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!

Photo Source

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!

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!