Why do we always drink champagne on New Year’s Eve? | Lifestyle

cheers! The flutes sound on a good new year and the bubbles are poured in. Where does that tradition come from? Barend Havenaar of the Champagne Bar explains: “The origin of drinking champagne at a festive occasion dates back to Napoleon around 1800. Every time Napoleon reached a milestone, he sabbed a bottle of bubbly. His tradition has grown and now we are celebrating a festive occasion worldwide with a bottle of bubbly.”

Enjoy optimally: this is how you do it

A glass of champagne is now a tradition during the countdown. “A year-end close is a festive occasion where you look back at the past twelve months and that includes champagne,” Havenaar explains. It is useful to know how to optimally enjoy that glass of bubbly. Lesson 1: leave the oliebollen. At least, while drinking champagne. “Oliebollen and champagne is the worst wine-food combination there is,” warns the connoisseur. “A champagne is a fresh, tight drink that is high in acids and an oliebol is a fatty sweet bite that does not match at all. The Netherlands is also the only country that eats oliebollen during the New Year. Better combinations are oysters, or, as they do in Belgium, mini croquettes with different fillings, such as salmon, shrimp or cheese.”

How to choose the best

He also has tips for choosing the right champagne: stay away from the big brands. “Many people who buy champagne do not drink it often and choose the familiar route. But you’re better off going for an unknown brand of about the same price. This way you pay less for the marketing, but more for the quality of the product. It is best to go for a Gand Cru, which is less high in acids.”

Once the right bubbles are in the house, it is also important to drink it in the right way, in order to enjoy it as much as possible. Havenaar: „Make sure that the champagne you buy is drunk within a year and store it in a cool place of about six degrees. Otherwise you will not taste the fruity, but only the sour. It is also important that you do not drink the champagne in a flute, so no champagne glass. You taste much less in such a glass, because your nose does not fit in it, while 80 percent of the taste goes through the nose. It is best to drink the bubble from a small, tight wine glass, then you will also experience the smell. And my last tip: always keep a bottle of bubbly in the fridge, because you never know when you’ll have a moment to celebrate.”

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