Wine 101: Sparkling Wines Revisited

While I have touched on sparkling wine quite a bit, but the lovely ladies (and gents when they aren't too scared to show up) of The Enthusiasts! NYC Wine Club are tasting sparkling wines for the month of March. I'm so proud of this group! Still meeting after almost two years and new members join every month - it's super exciting! So here's a quick refresher on sparkling wines with some new details on food pairings!

In case you did not know, I am obsessed with sparkling wines. I drink the during them holidays, I drink them during rainy days, and, if I could maintain productivity during the week, I'd drink them EVERYDAY. Seriously, (Dr. Seuss tribute aside) sparkling wines should be considered as a serious wine option beyond those celebratory times! Not convinced? Let me prove the awesomeness of sparkling wine.

There are Affordable Options Beyond Champagne.

In an earlier post on sparkling wine options for NYE, I shared my philosophy on sparklers: find something fresh, fun and affordable. This philosophy requires you to often look beyond sparkling wines from Champagne, France. Champagne is a big name and usually means high quality, which will cost you a pretty penny. But if you look for words like: Cava, Prosecco, or Crémant on the label you will likely get a fun sparkler, of equal quality, at a lower price.

• Cava - refers to sparkling wines made in Penedes, Spain. 
• Prosecco -  refers to the grape used in the popular (and increasingly trendy) Italian sparklers.
• Crémant - refers to the ultimate secret code word when it comes to sparkling wines from the Old World, specifically France. This term indicates that the sparkling wine is made in the traditional Champagne style but was made in a region other than Champagne.

If you want the full details on these great Champagne alternatives, check out my original post on sparkling wine.

Sparkling Wine is a Great Addition to Cocktails.

So you aren't the biggest wine fan, or when you do drink wine you like bold reds, try adding sparkling wine to a cocktail. In a past post, I share some of my favorite sparkling wine cocktails. Under my favorite them of affordability, try cocktails that have a few ingredients. Just by picking up a fun liqueur, like blackberry or elderflower, you can really add some spark to that gin based cocktail.

Sparkling Wines Pair Well with Food.

When it comes to food and wine pairings, I always urge friends to think beyond light wine with light foods and dark wine with heavy foods. Wine flavors are actually derived from: acid, sugar, fruit, tannin and alcohol. Each of these elements can have a significant impact on the flavor of food. Sparklers are a great pairing for food generally because they help enhance the flavors of the dish. However, I highly recommend  you check out pairing sparkling wine with fried foods - the pairing is magical.

Less Common Sparklers to Check Out.

As if the above reasons weren't enough to persuade you buy a bottle of sparkling wine, there are so many options when it comes to sparklers beyond white sparkling wine. Including:

• Lambrusco - a sparkling red from Italy, check out the feature here. 
• Rose Champagne.
• Asti.

Looking forward to your comments on the sparkling wine tasting!

Cheers!

Break out the Bubbles: NYE 2014

It's the final countdown for 2013! Whether you are ringing in the new year with friends and family at home or dressing up and dancing the night away, there is one thing you will definitely need - sparkling wine!

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I will be giving some brief thoughts here, but for those looking for more details - the blog has covered sparkling wine in detail before here. 

My philosophy on sparkling wine is straight forward - find a fresh, fun bottle at an affordable price. Sometimes it's a bit challenging, bargain prices for sparkling wine made in the traditional champagne style rarely go below $12-16 (most likely because the secondary fermentation process). But my go to wine will always be Cava. Cava is sparkling wine made in Spain. Another great option is Prosecco, a sparkler from Italy. Both of these styles are light and affordable.

Champagne (sparkling wine made in Champagne, France), on the other hand is more complex and expensive. Given the region's northern location, the grapes are picked with higher acidity producing the distinct taste. Champagne is made from a blend of three grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The traditional production method, or méthode champenoise, is highly regulated. Basically, it allows only two pressings of the grapes, a primary fermentation, blending, a secondary fermentation and finalization. Most champagnes are fermented in steel tanks. It's common characteristics include flavors or apple, citrus, hazelnnuts, toast or bread dough.

