Good morning, we made it through another week. It’s Friday!
We’re moving into prime Champagne consumption season. Sales of bubbly, which some people consume on the regular, but most reserve for special occasions, spike significantly around the holiday season – especially around New Year’s Eve.
Sales traditionally spike in December for Champagne and its more affordable sparkling cousin, Prosecco, according to IWSR, the self-professed global leader in alcoholic beverage data and insights.
But, as is the case with alcohol consumption across the board these days as Americans start to heed health warnings about how even moderate drinking can damage their health, total consumption of sparkling wine has been steadily declining.
Champagne sales saw a post-pandemic boom, with 325 million bottles sold in 2022. (I guess people felt like the end of lockdowns and widespread access to COVID-19 vaccines was something to celebrate). But that spike has since subsided, with “just” 271,4 million bottles shipped in 2024. ‘
Some of this is due to economic factors such as inflation, coupled with general uncertainty that leaves people a little less inclined to splurge on a spendy bottle of bubbles. Increasingly, consumers who are still drinking are opting for less expensive options such as the aforementioned Prosecco and English sparkling wines.
Though the numbers are not yet in for 2025, I’m willing to bet that the downward trend continues for Champagne, thanks in no small part to President Trump’s tariffs, which have sent prices soaring and sparking a heated debate among industry insiders as to whether Champagne – traditionally a luxury item reserved for the wealthy – has finally hit its price ceiling.
Technically speaking, there is no replacement for true Champagne, which refers to a specific type of sparking wine that is highly regulated and only produced in the Champaign region in northeastern France.
The authentic product is made from a blend of grapes – mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, though small amounts of Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris are also acceptable – and requires not one but two fermentation periods to generate its signature bubbles.
Interestingly, which is the case with a number of alcoholic beverages, the modern-day process of making Champagne is said to have been invented by a Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Perignon. Sadly, while this story sounds really good, it’s probably not entirely true, though he did develop a technique that produced a white wine from red wine grapes – a significant development toward Champagne development.
While I’m in the business of debunking popular myths, Dom P also did not utter the infamous phrase about Champagne that has been fancifully attributed to him – “Come quickly—I am tasting the stars”. The phrase was actually employed during a Champagne ad that dates back to the 1880s, but not as far as the 1700s, which is when the Dom was alive.
The history and authenticity of Champagne is fiercely defended by the Comite Champagne, the industry’s trade association. The protection afforded to true Champagne extends to more than 130 countries, and as a result of legal challenges to those who dare to try to pass themselves off as the real thing, thousands of bottles of imposters are destroyed annually.
Today is World Champagne Day, which is observed on the fourth Friday in October and (interestingly) was created not by a Frenchman but by a California blogger and wine educator named Chris Oggenfus.
Today will bring a mix of sun and clouds in the morning, with more clouds crowding in as the day progresses. Temperatures will top out in the mid-50s. The weekend forecast features more of the same – with slightly more clouds on tap for Sunday and temperatures in the low-to-mid-50s. Not bad fall weather, considering.
Over 50 million Americans are under frost and freeze warnings as bone-chilling temperatures are set to blanket the central and eastern United States by this morning, according to authorities.
In the headlines…
President Trump said yesterday that he was cutting off trade negotiations with Canada, citing an ad campaign that used former President Ronald Reagan’s warnings about the long-term risks of tariffs amid the trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada.
Trump in a post on Truth Social accused Canada of using the ad to “interfere” with a pending Supreme Court case to determine Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs on other countries.
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A.,” Trump wrote. “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Trump dismissed the need to ask Congress for a declaration of war as the U.S. military continuously launches strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
“I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump told reporters. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them.”
While Trump supporters posted video of the remarks on social media with a mic-drop emoji, a Democratic party account posted it without comment, apparently certain that the violation of constitutional provision that only Congress can declare war was obvious.
The Justice Department yesterday warned California officials, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, against engaging in an “apparent criminal conspiracy” to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, appeared to lob a tear-gas canister into an irate crowd of Chicago residents, videos showed, during a chaotic confrontation between the public and Border Patrol agents in the Little Village neighborhood.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested yesterday as part of a federal investigation into illegal betting activities, federal law enforcement officials said during a news conference in New York.
Federal prosecutors said three New York crime families helped run an elaborate scheme to rig underground poker games, cheating wealthy players out of at least $7 million with the help of high-tech gadgets and famous former NBA players.
Rozier’s agent, Aaron Turner, confirmed Rozier was arrested in relation to the federal probe, but said the player planned to fight the charges, having been previously cleared by the NBA.
Billups apparently leaked insider info to gamblers that his team was planning to tank so they could place bets and win big, federal court documents allege. Billups was not charged, but appears to be identified as “co-conspirator 8” in the indictment.
The Justice Department’s indictment of New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, is merely one part of a multipronged campaign that is helping define retribution in President Trump’s second term.
The New York attorney general, indicted by President Trump’s handpicked prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, is expected to plead not guilty in her arraignment today.
The Democratic governors of New York and California will backfill tens of millions of dollars in lost federal funding to Planned Parenthood after the Trump administration barred clinics that provide abortions from receiving Medicaid payments.
In a post on X Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “Trump and Washington Republicans defunded Planned Parenthood. I will not stand by while the basic health and wellbeing of New York women is at risk.”
Thirty-three police agencies across Westchester County will get a much needed boost to help upgrade their technologies, thanks to a $11.4 million investment by the Hochul administration.
