Veuve Clicquot and Terroir in Blueberries

If  terroir is expressed in wine, coffee, and tea, why not in blueberries - and potatoes and kumquats for that matter.

Argentinian blueberries have, I am certain, a distinctive and charming terroir - an ever-so- slight lavender flavour. I hesitate to admit to buying Argentinian blueberries in winter in northern Canada, what with the energy involved to get them here, but I succumbed and discovered something wonderful.

Wanting to repeat the experience, I purchased more without looking at the label and found myself with Chilean blueberries instead.  I'm sure they were the same variety, but the flavour was disappointingly different. I froze them for baking.

The Veuve Clicquot was the half bottle we purchased for New Year's Eve and didn't quite get to - we barely managed to see in the New Year, but Champagne was not in the cards.

The result of our New Year's "libation fail" was lemon blueberry cake accompanied by the Champagne. Sometimes such unplanned pairings become an event in themselves, so much so that all the Champagne and a goodly portion of the cake are gone. And a very pleasant past Saturday evening it was, too.

While I am convinced there is a discernible terroir in blueberries, I am also certain that it does not survive being baked in a cake.

So for my next pairing of Veuve Clicquot and blueberries, I would like to have Argentinian blueberries au natural with the Champagne  and, as good as it was, forget the cake. Perhaps a trip to Argentina is in order!