AUTHOR: Dave McIntyre TITLE: Champagne! DATE: 12/18/2007 10:16:00 PM ----- BODY:

Dear Friends - The holidays, when we gather with friends and family to celebrate good times in the year just past and fresh hopes for the year to come, are made for sparkling wine. If you live in the DC region, I hope you saw my Washingtonian column on US sparkling wines in the December issue. (If not, I'll be sending an expanded version of that as the next WineLine.) Please visit dmwineline.com for my latest WineLine #62, in which I report on my harvest visit to Champagne and reveal a surprisingly earthy way the growers know when to pick the grapes. And it has nothing to do with brix. Cheers, and all the best for the holidays and a wonderful 2008! Dave McIntyre

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