That time of year
A widely agreed upon axiom of the wine industry is that the most expensive "bubbles" you will buy are in the fourth and first quarters of each year. With the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and other holidays in the fourth and Valentine's Day in the first quarter, the theory is well grounded in fact. Champagne and other sparkling wines are more in demand, and therefore consumers are a bit less price-conscious. After all, at these special times of year, we all want to treat our guests and ourselves to the best possible "bubbly" experience.
There are ways to manage the expense of providing great sparkling wine at our gatherings, though, and this year it may be more realistic than ever. We have talked much over the past year about the volume of great inexpensive wine we are seeing come in from the "old world" appellations of Europe, and right now we are seeing the same in really good sparkling wine at compelling prices. We have tasted several sparklers from overseas with distributors over the past weeks that will be great for your gatherings this winter; add a domestic choice or two, and you should be set without breaking the budget.
Our recent wine dinner at the Clark House highlighted a sparkling wine from the Savoie region in France. Located in the Southeast corner of the country near the border with Switzerland and the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva on the Swiss side), this region is known for producing some of the great white wines in France. The Lambert De Seyssel "Petit Royal" Brut priced at $21 outsold every other wine we featured that night - unusual for a "sparkler" on a hot September night! The varietal composition is Moette and Altesse, and the wine is delicious and crisp with light effervescence and has flavors focused on pears and apples. The wine is aged longer than normal and employing Methode Traditionelle, it shows great complexity and depth. The caliber of the wine for this price is virtually unheard of and will be a great addition to any gathering.
Directly to the North of Burgundy is the Champagne region of France and while Champagne commands the big dollars, there are some great sparkling wines that come out of Burgundy at compelling prices, especially since the two main Champagne varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are also the grapes grown in Burgundy. One of the great producers from Burgundy is Louis Bouillot, known for his fabulous and very "spendy" reds. I never knew until this past week that he also produces a lovely sparkling wine. His Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rose is truly a well-priced find at $15.
Many wine consumers still think a pink Champagne or sparkling wine will be sweet, but the brut designation tells you it is bone dry, with the pink color coming from allowing the fermenting wine to have contact with the red skins of the Pinot Noir. The wine is light and crisp, bone dry as we said, and shows lovely strawberry flavors on the palette and crisp minerality in the aromatics. We have been enjoying it even before the holidays arrive, it is so tasty.
When shopping for well-priced sparkling wines, don't overlook the Italians and producers like Rive della Chiesa. They make both a Brut (the Treviso) and a Rose (the Vino Spumante) that are lush and rich, again bone dry, and show lovely palate flavors in either bottle you choose, with the white being more focused on citrus and apples and the pink giving more of a nod to berry flavors. At $15, both are well worth the money and always impress with their richness and complexity.
Priced at $18, a great domestic choice is the Sofia Blanc de Blanc from Francis Ford Coppola. The Blanc de Blanc designation indicates the wine is 100% Chardonnay. The flavors are lovely, loaded with apple notes, and the packaging is wonderful, too. Featuring a foil-less bottle closure and wrapped in pink cellophane, it is great as a gift bottle or to serve at your own party.
Champagne and sparkling wine make every gathering more festive, especially as we approach the big winter holidays. Having choices like these that are delicious and well-priced is a bonus for wine consumers either to bring to parties you are invited to, or to serve at your own dinners.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene near Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com and get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.