Ding dong, ding dong…. I jump out of bed to open the door. I find a lady holding a tray with a glass of champagne and a ‘Good Morning’ card with a quotation on the back: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much of champagne is just right”. As I let the lady in, I am still not fully awake. Looking around, I find myself in a beautiful maharaja-style room, taking a sip but in a daze. Where am I?!
Rewind…
I returned from an exhausting trip of the UK and to a call and an invite for a “champagne experience” at The Leela Palace Udaipur. Even though I am not a champagne expert, this was bound to be a great learning experience. I accepted immediatly!
A long road to Udaipur
I reach the hotel after a 40-minute drive from the airport and then comes a stunning five-minute boat ride on Lake Pichola which takes us to the reception area. Spectacular! At the entrance, local folk musicians are playing Kesaria balam. I am ushered into a private reception area, which resembles a cosy yet grand living room where the detailing is beautiful.
The welcome
A welcome drink arrives. Champagne Pommery. While we sip, introductions are made with the hosts — Rajiv Singhal, the ambassador of Champagne to India, and his wife Ritu. It’s 5.45pm already, the presentation starts at 6pm. I check in, rush to my room where more Champagne Pommery awaits.
All champagne is sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is champagne
The presentation starts with a history of the Champagne region where winemaking goes back 2,000 years or so. Champagne, as we know it today, was born out of the dedicated efforts of a handful of monks who mastered the process of fermentation and then produced the nectar, a clear wine with long-lasting bubbles. Once mastered by the end of the 17th century, it immediately became the drink at festivities for the nobility, kings and emperors in France and Europe.
The drink was en vogue!
Let me be honest and tell you that I’m no expert on the subject but I do have a weakness for those bubbles. It’s only developed over the recent years. A splendid start to the evening dedicated to bubble consumption begin with the Louis Roederer, citrus-y and full-flavoured. Next the Philippe Gonet Blanc de Blancs and the final of our first three, a Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rose, fruity and dry… my favourite as usual… my namesake, the ‘Pink Champagne’… the Rose.
Time for another quick trip to my room (Dinner dress code: Formal). I have a black dress and a white sari. No time for the sari so a black dress. Eyeliner, lippy, dragonfly brooch (which was a big hit by the way, although my metal adornment did have me emptying my bag at the Udaipur airport on the way back!), a pair of high heels and thanks to my 15 years as a model, I’m good to go!
Total recall
Ding dong, ding dong…. it’s 8am and I awake in a room filled with opulence. It overlooks Lake Pichola and other palaces and the view is breathtaking... the stuff movies are made of. All that is missing are two bare-chested hunks to carry me to breakfast in a palanquin!
The breakfast table is laid outdoors. It’s bright, sunny and a gentle breeze is felt. A far cry from the overcast London from a few days ago. A Rajasthani breakfast and fruits are laid out and, of course, two more champagnes to taste. We start the day with Devaux and Taittinger. Honestly, I enjoy waking up to the bubbles but I take little notice of the tasting notes.
After breakfast, I suddenly see a sword. Rajiv is going to ceremonially sabre a bottle of champagne… Moet & Chandon to be exact. He warns us to move away and explains how he would open it by quickly running the blunt side of the sword down the bottle, hitting the neck to break the top part with the cork still in place. He executes it flawlessly.
Lunch and departure
I am beginning to feel the only break I had from drinking champagne was the five-hour sleep! Saving the best for last, we sit down to lunch with two champagnes — Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose and Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial. There is a tulip glass for rose and in a non-champagne fashion, a large open-mouthed white wine glass. The Rose is spectacular but the champagne on ice is special. This is champagne made especially for a summer day. It’s meant to be poured over ice but in our case it’s no ordinary ice. Rajiv introduces us to the ROCK, a machine that works by compressing solid ice into perfect ice balls, somewhere between the size of a golf and a cricket ball. It’s placed in the glass and the wine is poured over.
Final note...
The last two days are an incredible learning experience. Rajiv and Ritu are warm, full of life, down to earth and together, make a great team. The passion and enthusiasm of Rajiv can convert anyone into a champagne lover. If I were to compare Rajiv to a champagne, he’d be bubbly, consistent and elegant.
It’s time to say farewell. By the time I am on the boat, I start having withdrawal symptoms but all good times must come to an end. For me it’s not an end but a new romantic love affair.
Champagne, here I come. In the words of Lily Bollinger: “I drink my Champagne when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it, unless I am thirsty.”
Le diner
We meet for a sit-down dinner. The terrace is stunning, surrounded by the lake. It’s almost full moon and strains of folk music are heard in the background. The breeze, candlelight, flowers and cluster of glasses… all make for the perfect canvas for a seven-course pairing with Rajasthani khana.
We begin with a Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle paired with Dal Pakodi, Tadkewali Dahi and Makki ki Raab. All the food has been customised to go with the champagne. A clean and easy start.
Drappier Grande Sendree 2005 comes next (I’ve met Michel Drappier in Calcutta!). Bubbly and joyful. The champagne has been made by his family for generations. It is paired with Palak-e-Husn and Dahi ke Kebab. Fruity and crisp, it’s perfect with the kebabs.
Course three arrives — Jaisamand Tawa Macchhi, a freshwater fish from the Jaisamand Lake. It’s very dry and I would have preferred a soft buttery Calcutta bekti. Not surprisingly, we Bongs are fussy about fish. But we are in Udaipur! With the fish is Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998, a vintage and the oldest champagne on the table. I can still smell the coffee and caramel in the olfactory system.
The conversation around the table is heavy and only about champagne. At this point, I start drifting with the moonlight, a mind filled with bubble thoughts of the handsome Roger Moore in Octopussy, which was shot in Udaipur and on Lake Pichola. A 2005 Louis Roederer Cristal interrupts my thoughts. It’s paired most oddly with Dal Bati Churma. After some more champagnes, we conclude with the Armand de Brignac Brut Rose. Owned by rapper Jay Z, I absolutely love the bottle! Pink and shiny, it’s paired with Ghevar, Berry Compote, Strawberry Kulfi and Beetroot Halwa. The strawberry, fruity freshness of the rose champagne is beautiful but I’m not sure if the dessert is a match. Hence, I end the dinner with the debate whether sweet, dairy-based Indian desserts are a great choice with the rose champagne.
It is 1.30am and we bid adieu after a long and ‘fruitful’ day.
BUBBLY BOOK
1 Putting up my feet... literally
2 The three bottles at the ‘Introduction to Champagne’ evening
3 A room with a view at The Leela Palace Udaipur
4 The head of a champagne bottle ceremonially sabred by Rajiv
