I remember running through our front yard waving my mini baton to make them.

What was I making? Bubbles!! We didn’t get to make them often, but, when we did, there were squeals of laughter mixed with joyous yells. Now I ask myself why do bubbles interest us so much? You answer that question from your perspective, but here are some of my thoughts.

They bring joy to us. We were recently walking through an art fair, and came upon a section dedicated to making bubbles. These were not the mini bubbles of my day. They were huge! They were as long as some of the bubble making children were tall. Seeing the bubbles being made was fun enough, but watching them float away was awesome.

Is it the floating freedom of bubbles that enthralls us? Or is it the colorful bubbles themselves? Or…?

I recently discovered that a family member enjoys sparkling wine. When I inquired why sparkling wine was a favorite, the reply focused on the dry crispness of the wine, and … on the exciting bubbles.

A bit of wine history here…

A long, long time ago when vintners made wine in cool lands, they didn’t want their wines to get warm because they believed the heat of the second fermentation ruined the wine. Then some early French wine makers took a second look at that second fermentation, and they soon realized something interesting. They not only enjoyed those floating bubbles tickling their noses, but the dry wine was dang good. Or, as the French say “très bien!”

Thus today we have Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy and Champagne from France along with numerous sparkling wines made around the world. Worldwide, there are over 2.5 billion bottles of this type of wine produced every year. I’m thinking it’s a success!

While with the family, we visited a beach located on Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful day, and the lake welcomed us with some little waves. I wonder how many air bubbles were created that day?

Again, the question begs for an answer. Why are sparkling wines so enjoyable? For me, I love popping the cork as I did with a granddaughter standing near me and seeing her face at the sound of the pop. But, she couldn’t enjoy the rest of the story — at least, not yet!

The rest of the story is seeing the bubbles rise to the surface of one’s glass and tasting the crisp dryness of the wine. What’s not to enjoy?

We have a tradition of bringing out the sparkling wine when there’s a special occasion happening, and that’s a good tradition. People expect it and revel in the moment — many great memories are made when a sparkling wine is uncorked. However, I would recommend this.

Please don’t wait for a special occasion to pop open a bottle of sparkling wine. Do it now! Enjoy the beverage and notice the bubbles.

I bet they’ll bring a smile to your face.

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!