Grab The Bubbly!

Few things embody the true sensation of celebration like a bottle of bubbly. We toast unions and the New Year, christen ships, splurge on promotions, build overflowing glass fountains, and spray the bubbles of victory on the heads of our teammates. Whatever you call it - champagne or sparkling wine - every pop and fizz is a tiny cheer for the milestones in our lives.

It is doubtful that the late 1600s monk, Dom Perignon had thought that someday his wine would be the symbol of celebration throughout the world. Unlike Xerox and Kleenex, Champagne is not a brand name but rather an area in France where the grapes are grown. Anyone who has a snooty friend has heard that real, true champagne comes only from Champagne, France—everything else is sparkling wine. But don’t worry, there as so many delicious varieties that by the time you taste them all, you will be enjoying them with much better friends.

The truth behind the science that Dom Perignon and probably most of the monks in that region discovered is that the weather in Champagne is cold. So, by the time the grapes were harvested and juiced, and the wine was ready to age, it was cold outside.

The wine was stored in deep cellars that lacked insulation, causing the fermentation to shut down. Then in the spring, when the weather warmed, the fermentation process would kick back into gear. The CO2 (carbon dioxide) had nowhere to go, so it stayed in the bottle, eventually popping the cork…ready for tasting time!

Since then and still today, the process has been refined but the science is the same. Sparkling wine is made by taking the simple formula for fermentation, sugar + yeast = alcohol and CO2, and not allowing the gas to escape. When you ferment wine in a sealed environment, the CO2 goes into the wine, only to be released in the form of tiny bubbles after opening. Traditional wine has only one step to fermentation, sparkling wine has two. The sweetness of the sparkling wine comes from the amount of sugars added during the second step of fermentation.

Take Your Pick

There are several different varieties of sparkling wines. Each varies in sweetness, smoothness, and mouth-feel—all of which affect flavor.

In traditional Champagne, three grapes are used to make the familiar flavor that we recognize today: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meaner. Dom Perignon is the most recognizable brand of champagne today.

Most Cremant is produced in France. This type of sparkling wine has lower amounts of carbon dioxide. Because of this, it has a very creamy mouth-feel.

Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine that can be white or pink. The grape varietals are primarily Spanish grapes, including Macabeo, Parellada, and Chardonnay. They vary in degree of dryness.

Asti is a sweet Italian sparkler made in the region of Asti with Muscat grapes. It has a low alcohol content, about 8%, compared with the 12% of the other varieties.

Prosecco is an Italian sparkler that is produced like Asti but is dryer and sweeter due to the Prosecco grapes. It comes in light sparkling and fully sparkling versions. The easiest way to tell the difference - the lighter version comes with a pop-top and the fuller, with a cork and cage.

The term Brut refers to the driest of bubblies. The scale runs as follows: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec (which is where it begins to get sweet), Demi-Sec, and Doux.

Chill and Serve

When purchasing and serving sparkling wine keep these things in mind. First, look for the words “method champenoise”, which means that the second fermentation step happened in the bottle and not by adding carbonation. Know what you are paying for.

Sparkling wine is meant to be served between 43 and 48 degrees. It takes 2 to 3 hours to chill in a refrigerator or 30 minutes in a 50/50 ice water bucket. If you are feeling rushed, resist the temptation to put the bottle in the freezer. The contents are under extreme pressure and the inside of your freezer will be having the party of its life while you are stuck cleaning up the aftermath.

Sparkling wines are meant to be served in flutes to preserve the bubbles. Fill the glass only about three-fourths full to allow the wine to breathe as well as yourself while you are drinking it. Lastly, as dramatic as it seems, resist the urge to pop the cork high into the air and spill all that nectar of the gods onto the ground. As Grandma says, “A lady and a fine wine have a lot in common, a small burp is best.”

Although nothing tastes quite like success, sparkling wine is a close second. Cheers!

Colleen Wing

Colleen Wing is a part-time salesperson at Winestyles in the Westgate Mall. She believes all problems can be solved with logical thinking and a glass of wine.

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Volume 2, Issue 1, Posted 4:03 PM, 07.02.2014