There’s no better way to ring in the New Year than with a champagne glass in hand, raised high in the air, ready to start clinking. This time-honored tradition of sharing this warm moment with others— family and friends, new and old—is a great way to mark the end, or the beginning, of something special, particularly New Year’s Eve.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes champagne the celebratory drink of choice versus another sparkling white wine or, say, vodka on the rocks, so have we. Moreso, why must we reach across a table to clink glasses before we drink? Don’t get us wrong, it’s always a cheerful activity, but is it necessary? The answer, we discovered, is yes, it absolutely is. Here’s why.
First off, there’s a good reason champagne beat out others in its class. It’s an alcoholic beverage that originates from the eponymous French region, where the locals have been perfecting the bottle-fermentation process using trademark high-acidity grapes for centuries. Like most things that are exclusive and one-of-a-kind, this drink became a luxury libation of the elite, in particular France’s King Louis XIV. Who could blame him? Those bubbles, which send your tongue into tingling ecstasy, and the sweet percolation of fermented grape, make it so easy to get hooked.
As for the clinking, you’ll surely welcome the glass-smacking sound after you read this: Some historians say that in the 17th century, people would dip a piece of bread in a large communal cup to add flavor to the drink (hence “toasting”), then pass it around for everyone to sip. Thankfully, these days, we each hold up our own glass (for good hygiene’s sake) and we clink to simulate that bond of sharing a cup.
If you haven’t already selected your bubbly for tonight, no worries! We’ve recruited Joseph Dierna, a local wine buyer for the Connecticut-based Il Palio Restaurant, to offer some fine suggestions to pop open, toast, clink, and drink to 2010.
Pommery,Brut Royal, $53.99
Moet Chandon Brut Rose, $64.49
Perrier-Jouet, Grand Brut, $59.99
Veuve Cliquot, NV, $62.99
Laurent-Perrier,Brut Vintage 1999, $79.99
Piper Heidsieck,Jean-Paul Gaultier, $125.00
Taittinger,Blanc De Blanc, $172.00
Moet Chandon,Dom Perignon, $195.00
Krug,Grand Cuvee, $251.00
[Photography by Wynand van Niekerk, FGX Studios]
Published on December 31, 2009
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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