Sparkle, Fizz, Pop! Bubblies for New Year’s Eve and Beyond
We love sparkling wine; Champagne, prosecco, cava, cremant … you name it, we drink it. So we view this time of year with a tinge of bitter-sweet feelings. On one hand it’s exciting to see all the best and brightest bubbles line shelves in the LCBO, but on the other, where are these sparkling gems come April or July or September?
A Sparkling For Every Ocassion
A few weeks ago we attended a lunch by Wine Country Ontario to discuss that very notion. We wrote about it in Huffington Post, so we won’t repeat ourselves here, but the point of this luncheon was to highlight how bubbly has a place for all occasions, from high-brow holiday soirees to simple Saturday afternoons with a few friends.
Undoubtedly, champagne’s reputation (and all its various brethren found elsewhere around the world), is a double-edged sword. It enjoys the prestige of being the celebration wine, where even still wines of serious stature take a backseat to sparkling’s high-falutin fashion. But that same glamourous character usually means its dance card is left empty come more provincial gatherings.
Interestingly, we find a lot of places where beer is the beverage of choice, bubbly can step in just as well. Champagne and the like goes brilliantly with fried foods like chips, wings and fries as it does spicy food like Mexican and Thai dishes. It may be one of the most versatile wines out there.
Perhaps its the confusion that can surround sparkling wine that has some shying away. We’ve discussed this a few times in the past, offering basic explanations for each “type” of sparkling wine, and about the sweetness levels of champagne, but the wine world moves fast, and it’s not always – actually it’s never – easy to explain sparkling wine in one convenient definition. But, we will continue to try and here is our latest stab at it.
Grapes and Places
Sparkling wine can be made anywhere in the world, from any grapes that winemakers feel would make a good bottle of bubbly. In Champagne itself, the birthplace of bubbly, the three main grapes for fizz are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay and many winemakers around the world will use those same grapes, and the champagne method, to create sparklers of finesse and elegance, though they are not legally allowed to call their bubbles “champagne.” Sparkling wines made elsewhere in France, whether it be Burgundy, Alsace or Loire are referred to as “Cremant.”
Sparkling shiraz from Australia is gaining popularity, and in Italy, where you may be more familiar with the sweet and softly effervescent Moscato d’Asti, or lemony, yeasty prosecco, Lambrusco, a low-alcohol sparkling red (though white and rose is also produced), made from grapes of the same name, has been enjoyed in that country decades and decades, and it’s now starting to show up on the radar of Canadian wine lovers.
Indeed, Ontario sparkling, which arguably can be just as elegant as that of champagne, can be made with anything from gamay, riesling, even Icewine, though many stick with pinot noir and chardonnay for their serious fizz.
As mentioned, prosecco is riding a high wave of popularity. Maybe because it’s light, refreshing and lemony fizz for a pittance of what champagne and many other sparklings cost. Made mostly from grapes of the same name (sometimes with a few other local varietals thrown in like Pinot Bianco or Trebbiano), prosecco comes from the Veneto region, and more often than not, it can be kept at a lower price because of how it’s produced (more on that to follow), though some producers are wading into more serious waters and making their proseccos in the same method as champagne.
Cava, the Spanish sparkler that maybe isn’t as popular as the ubiquitous prosecco, is great bang for your buck. To be legally allowed to call a bubbly “cava,” spanish winemakers must produce their sparkling wines in the champagne method. Using mostly a blend of local white grapes macabeo, parellada, xarel-lo (and maybe some chardonnay, pinot noir or other native varietals), the bulk of cava is produced in the Penedès region of Catalonia.
Methods to the Sparkling Madness
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: as much as we love drinking sparkling wine, we thank Bacchus we’re not the ones who have to make it. It takes a special patience and determination that we simply don’t poses, as you must be a touch mad to do it at all.
