An Intimate Champagne Brunch with connoiseur Jerome Philippon

I miss having Sunday brunches and drinking champagne with family or friends. Two of my favorites places for Sunday brunch closed down already: Sunday Brunch @ Lumiere and Sala Sunday Jazz Brunch. These places introduced me to champagne drinks such as Mimosa (orange with champagne) or Kir Royal (champange with a touch of sweetness from Creme de Cassis). Sunday brunch is usually reserved for special occasions to celebrate birthdays, despedida or any milestones in your life.

Just imagine our excitement when we got an invite for a Champagne Breakfast with connoiseur Jerome Philippon of Sommelier Selection. It was held at Prince Albert Rotisserie, The Intercontinental Hotel, Makati City. It was a PR event for Sommelier Selection but we came for the breakfast and to learn more about Champagne. Let me share with you my notes on the Champagne lecture so that we can appreciate this wine a little bit more.

Jerome Philippon, Wine Hunter shares his knowledge about Champagne

Champagne 101: 10 Things You Should Know About Champagne
1. Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation.
2. It is named after the Champagne region of France.
3. Wine is NOT made from Grapes. It is made from the terroir (pronounced as ter – ua for that french effect)
4. There are 100 grape varieties, 15 major wine regions, 250 AOC appleations outside of the Bordeaux region.
5. Terroir is the essence of the wine in the glass. It creates the specific uniqueness of that cultural pocket of the world where it grows.
6. Four-(4) key factors of the Terroir: a. Man, and a dose of passion, b. Climate, c. The Land, and lastly, d. The Grape.
7. A very good wine is healthy, it is a natural product and it has no bad effect like hang-over in the morning.
8. Champagne is made from three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The first two are black grapes, the latter is white.
9. It taste fuller, fresh, lively, a little bit salty, and feels like there is something bubbling inside.
10. French Wine does not have to be expensive and a good wine would costs P400 up.

For more information: Champagne Guide

Poached eggs Benedictine with Hollandaise sauce, Asparagus and Smoked Salmon.

The eggs’ white looks like a balloon and once you pinch it, the egg yolk would ooze out. I still miss the 3 Egg Omelette of Sala described as very mushroomy and laced with white truffle oil, parmesan and hollandaise on top of hot toast. I can’t wait for Sala to open at Lumiere’s former location near PLDT’s building along Makati Ave.

Crepes filled with wood mushrooms and mild goat cheese gratinated with Nutmeg milk sauce.

Nobody wants to admit that this crepe dish was a disappointment. You can see it from the number of plates that have plenty of leftovers.

Baguio Strawberry “sorbet” Champagne rose … yum!

This is the best champagne dessert we have ever tasted. I’ll do this one time at home where we will order a strawberry sorbet and pour a Champagne Rose on top of it. This gave me a good idea to bring for gatherings.

To learn more about French wines or to have a taste of unique and authentic French wine selections in Manila, Philippines visit Sommelier Selection or call Sommelier Selection at Tel.# +632-8404211; Telefax;+632-8929928 or e-mail jeromefphilippon@mac.com.