Choosing the "Right" Champagne

It's Valentine's Day ... the day we show our love to those we love. Or those we want to love, or those we think we might love one day. Time to pop some bubbly! But how do you know which one to choose? Don't worry about regions of the world and the appelations. Let the marketing be your guide.

Packaging is a key ingredient in good marketing. It determines the success at the point of purchase as well as satisfaction at the point of consumption. Particularly for alcohol.

Just take a look at the vodka category and you'll see a war being waged with distinctive packaging. Let's face it, vodka all tastes the same. It's supposed to be odorless and tasteless - at least the good stuff. The packaging is what differentiates one brand from another. Absolut has created an entire brand experience around their distinctive bottle.

As we turn our thoughts today to Valentine's Day, it's not vodka but champagne that draws our attention and gets us all excited. Now in this category there are huge differences in taste profiles between the brands, based on thousands of variables in their production - based on generations of heritage in many cases.

But at the point of consumption, it's all about the packaging and the marketing.

Perrier Jouet with the hand painted bottle. Very impressive.

Veuve Clicquot with its unusual orange/yellow color and incredible holiday gift packs of bottle carriers, champagne glasses, and ice buckets. Is it orange or yellow I ask you?

Pommery Pop with its fun little splits.

Perhaps on this holiday more than any other, the bottle you pop says a lot about you as a lover and a lot about your relationship.

Dom Perignon says you're celebrating a big year, at least in your minds. Veuve Clicquot says you take your relationship seriously. Korbel says you're not quite ready to commit, but let's make it a fun night. Any kind of split says you're not sure how many of these you're going to pop and where the night will end, so get ready to get your groove on.

Perhaps Perrier Jouet says you're ..... creative?

It's Valentine's Day ... put a little love in your heart. And the "right" kind of champagne in your hands. It'll say a lot.

Enjoy. Lots of love.

What's your experience? Jim.