Welcome to the Mabel Gray Champagne Society!

We're thrilled to have you here.

Hello, friends!

First and foremost, I want to thank you for your interest in champagne-centric events at Mabel Gray. The goal of this newsletter is to keep you informed of dinners, tastings, classes, and resources we offer at the restaurant and beyond.

Paulina prepares for blind tastings at our ‘An Exploration of Champagne’ event.

My name is Paulina Schemanski and I am the Wine Director and General Manager at Mabel Gray. I’ve been working with wine for nearly 10 years, and at Mabel for half that time. I’ve always had an affinity for sparkling wine but found obstacles in its marketing, accessibility, price point, and snobby ethos. After years of pairing wines with Chef James’ food (think: spicy, funky, salty, vibrant) - it became very clear that all roads were leading to Champagne.

Ruinart’s 18th-century chalk caves.

We agreed that Mabel Gray always was and should be a champagne-focused beverage program (every Mabel Sommelier before me featured champagne by the glass, which was a rarity in this area). Chef and I have since traveled to Champagne twice in two years, with another trip planned in March of 2024. We never tire of drinking champagne. Learning the history, philosophy, and creativity of fermentation makes a glass of bubbles all the more satisfying. Despite the aforementioned obstacles, the people, the place, and its wines are humble. We’ve formed some meaningful connections and gained accessibility to exciting producers and rare vintages as a result. Our cellar now has over fifty labels. I can’t wait to share them with you.

Tasting with Lilbert-Fils, Jean-Marc Sélèque, and walking Bollinger's Vieilles Vignes Françaises vineyard.

You’ll be hearing from me in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, feel free to listen to our Demystifying Champagne podcast episode. Maybe buy yourself some proper glassware and stoppers. And, here are some of my favorite books on the subject:

Bursting Bubbles by Robert Walters

Champagne by Peter Liem

Champagne: How the World’s Most Glamourous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times by Don & Petie Kladstrup

Some housekeeping…

This substack newsletter is free, and you’ll receive notifications via e-mail when I write a new post. You can also log in to the website to read the full archives and other posts as they are published. I’ll be including links to events via our reservation system, Tock. We are a small restaurant, and I like to keep our champagne events intimate so we can really discuss the infinite nuances of the wines.

Speaking of fermentation: the Midwest authority on hospitality and preservation, Paul Virant, is coming to Mabel for a collaborative dinner on December 10th, and there are some seats left for the first seating. If an event sells out, rest assured there will be another one around the corner.

Thanks again, and please tell a few friends if you feel like it.

Cheers,

Paulina