Popping the cork

I finally got to pop a bottle of Champagne to celebrate buying my apartment.

And not just any Champagne, but one with a story behind it.

Way back in 2019 – blimey, I look so young in the photo – I went to a media lunch with fifth generation champagne producer Charles Fourny at Sydney’s Aria restaurant.

Charles was a lovely bloke and we had heaps of fun chatting about winemaking.

The rest of the media pack didn’t stand a chance as we enthusiastically discussed vintages: 2018 was a corker, 2017 was terrible, 2019 was a bit iffy, Fourny’s vineyard lost 30% of its grapes to extreme weather, however, the ones that were left were small but wonderful …

Charles even invited me to visit him next time I was in his neck of the woods, which is a village called Vertus, located in the south of the Cote des Blancs region in France.

Then he handed me an autographed bottle of his wine as a keepsake.

It had been sitting in my wine rack ever since because I thought it was too special to drink. As for visiting Charles in Vertus … damn you, COVID.

However, I figured the less I have to pack for my house move the better, so I shared the bottle with DD over the weekend. It was absolutely delicious, I highly recommend it.

It was also very relaxing to not spend my Saturday house hunting. I resumed my regular walk in the bush with my school mum friends, then we sat at a sunny cafe for a few hours drinking coffee and chitter chattering.

Wasn’t the weekend weather glorious? Well, it was around my way. I felt a bit slack not enjoying it more, but there is so much to be done before I move house in early November.

The decluttering continued apace, with a selection of items listed on Facebook Marketplace that have so far attracted zero interest.

My weekend ended with purple dumplings and another toast – this time a 2012 Peterson’s Semillon from my dwindling wine rack – with our lovely friends Nic and Orsola. Also delicious.

And now it is Monday, which has come too soon. I am not ready for the intensity of another working week.

Fortunately the week contains an oddly timed public holiday. Remind me why the funeral is today but we mourn on Thursday?

Anyways, I hope you had a good weekend and got some vitamin D before La Niña sloshes back through.

Song of the day: Kool & The Gang “Celebration”