Rapper's delight re-released in Ireland

You might expect a wine merchant called Bubble Brothers to keep an orderly house in the champagne department, and so we do: we represent producers who grow their own fruit, we list Blanc de Blancs (pure Chardonnay) champagnes, Blanc de Noirs (Chardonnay-free) champagnes and blends; we have zero-dosage champagne and we have vintage champagne - even biodynamic champagne. But until now we've never represented any of the grandes marques, the internationally recognized champagne houses that form a First Division (those of you who have continued to follow English association football since the division names succumbed to bling in 2004 will have to concoct your own comparison). Ostentatious consumption So it is a matter of some moment that we can now offer two champagnes from the grande marque house of Louis Roederer: the non-vintage Brut Premier, which delivers very great refinement at an ordinary price (by the standards of champagne); and the ultra-luxurious Cristal 2002, which we're selling at a very competitive price (by the standards of Cristal, otherwise it's obviously eye-wateringly expensive). There was a certain amount of hoo-ha concerning Cristal in the early two thousands AD, a period when some prominent rappers were especially vocal about their appetite for the stuff and, by implication, their financial capacity to satisfy that appetite. In an interview with the Economist, the managing director of Louis Roederer made some neutral remarks to the effect that if people wished to buy Cristal, then that was their business, and that other prestige brands might be feeling a little envious. The writer of the article unfortunately interpreted these urbanities to mean that the champagne house considered the rappers' enthusiasm "unwelcome attention", and not surprisingly there were wigs on the green when word reached New York. But, as news, that is very flat bubbly indeed, and a poor excuse for a cheesy old title for this post. What is lepping fresh, however, is our having in stock two new-to-us, delicious champagnes, one at least of which you should try out whenever undemonstrative excellence is required in yer glass.