Mélusine: so California has no real champagne?

Bwild: I'm totally sure about what I said. Here, in France, there's a little " war " between winegrowers, specially in some regions as Champagne, Beaujolais, and Bordelais (region around Bordeaux where I live). You must know that the AOC covers a specific area, and, in some regions as mine, some winegrowers can't get the AOC although their vineyard is just beside (only 2 or 3 feet !!) another one with the AOC. The difference of taste is obvious for a expert, but not for a beginner. Even me, sometimes, I've difficulties to recognize the exact origin of a wine in a same area.
In France, your wine is named : " Vin de Californie " (Wine of California). I've already drinked some, and I really appreciated it and you must know that I'm very demanding with wine (I've a cellar with about between 50 and 100 different wines). Your wine from Californie is more sweet than our Champagne, but it's very nice. I'd say that this wine is more light in the taste.
You also must know that our Champagne is classified in 3 categories : " brut ", " sec " and " demi-sec " and your wine is so different that it can't be in none of these categories. In France, we would say that your wine is a " mousseux " (I could translate by : " sparkling wine ").
Many people speak about Champagne but, in reality, a lot of them have never drunk a real Champagne from this region. I'm sure that if I did a test with you : to drink some Champagne and another wine in 2 different glasses without name on the glasses, you would see a big difference.
Many people, too, don't know that a Champagne must be drunk in the 2 years following the bottling. After this period, the wine isn't " perfect ", the taste is different and the color of the wine becomes a little rose (difficult to see it with the eye) ; I did the test and I've kept a bottle of Champagne since 10 years and the wine is dark rose. It's funny : when I show the bottle to someone (and hide the name) everybody wonders what it is.
And about what was said before, I've a doubt about a Moët & Chandon and a Veuve Clicquot to 40 $ !!! Here, I don't often drink these ones : these are luxury champagnes, always sold in a casket so the prize is at least the double !
There's something shocking : here, in my region (Bordeaux) some people sell some french wine without AOC to foreign countries, and they say to foreigners that their wine is a very great wine from Bordeaux. They use the name of Bordeaux to as to raise the prize. I give you an example : where I live, a wine with AOC costs about between 20 to 25 Euros the bottle the 2nd year (then the prize raises very rapidly so here, we always buy it the 2nd year) and a wine without AOC is about 5 Euros the bottle. Well, you see people selling the bottles without AOC in other countries to around 30 to 40 Euros the bottle !!!! For me, It's shocking !!!

Mélusine: I'm not a big champagne (as its marketed in the USA) drinker. I'm more of a California Merlot drinker,though I am always on the lookout for a French bottle from near you,to try!

Just curious..red with beef
..white with chicken?
or (like me) it doesnt matter?

Bwild: they say that these days it doesn't really matter what color wine...it is the taste that compliments the meal not the color :)

Mélusine: It not just about Champagne, there are lots of other protected goods like Cognac, Kalamata olives or Gorgonzola cheese to name a few. European Union does a pretty good job on protecting the rights of these labels. But i would guess that in the US very small percentage of "Parmegiano" sold is actually real Parmegiano cheese.

Here is a great article (or actually series of articles) about Kobe beef (and little bit about other protected labels also): http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

According to that article it is not even possible to import Kobe beef to US legally. And still restaurants all around US have Kobe on their menus. I say its outragous!

Mélusine: not sure if your aware..but non means not.

Mélusine: That is interesting very interesting