Méthod Champenoise: This is what Dom Perignon accidentally “invented” way back in the 17th century. Champagne begins its life as any other wine would: fermenting from juice to alcohol in stainless steels tanks, but instead of being moved into barrel, it is bottled with extra sugar and yeast. Yeast converts sugar to alcohol and throws of CO2, which is what creates the bubbles. This is known as the second fermentation, and depending on the house style, it can take years.
After the second fermentation is complete, the bottles are put in a riddling rack, so they’re almost upside down, and over a period of time, turned a quarter spin to allow the spent yeasts to fall into the neck of the bottle so it can be removed – a process that’s known as disgorgement. Many champagne houses do this mechanically with a gyroplate, however some still do this painstakingly by hand. Because the bottles are under such pressure, workers used to receive danger pay – a bit of trivia for your next New Year’s party.
Once the sediment is in the neck of the bottle, the neck is frozen, the sludge popped out, the Champagne is topped up, and capped with the cork and cage closure. The bottles will likely rest a while longer in the winery or can be shipped out.
Note: the contents are under serious pressure, so opening a bottle can be a bit of a death-defying act. If you’d like to see how to do it without losing an eye, click here.
Charmat Method: This is also known as the Tank Method. It’s a quick and inexpensive way to take still wines to sparkling in just a few weeks (as opposed to years with the champagne method).
Using large, pressurized tanks, the wine undergoes its second fermentation in larger vats. This is a less delicate way than doing second fermentation in individual bottles. Usually, but not always, less expensive grapes are used for wines made this way, like prosecco, but also some sparkling chenin blancs from South Africa or or other bubblies from around the world.
CO2 Injection: The cheapest and least elegant way to turn a still wine into a sparkling wine. Simply injecting the wine with carbon dioxide, like soda pop, will give it bubbles.
Bubbly We Like
Ruhlmann Cremant d’Alsace Brut, Alsace, France NV
$19.95 Vintages 297853
A great celebration bubbly at a great price, this has aromas of tinned apple juice, mineral and spearmint. Midweight on the palate with zippy bubbles, look for flavours of golden apple, mineral, peppermint and subtle yeasty notes. Vibrant acidity and a long finish.
Cave Spring Cellars Blanc de Blanc Brut, VQA Niagara Escarpment NV
$29.95 LCBO 213985
Classy and sophisticated, this very champagne-like sparker is made from 100 per cent Chardonnay with a nose of field flowers and chamomile, lemon and an earthy minerality. Mid-weight and balanced with tangy acidity and soft but present bubbles, flavours of brioche, lemon and mineral dominate. A very elegant pairing for poached lobster or grilled prawns.
Trius Brut, VQA Niagara Peninsula, NV
$24.95 LCBO 284538
A classic Niagara bubbly blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, with yeast, lemon and green apple aromas and pleasant flavours of green apple, candied peach, lemon drop and bread-brioche notes. Enjoy with grilled white fish, vegetable tempura or roast pork.
Segura Viudas Brut Reserve Cava, Spain NV
$14.95 LCBO 216960
A great buy for less than $15, this sparkler is a definite crowd pleaser. Look for flavours of lemon-lime, grapefruit and mineral. Lovely as a pre dinner cocktail or with a seafood smorgasbord.
Pol Roger Champagne, France NV
$60.85 LCBO 217158
A great taste of champagne at a very reasonable price. Elegant and fresh with vibrant acidity, this has flavours of lemon, brioche and pink grapefruit. A nice match to a range of hors d’oeuvres from mushroom and goat cheese tarts to crab and avocado bites.
Bottega Il Vino Dei Poeti Prosecco, Veneto, Italy NV
$12.95 LCBO 897702
Fresh, fun and a great crowd pleaser, look for flavours of lemon, melon, light floral notes and some candied apple. Great to sip alongside a myriad of appetizers. Good party wine.
Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling, Mendocino, California NV
$24.90 LCBO 294191
A fantastic value for this champagne styled wine, on sale for under $25, there’s very little left in the LCBO. Not sure why that is, but hopefully it will continue to be stocked as this is a wine of style and grace. Aromas and flavours of pastry and coddled cream, crisp apple, lemon meringue, and ripe pear.