Friday 15 March 1963

Model Christine Keeler, pictured, was being sought by police last night. Miss Keeler, 20, was wanted as chief prosecution witness in the Old Bailey trial of a man who is accused of shooting at her with intent to commit murder. But the jury heard from the prosecution that Miss Keeler had disappeared.

As we said during Trump's first turn: So we have to drink it ourselves! We already had the same idiocy with the same man years before!
And once again: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/13/donald-trump-threatens-tariff-on-eu-wine-and-champagne

But France has alternatives: #Asia and #Canada become more and more interesting as drinking partners: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/exporters-stories/france-french-wine-destined-international-markets_en

Apropos of nothing, here's @foodandwine's guide to Champagne, answering such questions as "Can America actually be said to have a 'Champagne business?'"

https://flip.it/uSP8Qe

#Trump threatened to enact a 200% #tariffs on European #wine, #champagne & other #alcohol beverages, the latest escalation in a brewing #TradeWar between the #US & the #EU.

Trump in a social media post on Thursday said that he would move forward w/the import duties if the EU doesn’t repeal a tax on US #whiskey, a measure put in place to retaliate against Trump’s #steel & #aluminium tariffs that went into effect on Wed.

#Trumpcession #economy #idiocracy #geopolitics
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/03/13/trump-vows-200-tariff-on-eu-wine-escalating-trade-tensions/

https://w.wallhaven.cc/full/3l/wallhaven-3ldy8y.jpg

Anime-style fantasy character with elf ears and horns holds a champagne glass against a festive blue snowflake background.

from https://wallhaven.cc/

Champagne’s secret to consistency and complexity https://tinyurl.com/6438fz3f via @thedrinksbusiness
by Kathleen willcox #champagne #france #knowledge #wineknowledge #knowledgeispower #wineworldnews

15 must-try pairings for pizza night https://tinyurl.com/3nh33sh6 via @WSETglobal #wine #pairing #food #beer #whisky #champagne #cocktails #wineworldnews #pizza

10 iconic drinks moments in film https://tinyurl.com/55snpzuk via @thedrinksbusiness #champagne #cocktails #beer #vodka #wine #wineworldnews #cinema

I finished The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo.

It's a book that will probably mostly be interesting to people who want to know more about wine history.

The book is as much about Barbe-Nicole Clicquot as it is about the developments in the wine industry and culture during her lifetime, some of which she initiated, including the use of flutes to drink champagne and a new process of removing the sediments from the bottle to produce clear wine.

But she also saw the introduction of industrially produced bottles, which were stronger than the blown-glass bottles that shattered easily under a buildup of pressure and the use of wine labels for branding and marketing purposes.

Most interesting, I think, is about the way the flavor of champagne changed from sweet to dry. Clicquot initially marketed to Russia, which preferred a sweet champagne (with as much as 300 grams of sugar), but when the British market became more important, winemakers had to shift their focus to drier drinks.

Champagne Sales Have Dropped for a Second Year in a Row - French Champagne shipments plunged nearly 10 percent in 2024. https://tinyurl.com/44j68n7d via @RobbReport #champagne #wineworldnews

Mort de Jean-Marie Le Pen à l’âge de 96 ans, annonce le clan à l’AFP. Le décès du fondateur du FN restera un point de détail dans l’Histoire, contrairement à ses condamnations pour apologie de crimes de guerre, provocations à la haine et à la discrimination et antisémitisme. L’année 2025 ne commence pas si mal.