Whichever option you choose, one thing I hope you take away is that sparkling wine can be used for more than special occasions. Its high acidity pairs well with food. Many wine professionals even argue that it is the best option to pair with you - but I will leave that decision up to you!

Happy New Year's Eve and Cheers!

Tis the Season: My Favorite Champagne Cocktails

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My Favorite Classic Champagne Cocktail.  It's no secret I love sparkling wine. (Remember Champagne is sparkling wine made in Champagne, France; all other bubbles are sparkling wine, prosecco, cava, etc.). And I mean love. But, I wish sparkling wines were loved more than during the holidays or on special occasions.  

Sure, I love celebrating with bubbles as much as the next person, but sparkling wine actually pairs very well with most food. Some wine critics even argue that rose sparkling wine is the best wine to pair with food (overall). 

With that said, I thought I would share with you all my favorite (and, I mean absolute favorite) champagne cocktail. I typically call it The Elderflower, but you may also know it as a St. Germain Champagne cocktail. It is refreshing, delicious and insanely addictive. 

Directions: Fill your glass 2/3 full with sparkling wine; top off with a generous splash of St. Germain (or any elderflower liquor) and finish with a twist of lemon.

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Now for you advanced mixologists, here are some more great recipes.

Christmas Cocktail. Ingredients: 1 sugar cube; splash brandy; genorous splash cranberry; champagne; a few raspberries. Directions: Place sugar cube in the bottom of chilled champagne glass. Add brandy and let soak in, then splash on the cranberry juice. At last moment, fill with champagne and dress with raspberries.

Champagne Sidecar.  Ingredients: 1 ½ measures bourbon; 1 measure Cointreau; ¼ measure lemon juice; chilled champagne; ice. Directions: Shake bourbon, cointreau and lemon juice over ice and strain into a chilled flute. Fill with chilled champagne

French 75.  Ingredients: 2 measures brandy; 1 measure lemon juice; 1 tsp sugar syrup; cracked ice; chilled champagne; lemon peel to decorate. Directions: Shake brandy, lemon juice and sugar syrup vigorously over ice, strain into cold highball glass and fill with champagne. Dress with twist of lemon.

French Wine 101

Dear Wine-Nerds & Friends! Get excited because two big things are happening in this post. First, I am happy to announce that the tradition of (co)hosting a holiday wine tasting party after Christmas lives on! So stand by for reviews of wine from that tasting. And second, we are finally providing an overview of the wines of France! (Please excuse my lack of proper punctuation on many of the French words, I was eager to get this post live!)

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This year's holiday wine tasting is French themed, so I have provided a general (and I mean general) overview of French wine below:

History of Wine-Making in France.  I think it goes without saying that the French are passionate about wine. But, as with most things in Europe, grapes were mostly likely introduced to the French by the Romans. However, the vast expansion of wine across the country can be attributed to Christian monasteries because they made wine for the sacrament (and for profit). Vineyards were even donated by rich patrons "seeking divine favor." But those monks definitely contributed to the history of French wine-making. For example, many wine-making break-throughs can be traced back to monasteries, such as the second fermentation process required for sparkling wine...  created by monk Dom Perignon. Since then, French winemakers have continued to develop their technique and produced much of the world's best wines - despite wars, down economies and politics generally.

Popular French Varietals.  To understand French wine, it is important to under the players. (aka grape varietals). 

• The major white grapes include: Ugni Blanc (aka Trebbiano, and used primarily in brandy production), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne (aka Muscadet), Semillon, Muscat and Chenin Blanc. 
• The major red grapes include: Merlot, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cinsault, Pinot Meunier (frequently blended in Champagne) and Mourvedre.

