Your favorite wine geek is back and better than ever. Although you may have already indulged in a bit too much bubbly, listen up as to why the fun shouldn’t stop now. Check out Matt’s last article to find out just how much the guy knows about wine and why you should take his word on all things bubbly and delicious:
So…it’s January 5th and you’re just starting to wake up from your holiday hangover. You ate too much, drank too much and had a great time doing it. Perhaps you even drank a glass of bubbly too! A romantic midnight toast, a cheers to your family or a salute to your friends just wouldn’t be the same without Champagne. And sadly now, with the exception of a summer wedding, the bubbly is stocked away in a cold cellar until next year.
For some reason in America, we’ve come to the conclusion that sparkling wine is only appropriate when engaging in a celebration. No one is really sure why this happened: is it because of the apparent festiveness of the bubbles? Maybe it’s the mystical aura surrounding Champagne? Could it be the price? Whatever the reason – as a wine director – I totally took advantage of it. Without fail, I stocked up on sparklings during the month of December when everyone else was celebrating. Did you know that I sell five times as much bubbly in December than I do in the other 11 months combined (sometimes at an even higher markup than normal)?!? I guess I’ve just been perpetuating the very myth I’m trying to bust with this article…
My belief is that this was all a marketing scheme by those eccentric Champagne makers (I say Champagne because I specifically mean the wineries that are found in the Champagne region of France; as you may know, these are the only sparkling wines that may be referred to as Champagne – the rest are just called sparkling wines). Through their crazy scheme, they’ve positioned Champagne (and all sparkling wine by association) as a higher class of wine, reserved only for the rich and famous. They did this by highlighting the centuries of tradition that go into creating their master blends. They’ve also hiked up the price to coincide with the mystique. Once, I was in a meeting with a wine rep who told me he wanted his wine to be the most expensive on my list even though he was selling it to me for far less than I was paying for others; to him, the success of his brand was the image that it was the most luxurious, special occasion wine on the menu.
But now I’ve caught on to their secret. The truth is, sparkling wine is just a still wine that has gone through a second fermentation process with extra sugar or yeast to give it the bubbles. In fact, sparkling wine is quite versatile and stems from a variety of wines. They can be made from Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Syrah, Prosecco and many more. Although mostly white, they can also be rosé or red. They range from sweet to very dry and can be paired with entrées just as easily as their non-bubbly brethren.
The trick is to find the gems out there that are priced well. Believe it or not, it’s not nearly as hard as it seems. Some of my favorite sparkling wines come from the Alsace region of France and are known as “Cremant de Alsace” and, at the same price as a bottle of Korbel, it’s an amazing value. Italian Prosecco and Spanish Cava are great steals as well. Still, there are an ever-growing number of wineries in the United States that make some outstanding sparklers – Argyle (Washington) makes some killer ones that are very affordable. Any good sales rep at Sam’s or Binny’s should be able to help you pick out an affordable and delicious bottle of fizz.
So the next time you’re at a restaurant and someone asks you what you’re in the mood for, don’t hesitate to reach for the bubbly!
