“Some people prefer to order from the upper end of the list,” the waiter told her quietly, as he presented the bottle, “as though price dictates quality. But champagne is like art: there’s no right or wrong, it’s all personal taste. Now, I’m not saying this isn’t expensive,” he warned her, “because this is, after all, a champagne salon. But this is one of the wines from the middle of our price point.”