Tips for Reading a French Wine Label.  France was the first country to devise a system for protecting the use of place names for wine regions and having a basic understanding of this system will definitely help you when facing the wall of wine in your local wine store. The system is administered by the INAO and mandates or prohibits certain wine-making procedures for any winery that plans to use the protected "appellation" or place name on it's label. There are four French wine appellations:

1. Vin de Table, the entry level appellation for general table wine. (Only about an 1/8 of French wine uses this designation).
2. Vin de Pays, typically reserved for wine with a geographical indication. (1/3 of French wine uses this designation).
3. VDQS or "delimited wine of superior quality," generally seen as temporary status for wines with potential to move up.
4. Appellation d'origine controlee (AOC) or "name of controlled origin," this appellation carries the high quality wines and most restrictive wine-making rules. 
   • Regional > District > Communal or Vineyard.

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Take note that the established AOC regions (like Bordeaux or Burgundy) will have regional or even communal AOC regions within them. So when reading a French wine label you will frequently see two or even three terms that describe where the wine was made. Check out the graphic above.

French Wine Regions in Detail.  

(1) Bordeaux.  The classic red wine from Bordeaux is a blend of at least 2 grapes from the following list: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The classic white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Go hear for expensive, yet quality wines. 

SUMMARY: Look here for high quality red blends, but expect to pay for it.

(2) Loire Valley.  There are four key regional AOCs located in the Loire Valley: (1) Pays Nantais, (2) Anjou, (3) Touraine, and (4) the Central Vineyards (Pouilly-sur-Loire and Sancerre).  If you like Sauvignon Blanc, look for wines from Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume. Generally, Touraine isn't known for high quality wines, with the exception of Vouvray - a region that features whites made with Chenin Blanc. If you are interested in trying wine made with Muscadet, look for something from Pays Nantais.

SUMMARY: Look here for fun whites, try anything with Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre or Vouvray on the label.

(3)  Champagne.  This region supplies 15% of the world's sparkling wine (or 25 million cases a year). Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Here are some fast facts about Champagne:

• Blanc de Blanc, means the wine was produced only from Chardonnay.
• Blanc de noirs, means the wine was produced only with red grapes, most likely Pinot Noir.
• You will only see a Vintage for spectacular harvests from a single year (non-vintage is more common).

SUMMARY: Look here for expensive yet quality sparkling wine. However, look for "Cremant" on the label of sparklers from any other French region, this means the wine was made in the same style as Champagne, but made in another region. (Think store brand knock-offs, same formula without the brand name).

(4) Alsace.  This is a French region with strong German roots, known for growing mostly Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, and Pinot Gris. The region has a bad reputation for making only sweet wines - but ask your local wine store rep to point you in the direction of dryer styles, because they do exist! Most wines from this region pair well with spicy food.

(5) Burgundy (in French "Bourgogne").  The secret to Burgundy is easy, red Burgundy is made from Pinot Noir and white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. But in Burgundy, much like the Loire Valley, it is important to learn the popular regional AOCs. The two most famous are: (1) Cote de Nuits and (2) Cote de Beaune. However, Chardonnay produced in Chablis is known for exhibiting greater minerality than the rest of Burgundy. The wines of Maconnais are known for their lighter style (you may see some Gamay based wines here as well).

SUMMARY: Look here for Pinot Noir or Chardonnay with French style. Note that to get quality you will have to spend a bit more than usual, but there are great bottles out there!

(6) Beaujolais.  Frequently considered part of Burgundy, Beaujolais is quickly becoming a region of notable wines. Be sure to remember Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Nouveau are different, the latter is a quickly bottled style of the Gamay grape meant to be consumed young. 

SUMMARY: Look here for the best versions of the fruity Gamay grape.