New York Democrats say the details behind a recent poll that showed tighter competition between U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and Hochul in a potential gubernatorial race should have been publicly disclosed.
Wall Street firms nearly doubled their profits last year compared to the prior year in what was the fourth-highest amount on record, according to a report released yesterday by the state comptroller’s office.
Climate advocates and home energy contractors rallied outside the Albany offices of the state energy authority nyserda on Wednesday, pressing Hochul’s administration to shore up funding for a key energy affordability program.
The New York State Police announced the addition of 238 new Troopers to the “Long Gray Line” at the 217th Session of the New York State Police Basic School.
Critics complain that state officials have given little guidance since ordering a recall of some $30 million in cannabis products. The delay, they say, could undermine confidence in the legal market.
The state’s top court tossed out a lawsuit that claimed New York City’s gifted and talented programs — which mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani wants to phase out — are racially biased against black and Latino students.
Mayor Eric Adams endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor’s race yesterday, casting aside months of bitterness to try to stop frontrunner Mamdani’s momentum.
Adams, who dropped his own bid for reelection last month after polling last in the race, sought to downplay his past harsh criticism of the ex-governor, saying “brothers fight” but know how to “come together” at the right time to protect “the family.”
Cuomo appeared to laugh briefly and agree with a radio host who said during an interview that Mamdani would be “cheering” if “another 9/11” happened on his watch, though a spokesperson for his campaign later denied he was agreeing with the comments.
“Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” Cuomo asked. “Yeah, I could,” replied WABC radio host Sid Rosenberg, who called the Democratic nominee a terrorist earlier in the program. “He’d be cheering.” “That’s another problem,” Cuomo replied.
Mamdani later excoriated the former governor over the exchange, saying Cuomo’s goal was to “smear and slander.” He also slammed Rosenberg, who the candidate pointed out has called him an “animal” and a “terrorist.”
“I don’t think anything justifies those kinds of remarks,” the Queens assemblyman said — noting the comments also went against Cuomo’s promise that he would “bring New Yorkers together” during Wednesday night’s mayoral debate.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries yesterday praised Mamdani for sticking with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and suggested he’ll make a long-awaited endorsement by Saturday.
Cuomo’s campaign walked back a controversial AI-generated ad that depicted Mamdani supporters as criminals and vagrants, committing crimes like burglary, looting, drunk driving and human trafficking.
The two-minute ad, aired around 20 minutes after the start of the Oct. 22 debate, was quickly deleted by the Cuomo campaign — but drew widespread condemnation from social media users and has been reshared countless times.
With only 13 days left days left before the New York City mayoral election, Cuomo is partnering with some of the same influencers who helped President Trump win the White House last year.
Infamous subway vigilante Curtis Sliwa’s mayoral campaign has shelled out nearly $35,000 on Ubers and taxis — but he justified the runaway spending as necessary “because of threats on my life.”
Turnout in New York City’s local elections is notoriously low. Now, voters who bother to show up at the polls will weigh in on a potential solution: whether to move local elections to even years.
This election cycle in New York City has been dominated by the mayor’s race, with the candidates sparring over crime, affordability and the war in Gaza. But the six proposals that will appear on the back of ballots could also have a major impact.
New Yorkers can vote early in the race for mayor and other contests starting tomorrow – Saturday, Oct. 25 — which is also the voter registration deadline.
Broadway musicians reached a tentative labor agreement with theater owners yesterday, avoiding a potentially crippling strike that could have dropped the curtain on nearly two dozen musicals.
Starting today, a new 15 miles-per-hour limit will come into effect for Big Apple e-bike riders on all streets across the five boroughs, as well as on pathways inside of parks operated by the city.
With brush fire risk rising across New York, the FDNY is turning to artificial intelligence to help stop fires before they spread.
A construction worker died after he fell 60 feet into a massive ditch at a work site at Hudson Yards yesterday morning, the FDNY said.
The owner of an Upper West Side apartment building finally removed its longtime sidewalk shed Monday after nearly two decades – and neighbors are shedding no tears.
With new regulations on electric bike speed, fans of the gray Citi Bike — lovingly known as the White Stallion or the Ghost — are facing a slower, safer future.
Almost 30 years after he killed his parents in their Otsego County home, Gordon “Woody” Mower Jr. will get a chance to convince a judge that he received bad legal advice when his attorney convinced him to plead guilty to first-degree murder.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, a Democrat, and Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, a Republican, took an unannounced business trip to Ireland earlier this month, and now insist the taxpayers didn’t foot the bill.
State Supreme Court Justice James Walsh recused himself from presiding over a harassment lawsuit filed against the leaders of Saratoga County’s Republican and Conservative committees, but not without criticizing the plaintiff, who had called for his recusal.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of another teen on Clinton Avenue in June, according to an announcement from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.
An overturned tractor-trailer closed off a section of the Northway yesterday, State Police confirmed. The vehicle crashed around 7:35 a.m. between Exits 9 and 10 on the northbound side of the highway. No one else was involved and there were no injuries.
KISS co-founder Ace Frehley was buried in the Bronx on Wednesday following a private memorial Tuesday, with both events being attended by his former bandmates.
Rock-and-roll historian Eddie Trunk said he was a part of the “small group of family and close friends” — including original KISS members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss — who bid farewell to Frehley with the two separate services this week.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
