well as the line-up of military might, the royal visit
were the diamond garter, created for Queen Victoria and
was also memorable for the glittering display of elegance and
worn by Queen Elizabeth on the arm, and the jewelled badge
opulence. Queen Elizabeth’s wardrobe created a sensation,
of the Légion d’Honneur and sash.
though all had not gone to plan. When the Queen’s mother,
We do not know which pieces Her Majesty wore to dinner
the Countess of Strathmore, died five days before the orig—
in the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, but we can
inal date of departure, the visit, postponed by three weeks to
imagine the evening. Picture the setting in Jules Hardouin-
mid-July, still fell within the official period of mourning.
Mansart’s architectural wonder with its 357 mirrors, the
Royal couturier Norman Hartnell worked quickly to
gilding, enormous chandeliers, and a thousand metres of
redesign the wardrobe entirely, replacing “many lovely
painted and sculpted work by Charles Le Brun, first painter
colourings” with costumes more appropriate for a time of
to the “Sun King”, Louis XIV.
mourning. His solution was a masterstroke.
The Queen boarded the train in England wearing black
… and when she stepped onto the platform in Paris she wore
[opposite] Chandelier, Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles
king george vi
15
Menu
Fresh caviar
caviar and
and chilled
chilled melon
melon
Fresh
How delightful
delightful to
to read
read this
this menu
menu –– and
and especially
especially the
the many
many
How
There is
is aa strong
strong personality
personality to
to Veuve
Veuve Clicquot
Clicquot 1980,
1980,
There
Fish from
from Lake
Lake Annecy
Annecy in
in béchamel
béchamel sauce
sauce
Fish
with crayfi
crayfish
sh butter
butter
with
champagnes, which
which were
were probably
probably served
served at
at the
the conclusion
conclusion
champagnes,
which has
has the
the vigour
vigour and
and complexity
complexity to
to match
match the
the strength
strength
which
The banquet,
banquet, hosted
hosted by
by the
the Mayor
Mayor of
of Versailles,
Versailles, Henri
Henri
The
Haye, was
was created
created by
by ten
ten of
of the
the fifinest
nest chefs
chefs in
in France.
France. The
The
Haye,
wines, of
of equal
equal importance
importance to
to the
the meal,
meal, included
included the
the 1900
1900
wines,
Medallions of
of lamb
lamb
Medallions
blueberries and
and aa seductive
seductive touch
touch of
of cinnamon
cinnamon and
and nutmeg
nutmeg
blueberries
Timbale of
of stuffed
stuffed quail
quail
Timbale
de Blancs,
Blancs, its
its vibrant
vibrant lively
lively aromas
aromas immediately
immediately apparapparde
is the
the fifirst
rst sensation
sensation that
that greets
greets the
the palate,
palate, followed
followed by
by the
the
is
Slivers of
ofyoung
young duck
duck
Slivers
ent without
without any
any need
need to
to swirl
swirl the
the glass.
glass. They
They refl
reflect
ect notes
notes of
of
ent
skin of
of red
red apple,
apple, some
some ripe
ripe apricots,
apricots, and
and orange
orange slices
slices
skin
Salad Gauloise
Gauloise
Salad
jasmine, pink
pink grapefruit,
grapefruit, and
and light
light clear
clear honey.
honey. ItIt is
is almost
almost as
as
jasmine,
dipped in
in chocolate.
chocolate.
dipped
Granita of
of Lanson
Lanson 1921
1921
Granita
thoughthe
thehoney
honeyhas
hasbeen
beendrizzled
drizzledover
overfresh
freshpeaches
peacheson
onthe
the
though
SLIVERS OF
OF YOUNG
YOUNG DUCK
DUCK calls
calls for
for aa lush,
lush, ripe
ripe wine
wine bursting
bursting
SLIVERS
Young Bresse
Bresse chicken
chicken in
in cream
cream sauce,
sauce,
Young
with butter
butter swirls
swirls and
and braised
braised asparagus
asparagus tips
tips
with
palatewith
withaalayer
layerof
ofcashew
cashewand
andalmond.
almond.There
Thereis
isaaflflavour
avourof
of
palate
with rich
rich flflavours.
avours. Pol
Pol Roger
Roger 1973
1973 answers
answers the
the call.
call. Pomelo,
Pomelo,
with
peartatin
tatinand
andthe
thewine
winefifinishes
nisheswith
withaarich
richmineral
minerallift.
lift.
pear
ripepineapple,
pineapple,blueberries
blueberriesand
andceps
cepsfifillllthe
thepalate
palateand
andefforteffortripe
1895 Pommery,
Pommery, in
in honour
honour of
of the
the King’s.
