First world problem - When to drink fancy champagne?

[Weddingwitch]

I made a wedding cake for a family member and they gave me a bottle of champagne as a thank you. It appears to be a fancy bottle and cost WAY more than I’d spend so don’t want to waste it but I don’t have much to celebrate!

Christmas? Birthday? How long will it last - I could save for my 50th but that’s three years away.

Feel very grateful - it’s a lovely present and I drink a lot of sparkling wine but I generally drink Prosecco or Cava!

Life is too short to be saving it for years or special occasions. Open it and enjoy it now!

Every day is a special day. What a lovely thought of your family member… how about enjoying it one Friday evening with fancy nibbles?

If stored properly it will last until your 50th, but honestly, I never really get the whole “save fancy for special” stuff. Open it when you feel ready to share and celebrate with people you love - if that’s this weekend then great!

With some smoked salmon on nice bread on a random Sunday late morning because you just decide you fancy it. That’s when it feels really opulent!

Just drink it and enjoy it. I got one recently as a gift and now I've got a taste for it. No headache or hangover, probably due to the lack of sulphites in the good stuff.

Whenever you feel like it.
I'd maybe keep it for Christmas or your wedding anniversary. Or your next birthday 🎂
I don't think I'd hold onto it for 3 years though.

And I'm not sure I'd crack it open when you've a load of people in the house that it would end up being shared out and not savoured by you

I absolutely love champagne. Therefore I drink a decent bottle with a maximum of 2 other people so I get at least a couple of glasses...

I do love decent bubbles on Christmas morning, for birthdays and also to celebrate anything significant - a job promotion or something - the spontanaeity of responding to something good one day is something special. Tbh I have a friend who has a glass of champagne to celebrate Friday night - I aspire to that.

The next sunny day OP when you’re at your leisure and can enjoy. Or the next windy rainy day in front of the fire when you’re at your leisure and can enjoy.

Make the fancy bottle the occasion, have it with some fancy snack, whatever takes your fancy. Tomorrow isn’t promised and life is better if we enjoy the good things that come to us as and when they do ❤️

(not my quote)
" You should always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge for a special occasion. Sometimes the special occasion is that you have a bottle of champagne in the fridge"

I got a nice bottle for Christmas which didn’t get drunk so I’m saving it for my 55th birthday in 2 weeks.

not doing anything on the day as all my friends are busy - going for lunch/drinks the next day - so I’m going to watch a film and drink it all to myself

You are all amazing and correct and I had totally forgotten my wedding anniversary is approaching 🤣

It is actually our 20 years together anniversary the same week so it will be drunk then!

I had completely forgotten 😳

I also got some stunning flowers to bring home so a very successful day

My dad passed away last year leaving a very small collection of wines and champagnes that on the face of it are worth silly money for a bottle of wine, ie a 1960 bottle that is supposedly worth £500. Dad enjoyed owning them, but there is no second hand market for them so I can’t sell them. we’ve drunk one bottle, which was nice but nothing special and definitely not worth the value quoted on an online internet valuation. We opened a bottle of vintage veuve cliquot that was flat as a pancake and tasted bloody awful, so that went down the sink. Dad should have drunk these bottles at least 20 years ago and enjoyed the full experience.

I now have resolved that I will not keep/store any bottle for more than 2 years and if a special enough occasion hasn’t happened it’s to be our New Year’s Eve drink.

And thank you for being so kind in your replies.

Wedding anniversary sounds perfect! Marks and Spencer for some nice bits, and knock up a little mini wedding cake for the two of you.

There is a second hand market, there is an extensive market for such wines, and champagnes. If they’ve been stored properly, you can sell them at auction, or through a broker.

I have a collection worth thousands, stored in bonded storage, I trade through BBR and send some to auction. Get investments.

That said, I do drink a lot of the champers. Can’t get enough champers.

Friend of mine told me he'd got home from work one day and his dad offered him a glass of champagne. When he asked what the occasion was, the dad replied "We're out of beer"

This is going to be my vibe from now on 👌🏾

Someone bought my daugher a bottle of wine for a christening gift. It was one that you needed to keep, as it would accrue in value. She’s 18 now, and it worth about £180. It won’t be drank, it will be sold at some point

@LondonPapa i have tried, I’ve uploaded the bottles onto several auction sites etc and as they are individual bottles rather than cases and various other reasons they wouldn’t accept them. We’re not talking very many bottles here prob around 10 that dad was really proud of and I have basically been told multiple times that for this type of selling on there is no market.

This ^

Just drink it next time you fancy it, life is too short!

“My only regret is that I have not drunk more champagne in my life.”

John Maynard Keynes, economist

Glad you have an occasion to drink it! I am firmly in the camp of not saving things for special occasions- I grew up with that and lived by it…then I met my best mate who is the complete opposite and opens expensive champagne for a Wednesday night catch up, encourages me to do the same (not be other champagne just enjoy things) and it’s LIBERATING