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Showing posts with label Champagne. Show all posts

I love sparkling wine and with the holiday season still in our rearview mirror, I have many pleasant memories of the sound of popping corks. I'm an equal opportunity wine drinker so...Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta...I find a way to enjoy all incarnations of one of my favorite styles of wine.

I made a New Year's resolution to squeeze more enjoyment out of life in 2015, and a part of that includes drinking more bubbly. As I said, I find pleasure in all forms of sparkling wine, but more and more I find the wines of Franciacorta to be some of the most enjoyable, best-bang-for-your-buck wines in our stores.

For those not familiar with Franciacorta, it is a sparkling wine from the Lombardy region of Italy. More specifically it comes from a series of hillside towns to the south of Lake Iseo in the province of Brescia. Franciacorta was awarded DOC status in 1967 and then achieved the DOCG classification in 1995.

Grapes for the production of Franciacorta are strictly regulated. The permitted varieties are 85% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Blanc. Non-vintage Franciacorta may not be released until at least 25 months after the harvest, of which 18 months must be in contact with the yeast in the bottle. Vintage Franciacorta may not be sold for at least 37 months after harvest, of which 30 months must be in contact with the yeast. Essentially Franciacorta is a sparkling wine produced just like French Champagne only with stricter quality regulations.

Ok, so why write about sparkling wine in January? Well why not? Drinking bubbles almost always brings a smile to my face, so why limit our consumption to the holidays? Additionally my favorite wine from Franciacorta, Bellavista, underwent a complete redo in it's packaging and I wanted to reassure our guests.

The new packaging sports a new name and bright orange color scheme. The name "Alma" ("soul" in Latin) was choosen because Bellavista Brut Cuvée ($34.99) reflects the soul of the Franciacorta region and the Bellavista winery. For those who were familiar with the old lable, I assure you this is the same great sparkling wine. If you have never had a bottle of Bellavista, it's time to get acquainted with a wine that is sure to help you celebrate 2015 and put a smile on your face.

Paul Quaglini, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinepaulq

Simple or sublime, that is the question. While researching this article, I came across a website that promised to give the top 13 drinks for celebrating the New Year. Problem was, every one of their drinks was ridiculously complicated, promising the bartender would spend more time at the bar than at the party.

Okay, so maybe you’re that person who loves bartending so much that this isn’t a hardship. I’d rather spend the time hanging out with old friends, myself.

So what’s on the menu at my house? Well, sparkling wine. LOTS of sparkling wine—along with fruit juices because the two are so easy to mix together (just remember to chill both and put the fruit juice in first so you don’t lose the bubbles). While you may want to include a bottle or two of Champagne for the toasting at midnight, sparkling wines are a lot friendlier to your wallet if you’re buying large quantities, and they’re every bit as friendly in mixed drinks. For a sweet alternative, try Ca d’Gal Asti.

Because sparkling wine doesn’t agree with everyone, though, you’re going to want some other options: red wines, white wines, maybe some rosés (because they’re so festive), and, of course, some spirits. If you have a good supply of mixers (ginger ale, club soda, tonic, cola, etc.), you can make this really simple: grab your favorite brand of vodka (you can mix it with all those fruit juices you bought to go with the sparkling wine), Canadian whiskey, bourbon, gin and / or Scotch (although, honestly, most gin drinkers are flexible enough to go with vodka). Throw a couple six packs of beer in the refrigerator, and you have become the hostess with the mostest. Or the host with the most. Or something. Better yet, get your party guests in on the action by having them bring the fixings for their favorite drink to share—you supply the mixers and the ice.

This will give you much more time to hang out with the party, rather than spending your time in the kitchen whipping up eggs for the wassail bowl.

Helping guests at ABC is very eye-opening at times, especially this time of year. During the holiday season, I have many guests ask me for good Champagne, only to get sticker shock when I show them my most moderately priced bottle. Of course, if it’s not in the budget, there are many sparkling wines that I recommend. This sometimes leads to disappointment with some people when I describe it as sparkling wine rather than Champagne, though there are some excellent sparklers available.

All Champagne is sparkling wine, but only a few sparkling wines are Champagne. Make sense? Champagne is made only from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France. The rules also require secondary fermentation in the bottle to produce those magical bubbles. Sparkling wines may be made with the same method (usually indicated on the label) or other methods and do NOT use grapes from the Champagne region of France.

If a bottle in the sparkling aisle calls itself “California Champagne” or some other iteration, it is NOT Champagne and is almost always a very poor substitute. This is simply winemakers looking for a way to sell their cheap imitation to less knowledgeable consumers. It is never “just as good” and usually the worst sparkling wine you can buy.

While Champagne does certainly have a reputation for producing the best sparkling wines (Mignon Cuvee Marne Grand Cru is one of the several lesser-known, but superb choices), there are many other options that aren’t from that region. Prosecco from Italy, for example, is becoming more and more popular (Collalto is one of the best). Also, Cava (from Spain) is very affordable (try Dominio Peseta Cava) and, in my opinion, makes the best mimosas. There are other regions of France where you can find sparkling wines without the premium of Champagne. Cremant de Bourgogne, for instance, uses the legendary Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from Burgundy to make sparkling wine on par with some of the most popular Champagnes. Veuve Ambal is an excellent choice, as is Chandelles sparkling white.

