How to Saber a Bottle of Crémant

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the very first bottle of Crémant de Luxembourg. But I’m not writing this post to tell you about that. You can read all about crémant and how it came to be such a success for the Luxembourg wine industry in my Luxemburger Wort article at this link.

Right now, I’m here to teach you the ultimate party trick. I’m going to tell you how to saber a bottle of crémant.

Luxembourgish Delights (and a new place to find them)

I never, ever, ever leave Luxembourg for a visit back to the U.S. without several tubes of Moutarde de Luxembourg in my suitcase. Really! In fact, my brother, who recently received a tube in Afghanistan (where he is temporarily contracting), thinks I carry it around with me everywhere I go. He has a point: I probably should.

First of all, it is absolutely delicious. Second, at a cost of about 1€ per tube, it’s cheap. And third, since it comes in a toothpaste-like tube, it’s easy to pack…which is also a good thing in case I get hungry while I’m on the road!

But lest you think that I’m a lover of moutarde alone, I’ll also have you know that I have been stopped at least three times by tourists scouring the wine section of Alima, and I always point them toward my favorites of Luxembourg’s predominant grape varieties. And, no guest ever leaves our apartment without a small bottle of Luxembourg wine or eau de vie as a souvenir to take home.

If you live in the Grand Duchy, you already know that there are more delicious foods and beverages produced in Luxembourg than you’ll ever have time to taste, and that each region of the country comes with its own specialties.

But, did you know there’s a map to help you find all of those tasty treats??

Le Chien a Mangé Mon Devoir (The Dog Ate My Homework)

Since moving to Luxembourg a little over a year ago, my French has gone from nonexistent to awful. And this is actually something I’m incredibly proud of! Hey, progress is progress.

When I moved here, I knew a few important words that had stuck in my memory from previous vacations, like s’il vous plait (please), merci (thank you), pardon (sorry), ou est le toilette (where is the bathroom) and un autre verre de vin, s’il vous plait (another glass of wine, please). But that was all. Hardly enough to live on in a country that only recognizes French, German and Luxembourgish in an official capacity. I knew that I’d be able to get by on English to an extent, but hey, I’m in Luxembourg; I should be speaking a language spoken here, not expecting everyone in Luxembourg to speak the only language I speak. So, I started researching language classes.