Champagne: The Sigh of Relief

A jeroboam of Champagne swings through the air, bugles parp away. A ship-launching ceremony seems like a benign sort of celebration at first, but the crash of glass on steel has its roots in the days of ritualistic sacrifice, of Celts and Vikings making offerings in return for safe passage. The Ancient Greeks had the sense to actually drink the wine they selected, but true hedonism comes less naturally to us Anglo-Saxons. We like not only to count the cost of our rituals, but to keep the receipts to show to the gods.