Drappier Champagne Festival

Geja’s Café, 340 W. Armitage, will celebrate the holiday season with its 37th Annual Champagne Festival featuring Champagnes and sparkling wines from France. The three-month long festival, which offers guests a chance to sample a majority of the Drappier portfolio plus two additional selections from Dopff & Irion, begins Thursday, December 1 and extends through Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

Some of the featured wines will be:

Glass / Bottle

• Dopff & Irion Brut Cremant d’ Alsace................................................................$10.00 / $45.00
• Dopff & Irion Brut Cremant d’ Alsace Rose..…............…………………....……$10.00 / $45.00
• Drappier Brute Carte d’Or..................................................................................$16.00 / $80.00
• Drappier Brut Nature............................. ............................................................$24.00 / $110.00
• Drappier Brut Nature Rose………………………….………………………….........$24.00/ $110.00
• Drappier Charles Du Gaulle…………………………………………………...……...N/A/ $160.00
• Drappier 2006 Grande Sendree…..................................................................... N/A / $225.00

To kick off the festival, Geja’s will host a special tasting open to the public featuring unique and delicious Champagnes from Drappier on Sunday, December 4th. The tasting begins at 1:00 p.m. and costs $30 per person; space is limited.

Drappier Champagne dates back to 1808, but the history of the cellars and vineyards goes back to the 12th century when Saint Bernard had an annex built to Clairvaux Abbey in Urville. These cellars are among the oldest and most extensive in Europe. They are also a part of the few cellars that were not damaged during the two world wars. The Drappier Champagnes are characterized by great purity of fruit and balance. The amount of Sulphur used in the wines is one of the lowest of any Champagne. Drappier also has the unique distinction of inventing the largest sized Champagne bottle, The Melchisedech, which holds the equivalent of 40 regular size bottles. Fermentation is done in all of the eleven bottle sizes ranging from quarter bottle to the Melchisedech. Today the Drappier Family continues the estate’s long history of excellence. Headed by Andre and Michel Drappier, the future looks bright ahead.

Geja’s Café has been the site of 139,154 first dates and 16,413 engagements. Diners have enjoyed over 320 tons of cheese fondue and over 950,570 bottles of wine in its 51 years of business. Geja's Café opened in 1965 on Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. For six years, Geja's operated in that location, serving as a Bohemian enclave for artists and writers. In 1969, John Davis-Geja’s Café founder, began the Geja’s Café Wine Society, one of the nation's oldest tasting groups, and the restaurant began to be known as Chicago's first "wine bar". In need of additional seating, Geja’s moved to its current Armitage Avenue location in 1971, where the restaurant continues to thrive. The original 1965 bar and many of the fixtures are still a part of Geja's charming atmosphere. Today, Geja’s Café continues to be voted "Chicago's Most Romantic Restaurant" by numerous local and national publications. In 1993, CNN featured Geja’s Café as the "Best Fondue Dining" in North America. In 2008, Food Network Channel featured Geja’s Café as the “Ultimate Romantic Dipping Place in North America” and in 2010 Geja’s Café was named one of “America’s 50 Most Romantic Restaurants” by OpenTable. Geja’s was also voted “America’s Most Romantic Restaurant” by USA Today’s reader poll in 2015 and earned the TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence in 2016.

Known for romantic fondue dining – food one prepares and shares – and an extensive list of fine, moderately priced wines, Geja’s Café features over 20 different types of fondue entrees including cheese fondue and chocolate dessert fondue. An enchanting wine cellar atmosphere, private booths, and subdued lighting contribute to its intimate surroundings. Live flamenco and classical guitarists provide romantic accompaniment.

Hours for Geja’s Café are Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. to 11p.m.; Saturday, 5p.m. to 11p.m.; Sunday, 4p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Valet parking is available. For more information, please call 773.281.9101, or visit www.gejascafe.com.