Hey all,
This New Year's Eve, many of us will all take time out of our busy lives to share a few glasses of bubbly. And whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or occasional sipper of sparkling wines, there are a lot of options when shopping for the perfect bottle of sparkling wine, and it can be pretty intimidating. Here's a quick reference guide to sparkling wine terminology that you'll see plastered all over every bottle.
Champagne - The term Champagne is widely used by wine drinkers in reference to all sparkling wines, but Champagne refers specifically to sparkling wines from the Champagne region of northern France (remember, French wines are named after their place of origin, not the grape used to produce them). Three primary grapes are used to make Champagnes (and most American sparkling wines as well): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are red grapes, but the juice is removed from the skins before fermentation and therefore impart no color to the wine (except for Roses). Pinot Meunier has fruity and earthy flavors and usually contributes the least to finished sparklers, whereas Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the two workhorses. Blanc de Blanc (literally white from white) refers to sparklings made exclusively from Chardonnay and Blanc de Noirs (literally white from black) indicates a sparkling wine made exclusively with Pinot Noir. What's the difference? Blanc de blancs are usually firmer and drier and blanc de noirs usually display fruitier aromas and flavors.
Brut - If you see Brut on a bottle of bubbly, think dry. The name originates from Champagnes that were at first considered "brute-like" in the mid-19th century. Champagnes were at one point often sweet; in fact, vintner's used added sugar to mask impurities in the wines. Once producers began improving their practices (Champagne, along with Sherry and Port are some of the hardest wines to make), the Brut style was embraced, and now most Champagnes produced are Bruts.
Extra Dry - Just beneath brut in the scale of dryness. Extra dry sparkling wines are not necessarily sweet, but usually contain more residual sugar than bruts.
Spumante - Contrary to popular belief, spumante does not indicate that a wine is sweet. Spumante actually indicates that a wine is fully sparkling. Producers like Andre and Cook's, however, have used popularized the term spumante by using it on their sweeter wines. While their spumantes are in fact sweeter than their Bruts and Extra Drys, spumante doesn't necessarily indicate that a sparkling wine will be sweet. Another sparkling wine that has popularized the term in the US is Martini & Rossi's Asti Spumante. Asti is actually a region in Piedmont, Italy popular for Barberas, Moscatos, Barolos and Barbarescos (among others). Spumante simply indicates that it is fully sparkling.
Frizzante - You probably won't find "frizzante" used on too many labels, but it is definitely describes many sparkling wines. Frizzante refers to a wine that is only slightly sparkling. Many Moscatos are frizzante in style, as are Brachettos and some Vinho Verdes.
Prosecco - This Italian sparkling wine comes from Veneto in Northern Italy and vary in style. Most proseccos we see in the states are between $10 and $15 and on the drier side. They are usually spumante in style, but some are frizzante (only slightly sparkling). A few bang-for-your-buck proseccos we carry are Riondo and Zardetto.
Cava - Cava is the name for Spanish sparkling wines made in the Champagne method. From dry to sweet: Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec, Sweet. To be called cava, a Spanish sparkler has to be made in the same process as Champagne, in which secondary fermentation takes place in each individual bottle. By law, cava must be made by one or more of the following grapes: parellada, xarel-lo, and macabeo, and chardonnay. Cavas you may be familiar with are Freixenet or Segura Viudas . Both are great values at $10.99.
Cremant - This term is used to identify French sparkling wine made outside of Champagne, but still in the Champagne method. One of the most common cremants is Cremant de Limoux, which is produced in just over forty small villages surrounding the town of Limoux.
Here are some bubblers we will have for you guys at some great prices:
Veuve Clicquot 'Yellow Label' Brut Champagne, NV - $49.99 (Sug. Retail - $58.99)
Moet & Chandon 'Imperial' Extra Dry, NV - $43.99 (Sug. Retail - $54.99) Formally 'White Star,' this bottling from Moet & Chandon is a perennial favorite, and this year they come in a gold, reuseable bottle chiller. Just throw the chiller box in the freezer an when you pop open your bottle, the cooler box will keep your champagne cold for two hours!
Taittinger Brut Champagne, NV - $39.99 (Sug. Retail - $54.99)
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, NV - $14.99 (Suggested Retail - $19.99)
Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante, NV - $12.99 (Suggested Retail - $14.99)
Zardetto Prosecco, NV - $12.99 (Suggested Retail - $14.99)
Riondo Prosecco, NV - $12.99 (Suggested Retail - $14.99)
Freixenet Cava Brut, NV - $10.99 (Suggested Retail - $11.99)
Hopefully this helps a little bit with your bubbly selections this New Years. We have a great selection of sparkling wines, so let us know if there's anything we can do to make your New Year's Eve more memorable. We are open until 11pm on New Year's Eve.
Cheers,
Mike Hathaway
mikeh@corkandbarrel.biz
785-331-4242