King’s.
1895
Gifts presented
presented to
to the
the royal
royal couple
couple included
included aa René
René
Gifts
Lalique glass
glass table
table service,
service, aa solid
solid gold
gold cigarette
cigarette case
case
Lalique
and watercolours
watercolours by
by Edouard
Edouard Vuillard,
Vuillard, Raoul
Raoul Dufy
Dufy and
and
and
Truffles
es prepared
prepared Périgord
Périgord style
style
Truffl
IcedSingapore
Singapore mousse,
mousse,
Iced
peaches, petits
petits fours
fours
peaches,
Wines
MackenzieSherry
Sherry “Amontillado
“Amontillado Grande
Grande Réserve”
Réserve”
Mackenzie
Chevalier Montrachet
Montrachet 1926
1926
Chevalier
Magnum of
of Château
Château La
La Mission
Mission Haut
Haut Brion
Brion 1920
1920
Magnum
Hospices de
de Beaune
Beaune “Cuvée
“Cuvée Charlotte
Charlotte Dumay”
Dumay” 1915
1915
Hospices
Corton Grancey
Grancey 1919
1919
Corton
Magnum of
of Château
Château Mouton
Mouton Rothschild
Rothschild 1919
1919
Magnum
Château d’Yquem
d’Yquem 1921
1921
Château
Magnum of
of Château
Château Latour
Latour 1904
1904
Magnum
Magnum of
of Pol
Pol Roger
Roger 1911
1911
Magnum
Magnum of
of G.H.
G.H. Mumm
Mumm 1911
1911
Magnum
Louis Roederer
Roederer 1904
1904
Louis
Veuve Clicquot
Clicquot 1900
1900
Veuve
Pommery 1895
1895
Pommery
[clockwisefrom
fromtop
topleft]
left]Koh-i-Nur
Koh-i-Nurdiamond;
diamond;Queen
QueenElizabeth
Elizabethin
in
[clockwise
NormanHartnell
Hartnellgown,
gown,photographed
photographedby
byCecil
CecilBeaton;
Beaton;[possibly
[possibly
Norman
someCrown
CrownJewels
Jewelsto
tocome]
come]
some
champagnnee &
&chandeliers
chandeliers
champag
16
16
TIMBALEOF
OFSTUFFED
STUFFEDQUAIL
QUAIL..A
Ablend
blendof
ofblack
blackpreserved
preservedcherries,
cherries,
ofTIMBALE
of
of the
the meal.
meal. Here
Here II draw
draw on
on those
those same
same Houses.
Houses.
of
CAVIAR AND
AND MELON
MELON attracts
attracts the
the Louis
Louis Roederer
Roederer 1988
1988 Blanc
Blanc
CAVIAR
Veuve Clicquot,
Clicquot, in
in honour
honour of
of the
the Queen’s
Queen’s birth
birth year,
year, and
and the
the
Veuve
Maurice Utrillo.
Utrillo.
Maurice
Champagne Match
Pommery “Flacon
“Flacon d’Exception”
d’Exception” 1981
1981 glides
glides across
across the
the
Pommery
lessly convey
convey chocolate,
chocolate, mocha
mocha coffee
coffee and
and honey
honey nuances.
nuances.
lessly
FISH IN
IN BÉCHAMEL
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
SAUCE WITH
WITH CRAYFISH
CRAYFISH BUTTER
BUTTER
palate to
to meet
meet the
the FISH
palate
There is
is aa layer
layer of
of light
light honey
honey toffee
toffee mixed
mixed with
with walnuts
walnuts and
and
There
andfifind
ndaahappy
happyhome.
home.These
Theseflflacons
aconsrested
restedin
inthe
thePommery
Pommery
and
background of
of hawthorn
hawthorn flflorals.
orals. An
An amazing
amazing combination
combination
aa background
cellarsuntil
until1999
1999and
andwere
werereleased
releasedfor
forthe
themillennium
millennium––each
each
cellars
with duck.
duck.
with
year is
is aa testament
testament to
to excellence.
excellence. The
The year
year 1981
1981 was
was aa highhighyear
GRANITAOF
OFLANSON
LANSON1921.
