Champagne Afternoon Tea Etiquette
A regular afternoon tea is considered a luxurious thing. Adding champagne elevates it. With such a grand occasion, you want to be sure that you follow all etiquette, including knowing if it is appropriate to ask for more champagne.
What is a champagne afternoon tea?
Champagne afternoon tea may also be referred to as a sparkling afternoon tea or a royal afternoon tea, depending on whether it involves a prosecco/cava, or actual champagne, which has its own history and cultural significance. The commonality is that both involve a sparkling wine on top of traditional sandwiches, scones, cakes and tea.
Champagne afternoon tea at a hotel or tearoom
Hotels and tearooms may have their own codes of etiquette, so research beforehand. In the case of champagne cream teas in particular, the important thing to remember is that they are there to serve you, and to do so professionally. If you ask for an additional glass of champagne, they should be willing and able to provide.
There may be exceptions if you are with a group of people who are sharing the bill, and the others do not want extra champagne. You do not want to put them to extra expense if you are the only one drinking. If attending a party, you may want to consider the host’s feelings in particular.
Champagne afternoon tea in a private residence
In general, champagne is an addition to an afternoon tea, not its centrepiece, so it is possible that a host will only organise one glass for everyone. With an afternoon tea box delivery, such as that from www.afternoonteabox.com/, hosts may be constrained by the contents of their box. Even if they purchased their tea components separately, they still likely planned for a particular number of servings for a specific number of people. To ask them for more champagne when they do not have it would be awkward for everyone involved.
Some aspects of afternoon tea remain the same, whether or not champagne is involved, and others may change depending on location and guests. So, familiarise yourself with the rules for your particular situation before attending.
