It’s the beginning of what is supposed to be a very hot summer, so we thought a cold glass of bubbly would be a great antidote to the heat.
Sparkling wines, whether they are called Champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Cava, Lambrusco, Brachetto, Espumante, Mousseux, Sekt, Crémant, or any other name, have captured the imagination and palates of many drinkers.
In Italy, there are two additional descriptions that also appear on labels: Spumante, indicating an extra fizzy wine, and Frizzante, a much gentler sparkler.
While French Champagne is considered the queen of extremely dry and fizzy sparklers, Italian Prosecco has become the king of a softer, less dry style of bubbly. Cava is the Spanish interpretation of bubbly and is produced in different styles from extra dry to dulce (sweet) but with considerable alcohol content.
Sect is the German and Austrian name for a sparkler that is elegantly dry and low on alcohol. Crémant is the name for a French sparkler not produced in the Champagne region, as the term “Champagne” is reserved for the bubbly produced in that area. It’s a designation jealously and legally protected throughout the world.
Most drinkers of the “nectar of the gods” want to know how the bubbly is produced.
There are two distinct production methods: (1) the classic méthode Champenoise, where the secondary fermentation (the one that creates the bubbles) takes place in the bottle the bubbly is sold in and (2) the Martinotti, also known as the Charmat method, in which secondary fermentation takes place under pressure in large stainless steel tanks, after which the wine is bottled and sold.
Champagne, Crémant, Franciacorta, and Cava are all produced in the classic method. Prosecco, Lambrusco, Sekt, Asti, and most Brazilian and Greek sparklers are produced in the Charmat method.
The traditional method is the most complex and influences the actual price of the final product the most, as it is far more labor-intensive and space-consuming than the Charmat method. The initial process involves making a basic still wine or using still wines from different grape varieties.
Next comes the blending phase, or assemblage, where the winemaker mixes still wines from different grape varieties and different harvest years, and/or different harvest plots. Then, the winemaker adds “liqueur de tirage,” consisting of sugar, nutrients, and yeast accomplishing what is known as the “house style.” Finally, there’s the stage that makes the blended wine “sparkle” in bottle fermentation. To be a “vintage” sparkler, all wines used have to be from the same year.
Champagne and other classic method sparkling wines benefit from aging. Charmat-produced wines can be drunk much younger, as age doesn’t much change the taste. Personally, I will age a classic method sparkler for at least 5 years, but I will drink it before it reaches 15.
Storage also affects the taste, much more than a regular still wine. A dark, cool space with the bottle stored on its side so that the liquid prevents the cork from drying is the way to store a sparkler.
Historians believe that the world’s first sparkling wine was produced in the Limoux region in 1531 by the monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, and not in Champagne by Dom Pérignon, whose sparkling wine was created approximately 135 years later. The apocryphal quote attributed to the good friar — “Come quickly! I am tasting stars” — supposedly said when trying his first sparkler, appears to have been made up for an advertisement in the late 19th century.
The Ace of Spades Champagne came to our office in a beautiful black lacquer box with a pewter Ace of Spades logo on the cover. The Ace of Spades is also the logo on the stunning gold bottle that came in the box. It’s a classic!
Armand de Brignac Brut is a brand of the Cattier family. The sparkler is pale yellow, quite dry with a strong bead and has a lovely brioche, pear, honeysuckle, and white flowers aroma, as well as a smooth and long lingering finish. It’s a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 20% Pinot Meunier. It’s created exclusively from grapes grown during three very good vintages in three vineyards: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs.
From Albert Bichot, we tasted a Brut Reserve Crémant de Bourgogne – a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. A lovely sparkling tipple from vineyard parcels in the Côte-d’Or, it’s clean on the palate with beautiful length. The nose has notes of lime and pink grapefruit as well as white blossoms.
The Bertrand Ballerine features great balance and is fruity with a hint of yeast, fresh almonds, and flowers. Gérard Bertrand is among the leading winemakers of southeastern France. The wineries are located in the Languedoc, north of the Pyrenees and Spanish Catalonia. Most of the vineyards are located between the medieval towns of Carcassonne, Narbonne, and the city of Perpignan, and they include some well-known estates.
