Bradenton event planning is always better with wine. Tis the season to make merry and Americans consume wine, beer and spirits by the millions of gallons during the month of December. Each year between the third week of November to December 31st wine retailers generate up to 45% of their annual revenues.
It is safe to say that a big part of those holiday sales include sparkling wine. More precious and complicated to make than still wines, bubblers have traditionally been considered occasional extravagances, saved for celebrations and special events.
With higher acidity, more delicate flavor, their unique flavors tingle the palate and their alcohol content is typically lower than most table wines; they are, however, some of the most versatile wines to accompany food. Modern production techniques have brought sparkling wines to market that are more affordable and accessible for everyday enjoyment.
Most sparklers offer a crisp, dry flavor profile that is refreshing and delicious, and the bubbles make it even more fun. But there are also “sec and demi-sec” bubblers that please those whose tastes run to the sweeter side. Sparklers go with almost any food type, from salad to dessert, from chicken to seafood, from Asian to Vegan.
But note that we have yet to use the word Champagne. That’s because all that bubbles is not Champagne. The designation “Champagne” may only be used to identify sparkling wines made in the Champagne Region in France.
Champagne is clearly the world’s most famous sparkling wine. It is made from any of three grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) or a blend thereof. The Méthode Champenoise involves many specialized steps in both viticulture and enology that has taken centuries to evolve, through the contributions of scores of inventors, innovators, and workers, both famous and nameless.
Modernization and refinement of the “traditional” sparkling wine process continues to this day, although its beginnings are in antiquity. The bubbles come from the introduction of an additional amount of yeast that converts into gas producing bubbles in the wine over time.
It is important to understand some terms found on the label of a Champagne bottle to ensure your satisfaction with the style of the wine:
Blanc de blanc – Produced exclusively from Chardonnay grapes – lighter, more delicate
Blanc de noir – Produced exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes – robust, intense, complex
Rosé – Produced via maceration of whole, uncrushed noir grapes, or by blending white wines with a ‘still’ red Champagne appellation wine.
Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Demi-Sec, Sec – Categories of dryness (from most dry to sweet).
It should also be understood that Champagne, like Port, does not produce a single vintage each year. Vintage Champagne made from the grapes of one annual harvest that is classified as exceptional. For less than exceptional years the juice of several vintages are blended together and classified as non-vintage (NV). Not surprisingly vintage Champagne may be very expensive ($100 – $1,500). NV Champagne can be purchased for $35 and higher, depending on the producer and the quality.
Crémant is the generic name for sparkling wine made in France outside the Champagne region. Initially reserved for “Champagne demi-mousse”, the term Crémant has long been in use, reserved for sparkling wines from an appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC). These wines are usually quite good but less expensive.
But there are other bubblers on the market that serve the purpose quite well.
Let’s start here in America where wines made from the very same grapes as French Champagne may legally only be called Sparkling Wine. There are many outstanding California sparkers and Oregon is the source for some as well. And don’t forget the slew of bubbling wines from Washington and New York States.
Other nations also produce outstanding sparkers that will make your day brighter. Spain produces many fine sparkling wines called Cava, after the cellars in which the wine is produced. Many of these wines are made in the “méthode champenoise” or “Champagne method,” which is the same method that is used to make Champagne.
Cava is made from three grape varieties native to Spain, Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada. Josep Raventós Fatjó of the Codorníu Estate is said to have been the first to produce cava in Cataluña in 1872. Today there are hundreds of sparkling wine producers in the area south of Barcelona called Penedés. The other sparkling wine producer which comes to mind immediately is Freixenet, pronounced “fresh-eh-net.” Its Cordon Negro, a cava in a matte black bottle with gold writing is popular there and here in the USA.
One of my favorite bubblers is an Italian sparkler made from a variety of a white grape grown in the Veneto region of Italy, and also gives its name to the wine itself – Prosecco. The grape is grown in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene wine-growing regions north of Treviso. Its late ripening led to its use in dry sparkling (spumante) and semi-sparkling (frizzante) wines, with their delightfully lemony characteristic.
Prosecco is recognizable by its pale straw-yellow color, its moderate body and its exclusively fruity and floral aroma. Prosecco is at once, both agile and energetic and is produced in two versions, Extra Dry and Brut. Both are characterized by rich aromas of citrus fruit and fresh vegetation with pleasant hints of bread crust showing through.
Prosecco is also blended with fresh white peach pureé to make a famous Italian cocktail known as The Bellini. The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice. Because of its unique pink color, which reminded Cipriani of the color of the toga of a saint in a 15th-century painting by Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, he named the drink after him.
The drink started as a seasonal specialty at Harry’s Bar, a favorite haunt for the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Wells. Later, it also became popular at the bar’s counterpart in New York City.
In South Africa producers came up with an alternative name for its own version of the classic Champagne product. This prestigious wine category became known as Cap Classique.
The name was derived from the fact that the classic art of winemaking was introduced to the Cape by the French Huguenots. The first bottle-fermented sparkling wine produced at the Cape was called Kaapse Vonkel.
Caution: Bubblers are best when served very cold. All sparkling wines should be served at a temperature of 7-9° C (44-46° F). Keep your open bottle in an ice wine bucket or in the fridge when not serving. Serve them in a flute glass to retard the loss of the bubbles.
Find the sparkling wine that’s right for you and enjoy it now and throughout the year. Please remember – if you drink don’t drive.
Here’s to you – have a happy and safe holiday season. Cheers!