Champagne Tasting at Fat Cork
What a super fun little event I was able to help host! This past weekend I had the privilege of working with Fat Cork and putting together a little Champagne Tasting for the non-profit I’m apart of. Wow-oh-wow was I blown away by how little I know about champagne! There are so many questions I got answered and a lot of general knowledge I received by simply attending.
Fat Cork is a darling little Champagne importer in our own little city. It’s located right off of John St in lower queen anne/uptown area. It’s not hard to find parking around it and it’s super easy to get to if you know where it is. It’s also, what I believe to be, one of Seattle’s hidden gems!
With a full cellar of beautifully imported champagne, Fat Cork is known for working directly with the wine vendors in the little town of Champagné in western France. All bottles are distributed from local vineyards in the region and most have been around for over 50 years. We were able to taste a wonderful champagne rosé from a second generation grower who opened his own vineyard near his father’s vineyard!
Each champagne has it’s own story, many equipped with a card with a picture of a map to pin point where the vineyard is as well as the family history that comes with the land. Something history buffs, like myself, geek out over.
All and all, this was a fun event simply because many of my personal friends attended and we didn’t end the night drunk or with a hangover the next day. Turns out, I haven’t been drinking quality champagne… You can actually avoid the dread in the morning if you are drinking great champagne. I was bright as rain for work the next day. Again, I learned so much!
The biggest take away for me was discovering that the glasses we were drinking out of were regular wine glasses and not flutes or coupes (which I not-so-secretly want). Upon questioning, I learned that champagne flutes will actually retain the bubbles for longer and that can take away the overall experience of tasting the wine. I’m not a fan of the bubbles. I actually like it when my champagne is more flat so I was thrilled to make this discovery. The coupe hunt officially begins!
The over all tastings were incredible. Everyone’s favorite was the champagne rosé, hands down. Almost everyone purchased a bottle because of how wonderful the three bottles we tasted were and everyone said they would love to come back and do it all over again.
Speaking of, pro-tip, during the month of December they are open every Saturday from 12-4pm if you want to check out their cellar or try something cold from the fridge. Check out their events here for more holiday ideas. This is a wonderful place to take mom after boutique shopping around the area.
Since these bottles are imported directly from the vendors, they’re coming with a higher price tag. However, these bottle are a rare find and perfect for a special holiday event. As is their domestic Champagne Club! They ship all over the US and their plans range from 2 bottles to 6 bottles every other month. It would make a terrific gift for the champagne lovers in your life or the person who absolutely loves hosting. One of our gals signed up right after the tasting and I can’t wait to hear about her first shipment.
