So the sun is shining and everything is bathed in an orange golden hue. Handsome men without shirts are everywhere, and there is all the free Veuve Clicquot you can drink. I believe I have found heaven.  Or the next best thing – the Veuve Clicquot Petanque Tournament at Sunset Beach Hotel in Shelter Island in honor of Bastille Day.

While Americans don polyester shirts with their names embroidered and gather over Budwiesers at the bowling alley, the French sport Fedoras and toss silver orbs on a sand court while sipping champagne.

As a thank you to their restaurant partners Veuve Clicquot sponsors the tournament with a buffet lunch from Sunset Beach (players cannot live on bubbly alone), a welcome Monday morale break for chefs, waiters, and bartenders, awarding the winning restaurant team with a magnum of VC and a custom Petanque set.

I asked Marcel of the winning team, the Olde Country Inn from Shelter Island, if he used performance enhancing drugs.  Yes is the answer.  He said you need just enough champagne to relax and focus on the game but not too much that your aim is off.  I can imagine the bummer if your errant ball breaks the window of the Benz next to the field.  Of course being French helps and Marcel is one who has an eye for the ladies.  The brand has a long history with women starting with the original widow Clicquot (veuve is widow in French) who realized how happy you can be without a man as long as you have enough champagne.

Yet Veuve, like suntan lotion is best shared as I realized when a hunky waiter said, “I’m a confident guy but I don’t really want to ask my buddy if he can put lotion on my back.  Could you help me out?”  Mais oui…..