Marie's Blog: Traveling With Champagne

March 7th, 2012

As I write these lines I am sitting somewhere in the airspace over Germany headed back home to Barcelona. A glass of Laurent-Perrier NV is happily bubbling beside my laptop. As I let the Champagne refresh my palate and gaze out the window, my shoulders relax, I start smiling, and all of a sudden both the world up here and the one below seems a much prettier place.

I am one of those people who consider the airspace my living room, security checks a daily routine and the world’s airports my satellite offices. Having lived like this for several years, I have come to consider Champagne my faithful travel companion – something that always lifts me up and enlightens my many hours spent globetrotting.

A glass of Champagne never fails to work wonders on long transit hours and even makes a cancelled flight a bearable incident. The bubbles take most worries with them on their effervescent journey and have an amazing upward effect on the corners of my mouth.

It always strikes me that Champagnes that usually do not excite me much at restaurants or at home somehow just seem to taste better when enjoyed in airports or 10 km up in the skies. Take the one in my glass as an example: Right here, right now, it works its stuff beautifully, making me smile and relax. I very clearly remember having a glass of the same Champagne at a restaurant earlier this week without even the slightest hint of the same magic.

I have noticed that I am not the only Champagne-loving frequent traveler around. Is there really something about it?

I asked several of my globetrotting friends, and yes! Even my dad (who rarely enjoys Champagne at home) admits to always having a glass of Champagne at the airport lounge and a second one upon boarding. And most importantly, it does make the journey so much more enjoyable. Maybe it is something in our family?

Back home, having re-packed for the next trip, I became curious to find out if we are the only family affected by this bubbly airport-activated virus. I decided to perform a small survey amongst my fellow Champagne drinkers at the airport bar during my next transit. The results were unquestionable! Not only does Champagne taste better when traveling, it does indeed also makes a frequent traveler’s life a more enjoyable one. Cheers to that! Maybe I should have another glass? 

Marie von Ahm is a Dane living in Barcelona and the founder of VonAhm Ltd, a wine consultancy. www.vonahm.com