1921.Imagine
Imagineturning
turningaachampagne
champagnefrom
from
GRANITA
acid year
year and
and there
there is
is still
still enough
enough to
to balance
balance the
the more
more develdevelacid
the famous
famous 1921
1921 vintage
vintage into
into aa granita!
granita! II would
would much
much prefer
prefer
the
oped flflavours
avours of
of mocha,
mocha, baked
baked apple,
apple, and
and toffee
toffee sprinkled
sprinkled
oped
to have
have sipped
sipped this
this nectar,
nectar, and
and by
by all
all accounts
accounts the
the example
example
to
with nuts,
nuts, fifinishing
nishing on
on the
the palate
palate with
with ripe
ripe but
but crisp
crisp citrus.
citrus.
with
from this
this beautiful
beautiful House
House lived
lived up
up to
to the
the accolades
accolades that
that
from
MEDALLIONS OF
OF LAMB
LAMB requires
requires aa wine
wine with
with generous
generous characcharacMEDALLIONS
this year
year received.
received. In
In particular,
particular, the
the crispness
crispness and
and elegance
elegance
this
ter, such
such as
as Mumm
Mumm “Cuvée
“Cuvée R.
R. Lalou”
Lalou” 1998,
1998, which
which has
has an
an
ter,
would have
have been
been retained,
retained, owing
owing to
to the
the assertive
assertive acidity
acidity
would
intriguing mix
mix of
of freshness
freshness and
and maturity.
maturity. René
René Lalou,
Lalou, after
after
intriguing
derived from
from this
this delightful
delightful non-malolactic
non-malolactic wine.
wine.
derived
Flavours radiate
radiate from
from Pommery
Pommery “Louise”
“Louise” 1988,
1988, which
which
Flavours
whom this
this new
new cuvée
cuvée de
de prestige
prestige is
is named,
named, was
was the
the rising
rising
whom
CHICKEN IN
IN CREAM
CREAM SAUCE
SAUCE..
CHICKEN
star of
of G.H.
G.H. Mumm
Mumm when
when this
this dinner
dinner took
took place.
place. He
He appears
appears
star
makes itit aa distinctive
distinctive partner
partner to
to
makes
in the
the Mumm
Mumm story
story that
that follows.
follows. Created
Created from
from seven
seven grand
grand
in
Perfumed aromas
aromas of
of ginger
ginger flflowers
owers and
and sweetpeas
sweetpeas open
open to
to aa
Perfumed
cru vineyards,
vineyards, the
the wine
wine unfurls
unfurls in
in aa crescendo
crescendo with
with aa
cru
palate of
of fresh
fresh mandarin,
mandarin, cashews,
cashews, bright
bright red
red plums,
plums, ginger
ginger
palate
marked impression
impression of
of elegance.
elegance. There
There is
is aa great
great aromatic
aromatic
marked
grachai and
and rosella
rosella jam,
jam, all
all gently
gently sprinkled
sprinkled with
with delicate
delicate
grachai
complexityof
ofwhite
whiteiris,
iris,white
whiteapple
appleblossom
blossomand
andhawthorn
hawthorn
complexity
spice, dill
dill and
and mint.
mint. Finally
Finally there
there is
is aa layer
layer of
of baked
baked cheese
cheese
spice,
withinterlinking
interlinkingelements
elementsof
ofmineral
mineralnotes,
notes,nougat,
nougat,orange
orange
with
soufflé,
é, as
as well
well as
as breakfast
breakfast marmalade,
marmalade, wild
wild cherries
cherries and
and
souffl
and acacia
acacia honey.
honey. There
There is
is aa layer
layer of
of preserved
preserved citrus,
citrus, along
along
and
yellow peaches
peaches drizzled
drizzled with
with honey.
honey.
yellow
with deep
deep cherry
cherry and
and strawberry,
strawberry, and
and hints
hints of
of pineapple,
pineapple,
with
PÉRIGORD--STYLE
STYLETRUFFLES
TRUFFLESrequires
requiresaawine
wineof
ofgreat
greatmagnitude.
magnitude.
