Bille's Angels
We took a water taxi because timetables, quite frankly, are not for us. Four women — some more punctual than others — an unreasonable amount of luggage, and (depending on who you ask) an equally unreasonable amount of Champagne.
Look, I probably should have mentioned the beach we had to traverse on the other side. A wheely suitcase, as it turns out, has strong opinions about sand. Regardless, we were here. And more importantly, we were together.
Getting all four of us in the same place doesn’t happen easily anymore. Two live abroad now, scattered by that particular cruelty of adulthood that relocates your people to inconvenient time zones.
In other words, this was a very special occasion. And for special occasions like this, only Billecart will do.
Founded in 1818, born from the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it’s a Champagne house that started as a love story. Maybe that’s why it’s always felt like the right bottle for the people who matter most — the Champagne for chosen family.
The optimal way to enjoy? Out on the deck, still damp, the water below sparkling shamelessly in the afternoon light. Against a cold oyster and a hit of Tabasco it is, without doubt, one of the all-time greats.
For the impatient, the unprepared, or those swiftly seeking forgiveness from wheely suitcase owners (the beach was one thing — I may also have neglected to mention the stairs), there are several ways to cool warm champagne quickly:
The freezer is fine, but risky. Set a timer for 20 mins. A fully stocked freezer actually works faster because of all the cold mass around the bottle. An empty freezer is much slower — good to know.
Too slow? Wrap it in a wet paper towel first. You should be done in 15.
One better? Add salt to a bucket of water and ice and pop the bottle in. The salt melts the ice, quickly making the water colder. Et voila.. 10ish mins and you’re there.
The rest of the weekend unfolded the way the best ones do — slowly, and without agenda. Face masks and belly laughs. Swims of varying success rates. Pizzas made from whatever the garden offered up. Recipe ignored.. dough, spectacular. Said pizzas accidentally set on fire. Still spectacular. Tiramisu.
Somewhere in there, another bottle opened. And another.. two. Nobody checked their phone. We only visited the mainland to get more Champagne (and breakfast mimosas, obviously).
Vivid!