(7) The Rhone Valley.  Generally, this region is known for its red wine. Yet, it is best to discuss the Rhone in two regions: (1) The Northern Rhone and (2) The Southern Rhone. In the Northern Rhone, red wines are primarily made from Syrah and white wines are primarily made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane. While, in the Southern Rhone, red blends are the most popular, featuring Grenache (a personal favorite), Syrah, Carignan, Mouvedre and Cinsault. 

SUMMARY: Look here for interesting red blends featuring Grenache. The best regions are Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. (Pricey but totally worth it).

PHEW!  So, that brings us to the end of my overview of French wine. As you can see, I barely scratched the surface and this post is already double the length of most others. Feel free to post questions in the comments below and I will happily answer them! 

Happy Holidays and Cheers!

Bubbles: The Results!

Now that the craziness from finals is over... the results are in for the second meeting of The Enthusiasts! The group tasted a few bottles of bubbly while sampling holiday treats and relaxing, see our comments below:

(1) Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava

Grapes:

  50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, 15% Xarel-lo

Where its from:

Spain

Vintage:

n/a

Alcohol:

11.5%

Comments:

The label says... the cava is made in the traditional method, secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle. Further, this would pair excellently with a salad. The group said... fresh and tasty for the price.

Recommend to a Friend?

This is a great wine for the price. Apparently, it is so popular in the United States, it is one of the top imported cavas. This was a great hit at our party - and would make a great hostess gift.

(2) Lamarca Prosecco

Grapes:

Prosecco

Where its from:

Veneto Region of Italy

Vintage:

n/a

Alcohol:

13.5%

Comments:

The label says...

A delicate, well balanced Prosecco showing a good blend of baked apple, sour lemon & grapefruit, with a light creamy mineral texture on the palate. The group said...

Recommend to a Friend?

Most definitely! If you have not found a preferred prosecco - this is definitely a good place to start. Its light and refreshing - the way any great prosecco should be!

(3) Bissinger & Co. Champagne

Grapes:

Traditional champagne blend - chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.

Where its from:

Champagne region of France

Vintage:

n/a

Alcohol:

unknown

Comments:

The group said... their favorite by far!

Recommend to a Friend?

The champagne region is known for quality and it clearly showed here. The sparkler was well balanced, fruity, and refreshing. 

Lesson learned here - you really can not go wrong with a bright bottle of bubbly. There is no need to spend a lot of money as $10 is enough to satisfy even the most advanced of wine afficianados. Most important lesson of all - do not reserve the bubbles for the holiday season alone, it is always a treat to drink. Happy holidays to all!

Cheers!

The Enthusiasts! NYC Wine Club: Bubbles Details

To start: some words of wisdom from a great movie...

Cassandra:

"I don't believe I've ever had French champagne before..."

Benjamin Kane:

"Oh, actually all champagne is French, it's named after the region. Otherwise it's sparkling white wine. Americans, of course, don't recognize the convention so it becomes that thing of calling all their sparkling white champagne, even though be definition they're not."

For those who haven't guessed, the above was quoted from the movie Wayne's World. Who would have thought that movie would have provided such fundamental information about our next topic -- Champagne and other sparklers.

No way! Way!

All jokes aside, the following information is meant as an introduction to the topic of sparkling wine. This introduction will include a brief overview of how sparkling wine is made and details about several styles of sparkling wine, including: Champagne, Cremant, Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta, and Rose Champagne.

How Sparkling Wine is Made:

The process of marking sparkling wine is one of the most complicated wine making processes. When grape juice is fermented, sugar is converted into alcohol and carbonic gas. Generally, still winemakers allow the gas to escape, producers of sparkling wine do not. The key difference in the production of sparkling wine is the second fermentation.

 This generally occurs in the bottle for a minimum of 18 months and allows the bubbles to fully integrate into the liquid. A typical indicator of quality is --> the smaller the bubbles, the higher the quality of sparkling wine. Bubble size is affected by (a) the length of time champagne ages (longer = smaller) and (b) temperature of the aging cellar (cooler = smaller).