PÉRIGORD
trufflee and
and custard
custard apple,
apple, all
all sprinkled
sprinkled with
with hazelnut,
hazelnut,
truffl
Mumm “Cuvée
“Cuvée René
René Lalou”
Lalou” 1966
1966 is
is rich
rich and
and concentrated,
concentrated,
Mumm
brazil nut
nut and
and praline
praline which
which comes
comes to
to the
the fore.
fore. All
All the
the fruit
fruit
brazil
with saturated
saturated flflavours
avours of
of glazed
glazed citrus
citrus peel,
peel, coffee,
coffee, chocochocowith
is wrapped
wrapped in
in aa light
light veil
veil of
of vanilla,
vanilla, similar
similar to
to the
the lightest
lightest
is
late, baked
baked apple
apple topped
topped with
with toffee,
toffee, and
and dried
dried fifigs.
gs. There
There
late,
crème anglaise.
anglaise. Some
Some pink
pink grapefruit
grapefruit appears,
appears, surrounded
surrounded
crème
is aa slight
slight edge
edge of
of spice,
spice, layers
layers of
of honeyed
honeyed macadamia
macadamia nuts,
nuts,
is
by white
white peach
peach and
and nectarines
nectarines and
and edged
edged by
by lemon
lemon butter
butter
by
suggestions of
of dried
dried mushrooms,
mushrooms, and
and aa fragrant
fragrant nose
nose of
of
suggestions
on toast.
toast. AA wonderful
wonderful vein
vein of
of mineral,
mineral, quartz
quartz and
and pearl
pearl run
run
on
mauve lilacs
lilacs and
and ruby
ruby peonies.
peonies. The
The wine
wine reaches
reaches out
out with
with
mauve
through the
the palate,
palate, and
and this
this fifinely
nely balances
balances the
the structure
structure
through
power and
and strength
strength and
and has
has alluring
alluring characters
characters that
that would
would
power
and acidity.
acidity.
and
make the
the truffl
truffles
es joyous!
joyous!
make
king george
george vi
vi
king
17
17
Royal Wedding
Frederik & Mary
The fairytale wedding of Mary Donaldson of Tasmania, Australia, and Crown
Prince Frederik of Denmark might well have been written by Hans Christian
Andersen himself.
Raised in a suburb of Hobart, Mary Donaldson studied Law at university before
moving to Sydney where she worked in real estate and public relations. Frederik,
on the other hand, hailed from Europe’s oldest royal family, the Danish monarchy.
A descendant of King Gorm the Old, Denmark’s tenth century Viking ruler, Frederik
boasts a lineage that tracks back more than a thousand years.
The commoner and the crown prince met at a pub in
Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games. Four years later
their fairytale romance was recorded in history. When Mary
Donaldson became Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, the
world celebrated with her.
On 14 May 2004 the Copenhagen Cathedral, the Church
of Our Lady, was dressed with masses of beautiful flowers
– roses, lilies, carnations, peonies, sweetpeas, bluebells and
Australian eucalyptus. The massed voices of the Copenhagen Boys Choir filled the church with triumphant Handel,
trumpets sounded, and standards flew as European aristocracy turned out in force, wearing glinting tiaras, swords,
medals and insignia. The last time so many dignitaries had
gathered in the nave was at Hans Christian Andersen’s funeral
in 1875. The wedding feast was held in a candlelit marquee
with a sumptuous meal themed around Danish produce.
The ten-tier wedding cake towered two metres high, each
tier decorated with the FMF monogram designed by Queen
Margrethe, Frederik’s mother. Of course champagne was
served at the wedding banquet and it was from the House of
[opposite] Champagne glasses by Queensland jeweller John
Calleija are studded with 1,700 white and Argyle pink diamonds.
[above] Masses of flowers – roses, lilies, peonies, sweet peas,
Scottish bluebells, and Australian eucalyptus - adorned
Copenhagen’s Cathedral of Our Lady for the royal wedding.
Mercier. A special champagne, “Cuvée Frederik & Mary”, was
released for the occasion.
royal wedding, frederik & mary
29
publication date December 2009 price RRP $120.00 hardback isbn/apn 9781 74066 8354 format 285 x 230 mm portrait
extent 256 pages illustration Full-colour photography thoughout catergory Food/Wine imprint Hardie Grant Books
enquiries +61 (0)7 3870 9996 +61 (0)413 751 792 email mkagency@optusnet.com.au web www.champagneconsultant.com