With all the revelry from Christmas through New Year’s, it’s the perfect time to get more acquainted with sparkling wine. So why not take our five-minute crash course: Bubbly 101?
Here are some of the basics - how to buy, serve and pair - with some history and trivia tossed in to make for great conversation. This will not only raise your Sparkling IQ, but also keep guests from danger when the bottle is uncorked.
Some pointers for the practical consumer:
1. Yes, it is possible to budget the good life. Tasty top picks under $25 include:
Roederer Estate’s NV Anderson Valley Brut
Domaine Chandon’s Brut Classic, NV California
Mirabelle NV North Coast Brut
2. Curious about how much bubbly to buy for a gathering? Here’s all you need to know: There are roughly five servings in a 750-ml bottle.
3. When value shopping, it’s important to find bottles that are made in the traditional Champagne method. Look for this wording on the label: “Traditional method,” “methode champegnoise,” or “fermented in this bottle.” If you see a label that says “Charmat Process” or “fermented in the bottle,” beware. The sparklers’ secondary fermentation was in a big container or a tank and this process will create big soda-pop bubbles, not to mention a less complex, refined sparkler.
4. If you’re curious as to what grapes find their way into these frothy sparklers, here’s the skinny: Bubbly is produced from chardonnay, pinot meunier and pinot noir grapes. Blanc de blancs are made exclusively from a base of chardonnay, while blanc de noirs are made exclusively from a base of red wine. Bruts, however, are a blend of white and red wine.
5. For those who find terminology crazy-making, here’s a handy guide:
Extra Brut (0 to 6 grams of sugar per liter)
Brut (Less than 15 grams of sugar per liter)
Extra Dry (12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter)
Sec (17 to 35 grams of sugar per liter)
Demi-Sec (33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter)
Doux (More than 50 grams of sugar per liter)
Here are some serving tips:
1. When chilling bubbly, never put bottles in the freezer. Just put them in the fridge for a few hours or if you’re in a hurry, put a bottle in a champagne bucket half filled with ice and water for 30 minutes.
2. When choosing glassware, opt for the deep fluted glasses over the tulip–shaped, to get the best aromas and flavors, not to mention the best view of the spiraling bubbles.
3. When pairing appetizers with bubbles, consider these delicious accompaniments:
Hog Island Oysters
Sterling Caviar
Smoked salmon
Steak tartare with cilantro or avocado
Pear soup with Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese
Sliced pears with prosciutto and hazelnuts
4. To uncork bubbly, there’s a secret. Contrary to common belief, the best way to open a bottle is not to pop the cork but rather to slowly allow its release, achieving an ideal “sigh” as the cork exits the bottle. One last tip: Be sure to make the process look easy.
Remove the foil covering the cork.
Loosen the wire casing with seven twists.
Hold the cork, within the wire casing, in the palm of one hand.
Slowly twist the bottle while holding the cork and the wire casing. The cork will ease out of its own accord.
A bit of history: It all began as a frothy mistake.
Contrary to the classic song in the film “Gigi,” “The Night They Invented Champagne,” bubbly was not created on one particular night, nor was the monk Dom Perignon solely responsible for its creation. But bubbly was born in Champagne, France, at the end of the 17th century and for the longest time people considered this frothy wine a mistake. In fact, those instrumental in champagne’s beginnings were not amused by the fizz and did everything they could to tame it.
The unassailable sparkle was a result of the Champagne region’s cool temperatures, which would halt fermentation in the fall and unleash it again in the spring when the wines warmed up.
When the winemakers couldn’t win their war with the bubble, they decided to make peace with it, and ultimately celebrate it.
And some trivia, for idle cocktail conversation:
There are approximately 56 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne. The Bollinger champagne house in France calculated the number, and you can bet that was one complicated equation.
Staff Writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.
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Wine of the Week: Scouting for the tastiest high-end bubbly $25 and up.
Wine writer Peg Melnik had a blind tasting this week of California sparklers and French champagnes. It was a striking line-up and scores were outrageously high across the board. Melnik makes no apologies. She is an unabashed fan of good bubbly. California sparklers have definitely stepped up their game. Meanwhile some champagnes in the mix were exceptional, and that was definitely the case with our top pick. Our wine-of-the-week winner is the Veuve Clicquot, NV Brut Champagne at $49.
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