Of course, many buy a bottle of sparkling wine for celebrations, open it, and don’t drink it. This is usually done as a customary toast with something bubbly. I always try to find out if my guest LIKES Champagne and, if not, try to find something sparkling that suits their tastes. Many sparklers are done off dry (called Extra Dry), half dry (Demi Sec) and sweet. If you typically drink Moscato, an Asti Spumante will be much more enjoyable than a Brut Champagne. When it comes to celebrating, bubbles are bubbles, but the wine they are in is much more important.

Bill Dahl, Wine Consultant

Lakeland

It’s a common refrain that true Champagne, that is the most famous and prestigious sparkling wine in the world, must be produced within the strict confines of this eponymous region in northern France to be the genuine article. This fact is, of course, indisputable. All other sparkling wines produced throughout the world, irrespective of quality, are technically just so.

But save for perhaps the most ardent aficionado, the conventional enthusiast probably wouldn’t know that the Champagne region itself actually has a bit of a split personality. You could call it a Champenoise version of north and south.

In the north of the appellation, there is the Champagne produced near the postcard cities of Epernay and Reims, home to region’s most famous houses, like Mumm, Moёt & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. Yet a journey to the extreme south of the region, towards the medieval city of Troyes, reveals another side to Champagne; a less heralded but no less gifted district named the Côte des Bar.

For generations of grower-producers in the Côte des Bar, their vineyards served an integral role as a source of high quality grapes for the big houses in the north. These farming families also made a small amount of Champagne, too. Recently, the increased global demand for Champagne has enabled the best of these smaller houses in the region to gain a wider audience.

Francois Moutard of Champagne Moutard-Diligent can trace his family’s grape growing heritage in the village of Buxeuil back to 1642. Around the time the Champagne appellation was officially defined in 1927, Moutard-Diligent began to bottle wine under its own name.

Today, winemaker Francois oversees 22 hectares of vineyards planted to the essential varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier rooted in predominantly limestone soils. These are the same prized Kimmeridgian and Portlandian deposits that are found in nearby Chablis, located just to the south. It’s this terroir that gives his wines a wonderful stony minerality.

Moutard produces two 100% Pinot Noir non-vintage cuvees: the full-bodied, straw colored Moutard Brut NV ($34.99), a Blanc de Noir produced from free-run juice and the zesty Moutard Rose de Cuvaison NV ($39.99) with lovely red berry fruit and a creamy texture. Employing a short maceration with the Pinot Noir skins gives this wine its vibrant coral pink color.

Perhaps what truly distinguishes the Côte des Bar from the other districts within the Champagne appellation is the utilization of three obscure Champagne grape varieties: Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane.

Moutard uses these to great effect in his two vintage tête de cuvees. The Moutard Cuvee des 6 Cepages ($56.99) is an iconoclastic, barrel fermented blend of all six permitted Champagne varieties with the rare Arbane and Petit Meslier added to equal portions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc. It sports a bright gold hue and rich notes of hazelnut, pear, coffee and pastry.

Moutard also produces a limited bottling of the sensational and unique Moutard Cepages Arbane Vielle Vignes ($79.99) comprised completely of single vineyard arbane fruit sourced from a hillside planted in 1952.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t include a mention of their two other terrific offerings: Moutard Champ Persin ($39.99) a Blanc de Blanc made entirely of Chardonnay from a single vineyard plot. There’s even a semi-sweet “dessert” Champagne to serve with shortbread cookies: Moutard Demi Sec ($32.99).

The holidays are just around the corner and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with these distinctive bubblies. Cheers!

Jim Greeley, SW Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @ABCWineJimG

Just a friendly reminder that next week is my birthday. I know all my faithful blog readers and Twitter followers will want to surprise me with that special bottle of wine. So to help you out I want to give you a few simple guidelines to show you how easy it is to put a smile on my face.

First don't be intimidated into thinking you can't purchase wine for someone who works in the wine industry. Any true wine lover never has enough wine on their kitchen wine rack or in their cellar.

Second don't think you have to buy something expensive or worthy of laying down for years in order to impress me. In fact for my casual friends, I'd rather you didn't spend a lot because then I'll feel like I have to reciprocate. The only thing I do ask is that you put a bit of effort into the process. As I stated in my Christmas present blog a few years back, the worst thing you can do for me is pick up a bottle of wine in your local grocery store while shopping for your cat food and toilet paper.

So what do I mean when I ask for a little bit of effort? Show me that you care enough to buy my present in a real wine shop such as ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Yes you will also find many of the same wines you see in the grocery store but you will also find a great selection of esoteric, interesting wines in all price points.

Since most of my Twitter followers and blog readers fall into the casual friends category, I've included a quick reference of wines sure to please.

Contadi Castaldi Brut - I love bubbles anytime but especially when I'm celebrating. Contadi Castaldi offers the quality of French Champagne at half the price.

Tenuta Pepe Lila Falanghina - Dry white with incredible complexity for the price.

Giovanna Tantini Bardolino Chiaretto - Rosé wine has become a staple in my house and there is none better that this example from the shores of Lake Garda.

Tenuta Pepe Terra Del Varo Aglianico - Another great value from Tenuta Pepe. You won't find any Aglianico in you local grocery store.

Chateau Feret-Lambert Bordeaux - No I don't drink exclusively Italian wines. I love Bordeaux, especially when you find one at this quality/price ratio.

As you can see my tastes are all over the wine spectrum. This should give you the confidence to know you'll be hard pressed to choose something I wont like...unless of course you pick up my present in aisle 17 between the cat food and TP.

Paul Quaglini, ABC Fine Wine Spirits wine supervisor

Wish me happy birthday on Twitter @abcwinepaulq

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