Four formal methods of sparkling wine production include:

1. Methode Champenoise; this term indicates wine that has undergone a second fermentation in the bottle it will be sold in. The second fermentation traps the natural carbon dioxide inside the bottle which eventually becomes bubbles.
2. Bottle Fermented; this refers to a wine produced through a second fermentation, but not necessarily the bottle in which it will be sold.
3. Methode Rurale; this is the precursor of method champenoise, involves no second fermentation, wine is bottled before the first alcoholic fermentation is finished.
4. Cuve Close; (Tank method) used for bulk production of inexpensive sparkling wine that have undergone second fermentation in large tanks before being filtered and bottled.

Opening a Bottle of Sparkling Wine:

Each bottle of sparkling wine is under 6 atmospheres of pressure, so it is important to open each bottle with care. The steps to opening a bottle safely are: 1) Remove foil. 2) Place thumb on cork prior to removing wire. 3) With other hand, loosen and remove cage. 4) Holding cork firmly, begin to twist the cork in one direction until released.

Champagne.

True Champagne comes only from the Champagne region of France. This region is known for its high quality. What makes this region unique? Its northern climate and its chalky soil.   

Champagne is typically made from a blend of the following grapes: chardonnary, pinot meunier and pinot noir. Each grape contibutes something different: chardonnay contributes finness and elegance, pinot noir contributes body and texture, and, pinot meunier contributes fruitiness and earthiness. 

• If you see blanc du blanc on the label, that means 100% chardonnay
• If you see blanc du noir on the label, that means 100% pinot noir

What about vintage, or the lack thereof? 

Champagne makers use reserve wine to blend in each year (called the assembleage) – this maintains consistency across each year and gives extra depth and richness. However, some finer Champagne Houses do release vintage wines if the weather has been particularly good that year.

Cremant

If you see Cremant on the label, this means the bottle is a sparkling wine from France, made in Champagne style, but sold at a more affordable price. This style of sparkling wine is typically made with the grape of the specific region in France were it is produced. The most popular cremant regions include: Cremant d'Alsace, Cremant de Bourgogne, Cremant  de Limoux, and Cremant de Loire.

Cava.

Known as an even better value that Cremant. Cava is a style of sparkling wine from Spain, most of which from a region called Penedes. The name cava, is Catalan for cave or cellar.  By law, this style of sparkling wine is made with one or more native spanish grapes, including: parellada, xarel-lo, and macabeo. It is known as a great partner with food, specifically popcorn.

Prosecco.

Prosecco is a style of sparkling wine from Italy, the best from a region north of Venice. Prosecco is the only sparkling wine named after the grape (yes, prosecco is a grape too!) instead of the region where it is produced. This style is typically made in the charmant, or bulk tank, fermentation method (opposed to the traditional method). Producers use a different method to preserve the freshness. Prosecco is known for its light and bright taste. Another notable, yet sometimes difficult to find, Italian sparkling wine is Francicorta. It is made with chardonnay grapes instead of prosecco grapes.

Rose Champagne.

Rose Champagnes are considered more prestigious than white champagne. This type of sparkling wine is commonly made with pinot noir or pinot meunier. An interesting fact about this rose style, it is the only wine in France allowed to be a blend of red and white wine (which is not how rose is typically made).

Sweetness Levels:

When you pick up a bottle of sparkling wine, you may ask yourself - what does "brut" mean, and how is it different from "sec?" These words are frequently placed on the label to identify the sweetness level of the sparkling wine. Below is a spectrum of words you may see as sweetness indicators (From Dry to Sweet): 

• Extra Brut (very, very dry)
• Brut (very dry)
• Extra Dry (off-dry)
• Sec (lightly sweet)
• Demi-Sec (dessert wine)
• Doux (extra sweet - very rare today as they are somewhat out of fashion)

Standby for the group reviews and pictures of the Holiday Treats we had with our sparkling wine tasting!

Cheers!