Toasts, brunch, celebrations and sometime just because. I love sparkling wine.
All “bubbly” is sparkling wine. Many of these wines are named after the regions where they are made. For example, Champagne is actually a region in France, and only sparkling wine from this region can actually be labeled as such. In Spain, most of their sparkling wine comes from Catala, as is known as Cava (the Catalan word for cellar). America’s version of the product usually uses the name of the producer, as they do with most other wines. Italy makes sparkling wines as well, but many (Prosecco, Spumate, Moscato d’Asti, Brachetto) tend to be a bit (or much more than a bit!) sweeter than what pops to mind for most when thinking about sparkling wine. There are also some sparkling wines produced in other areas of France, as well as Australia and Argentina, but the three most popular tend to be Champagne, Cava, and American.
The typical grapes used in standard sparkling wine are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Munier. Yes, two of the grapes are red! The color of wine comes from the contact of the pressed juice with the skins of the grape, so it is quite easy to make white or rosé wine from red grapes. Another method of coloring rosé wine is to add a bit of still red wine to the juice. Sometimes, a wine will refer to its blend with a fanciful name on the wine. “Blanc de Blanc” is usually a white wine from white grapes. “Blanc de Noir” is a white wine from red grapes. If a wine doesn’t indicate its blend, one can assume that all three are used, but as is the case with much blended wine, we may never know for sure! I personally am particularly fond of Blanc de Noir and Sparkling Pinot Noir-there’s some great fruit and it’s often not quite as dry or yeast-y in the finish as some of the sparkling wines with Chardonnay.
I'm sure many people have even seen Australia's newest craze, Sparkling Shiraz!
The bubbles for a bubbly can come from a number of different methods. The bubbles themselves are Carbon Dioxide gas. Often the method in Champagne, a second fermentation in the bottle creates the bubbles in the juice. A pressurized filtration system can also be used before bottling, or carbon dioxide can just be injected into the bottled wine. However the bubbles get there, they should be small and fine, never resembling the carbonation in soda pop. The flavors of most of these sparkling wines are light and fresh. The smells and tastes include green apple, lemon peel, mineral, and acidity. Some are clean and refreshing; some may be a bit drier, more tart, or even creamy.
Some lesser priced but great Champagnes include Veuve Clicquot, Pol Roger, and Piper Heidsieck. They each produce a variety of styles but often start at about $40. American sparkling wine ranges from $5 (Cook’s) to over $35 (Schramsberg) and the quality varies greatly as well throughout the price range. I enjoy Piper Sonoma when watching my budget (about $16) or Schramsberg when splurging ($38), but even a Massachusetts winery makes a nice sparkling wine-Westport Rivers, at around $16.Cava is some of the best value if you are watching your pennies but want a tasty treat. Cristalino, usually around $9, is a good basic sparkling wine, as is Segura Viudas, found for about $8. Segura Viudas also makes a fantastic Sparkling Pinot Noir, called Aria (with a hot red label), which I think is fantastic, and can be found for about $10.
If you’re mixing your bubbly with orange juice (mimosa), peach juice (Bellini) or Chambord (Kir Royale), don’t be afraid to spend a little less. I personally prefer using Cava, and Cristalino or Segura Viudas usually works great.
Champagne, Cava and other Sparkling wines are wonderful aperitifs, and can also work great for cocktailing when pairs with cheeses, oysters, or other simple seafood. It’s not as great of a main course wine, although can work with light poultry and seafood. I love it with fruit as a simple dessert, as well!
A couple of other good-to-know tips: “Brut” is the driest sparkling wine. “Extra Dry” is also dry, but not the most dry. “Off Dry” tends to mean it will be a bit (or more) sweet. "Rose", the pink bubbly, can also be quite dry, so don't be fooled into thinking it's sweet by the pretty color! Check out the stats first. Also, when you open a bottle of sparkling wine, you should grip the cork and twist the bottle, not the cork, while gently pulling it away from the cork. For safety’s sake, please never point the bottle at anyone while you’re trying to open it. When pouring toasts, keep in mind that many of your guests may want to be involved in a toast, but not want much wine, so it is also recommended to use just a few sips for a toast pour. Typically a bottle of sparkling wine will yield about 20 toast pours, or about 5 glasses of the drink.
So grab some friends, pop a cork, and celebrate! Congratulations to all of you out there experiencing weddings, anniversaries, graduations, or any other festive occasion.
Salute!
