Flutefuls are toasted at New Year's.
Glasses serve as an aperitif to celebrate new jobs, promotions, birthdays.
Cases of it drenched the New York Yankees' clubhouse last month. But rarely does a bottle of Champagne accompany a full-fledged meal. Most won't hesitate to drink the sparkling wine to toast a newlywed or clink stemware filled with it at a very special midnight. Robert McNamara, a Virginia chef looking to relocate to the Bay Area, recently interviewed at some local restaurants that do a brisk Champagne business, and found he will have to shift his thinking to compete as a job candidate. I don't mind having a split before a meal, or a glass after a heavy meal with a strawberry in it as a light dessert.