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Vino
con Vita: Numero Quattrodici Decision
Time: How about Bubbly? By
John Antenucci, Contributing Columnist Holiday
meals and gatherings frequently conspire to challenge a host as to whether
to serve a red or white wine. Related, there’s the quandary of the
proportion of reds to whites and vice versa and what pairs best with what? A
sparkling wine can set those topics to rest – and can turn the most modest
of occasions – even a weekend snack or lunch – into a celebratory event.
And the drink need not be costly. Sparkling
wines come from all corners of the world, have many flavor profiles and a
wide range of colors from near clear, to a palette of yellows, through the
pinks and into the reds. There is also considerable variability in sweetness
(or lack thereof) described by a rather peculiar nomenclature: doux (sweet),
demi-sec (half dry), sec (dry) extra sec (Extra dry) (note: still some
sweetness) and brut (what wine drinkers expect from dry). Sparklings present
a more subtle range of flavors and scents – that change as the wine warms
in the flute. And the bubbles..,well they vary in size and intensity between
the wines, some are big, others more like a fizz; some are aggressive while
others drift lazily to the surface, released almost reluctantly. The
Italians classify this range of bubbles from spumante to frizzante. Sparkling
wines are useful as an aperitif and likewise can compliment every course of
a meal from appetizer through desert. And remarkably, its one of the few
wines that can be paired with a vinaigrette based salad. Sparkling
wines are made from both white and red grapes – and red grapes (e.g. Pinot
Noir) are used to make many of the sparkling wines without a tint of pink or
red. The old world classic – Champagne is typically made of Chardonnay (a
white) or Pinot Noir (a red) or blend of the two and perhaps others.
Champagne is a sparkling from an area of northeast France located between
Paris and Alsace and made using a particular and traditional process i.e Méthode
Champenoise. The traditional process has the grapes crushed with the juice
of the red grapes separated quickly so that the skins impart no color to the
wine. (On the other hand, the vintner can make a “pink” wine by
extending the time that the juice remains in contact with the red skins). In
the same way, the vintner can extract more “color” from sustained
contact with the skins of the white grapes. In
the Méthode Champenoise, the juice is fermented, aged in wood or stainless
and then placed ijn the bottle with a small mount of yeast, rock sugar and
still wine and then corked and wired. The wire is intended to hold the cork
in place while a second fermentation takes placed – as there is no where
for the resulting carbon dioxide to go it is forced into the wine, creating
the bubbles to be release on opening. As the fermentation will cause some
solids to be left behind, the bottles of aging wine are placed in racks with
the top of the bottle at a low point, allowing the particles to collect near
the cork. Over months, the bottles are gently turned coaxing the particulate
matter into the neck of the bottle. To remove the particulate matter the
bottles are individually held in a icy bath freezing the contents in the
neck, the bottles are opened, the slush is disgorged by the force of the
carbonation and replaced with still or sparkling wine, sugar and other
proprietary ingredients to top of the bottle. The cork and wire cage is
replaced and the bottle returned to the cellar for aging for at least 15
months and eventual sale. The Méthode Champenoise process requires time and
lots of manual labor - and thus are deservedly more expensive than sparkling
wines made with higher levels of mechanization. Yet, the alternative
processes produce sparkling wines of remarkable quality quality and
diversity. Old
World Wines: Look to France (e.g., Champagne, Crémant d'Alsace, Brut
Vouvray and Blanquette de Limoux), Italy (the sparklings of Prosecco and
Moscato d’Asti (the latte always on the sweet side) Spain (e.g., Cava) or
a Sket from Germany or Austria. US
Domestic: Though California produces the largest volume of sparkling wines,
excellent quality sparklings have long come from the Finger Lake region of
upstate New York and more recently Long Island e.g. Lieb Family Vineyard
Likewise oregon (e.g., Argyle and Washington Domaine Ste. Michelle and New
Mexico (e.g., Gruet Brut ) also
produce notable sparklings and there is much experimentation throughout the
US. From California look for Roederer Estate, as well as the Piper Sonoma,
Iron Horse, Schramsberg and the Gloria Ferrer. New World Wines: Look to Australia (particularly for a sparkling Red Shiraz like Mollydooker) and Argentina (e.g. Bodegas Alma Negra and Reginato, both produce sparklings from Chardonnays as well as Malbec). South Africa has joined the fray with Graham Beck and Simonseg’s brut Roses) From
Israel there are a number of fine sparklings including Yarden’s Kosher
Blanc de Blancs. All
in all the choices are substantial, the price points vary – and there’s
nary a reason for not enjoying a bubbly during the holiday events (both
large and small) to come.
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