Champagne* is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it.

–Madame de Pompadour

*can be replaced by any bubbly beverage (e.g. sparkling water) as long as it’s served in a lovely flute.

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W.C. Fields was a comedian and actor whose career peaked in the 1920s and 30s. On Wikipedia, it’s written that Fields’s screen character was often fond of alcohol, and this trait has become part of the Fields legend. In his younger days as a juggler, Fields himself never drank, because he didn’t want to impair his functions while performing. The loneliness of his constant touring and traveling, however, compelled Fields to keep liquor on hand for fellow performers, so he could invite them to his dressing room for companionship and cocktails. Only then did Fields cultivate a fondness for alcohol.

Blending his sense of humor and love for booze, W.C. Fields also became known for his drinking cracks. A few of his pithy quotes:

–A woman once drove me to drink and I never had the decency to thank her.

–Now don’t say you can’t swear off drinking; it’s easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.

–Some weasel took the cork out of my lunch…

–The cost of living has gone up another dollar a quart.

–I certainly do not drink all the time. I have to sleep you know.

–Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house unless they have a well-stocked bar.

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No other human being, no woman, no poem or music, book or painting can replace alcohol in its power to give man the illusion of real creation.

–Marguerite Duras, French author of many novels, plays, films, interviews, essays and short fiction.

Recent research published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that, like red wine, a little bit of champagne or sparkling wine a day could be good for your heart. This research comes just in the nick of time as sales of champagne have been continually declining, particularly in the United States.

Polyphenols found in red wine help the heart by slowing down the removal of nitric oxide from the blood, which lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart problems and strokes. Similarly, elevated levels of nitric oxide found in champagne cause blood vessels to dilate, and has the same effect as red wine.

And while we’re on the subject…

Madame Jacques Bollinger, otherwise known as “Aunt Lily,” took over Champagne Bollinger when her husband, Jacques, died in 1941. It was war time and, with no gasoline to fill the trucks and tractors, Lily took to her bicycle to tour and manage the vineyards, personally supervising every aspect of the business.

 Her most lasting legacy, aside from the bubbly we drink today, is her famous quote about champagne, published  in London’s Daily Mail, October 17, 1961:

“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad.
 Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory. 
I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am.
 Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.”

A la vôtre…

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“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.”

-Frida Kahlo, artist