A “Blanc de Blancs” is a sparkling wine made strictly from white gapes. The Saint-Reine is a Brut sparkler made in the traditional method from Chardonnay. It’s basic and straightforward but a good-value sparkler with green apple, pear, honeydew melon, and orange zest on the nose.
On the palate, it’s dry and medium-bodied with flavors suggested from the nose, supported by medium acidity and completing with a medium finish. It’s very good for the price and perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon … and much more sophisticated than drinking Coke or Pepsi.
The autonomous community of Catalunya is located in northeast Spain. It encompasses the larger part of the territory of the medieval principality of Catalonia, bordering the Spanish region of Aragon to the West, France to the North, and the Mediterranean Sea to the East.
The landscape is mountainous with fertile valleys covered in pine trees, cork oaks, olive trees, hazelnut and almond trees, and of course, the ubiquitous grapevine rows. Grapes grow on soil of mostly decomposed blue and red slate. Most Cava is born in the historic D.O. of Penedès, which lies within Catalonia’s borders near the Mediterranean coast.
Cava is becoming one of the favorite libations in Europe. Made with the same painstaking procedures the Champagne houses follow, it’s softer and less acidic, as well as less costly even at the highest quality.
Cava is usually produced from all indigenous white grapes – Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarello (though some producers mix the indigenous white varieties with pinot noir for a lighter version) versus Champagne’s Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier (one white and two red grapes). The production method is the same for both – the méthode Champenoise.
Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine mostly made in the Veneto. It’s a reasonably priced alternative to Champagne made from Glera grapes, and one of my choices comes from Mionetto that pioneered this bubbly.
The Mionetto exudes intensely fruity and fresh summer aromas of green grapes, honeydew, and golden pears. The palate is clean, making it ideal for a summer drink with fresh apple tones. It’s lighter and much more accessible than Champagne, and it’s rapidly gaining favor on this side of the Atlantic as well.
Salmon pink in color, Ferrari Rosé is a Brut bottle made in the traditional method in the Trentodoc. The bouquet is distinct with fragrance of white flowers, red currants, and strawberries. The palate is dry and elegant with a mild finish of berries and almonds.
FIOL is a brand I enjoy at the end of the day. It’s a pale pink rosé, extra dry vintage Prosecco from Treviso – a blend of 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Noir. On the nose, there are fruity aromas of berries, i.e. raspberries and strawberries, with hints of citrus and white flowers. It’s crisp, and there’s an elegant balance between acidity and fruit sugars. But it has a bit more of an edge than I would normally expect from a Prosecco.
Then, there’s always Asti Spumante – light, sweet, low in alcohol, and a definite crowd-pleaser. Asti is made using single-tank fermentation in the Charmat technique. I should also mention Brachetto, a pink-hued, effervescent, sweet wine from Piedmont. Banfi is a very good example of Brachetto.
A new brand of sparkling wine, Aphrodise Rosé, has arrived in the USA. It’s a sparkler produced in Northern Greece in the Charmat method – the same method used to create Prosecco – using carefully selected Xinomavro grapes. Three pressings take place. After the must settles, the first alcoholic fermentation starts.
Aphrodise Rosé has an intense mousse and a bright cherry-red color with pronounced aromas of apple, ripe strawberries, and a hint of cherry. If you like a good Prosecco, Aphrodise is a sparkler you should try.
Whatever you choose, I lift my glass to your health!
Manos Angelakis is one of the founders, the former Managing Editor for 25 years, the current Managing Editor Emeritus, and Senior Food & Wine Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. He is an accomplished travel writer, photographer, and food and wine critic based in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a travel writer, he has written extensively about numerous cities and countries. Manos has also been certified as a Tuscan Wine Master and has traveled to wine-producing areas in order to evaluate firsthand the product of top-rated vineyards. In the past year, he has visited and written multiple articles about Morocco, Turkey, Quebec City, Switzerland, Antarctica, and most recently the South of France. Articles in other publications include Vision Times and Epoch Times.
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