#WineWednesday: All About (Champagne) Bubbles

Food, Wine
cava-prosecco-champagne

cava-prosecco-champagne

The average wine list has at least three sections: reds, whites and sparkling. We sometimes associate sparkling wine with Champagne when in fact, Champagnes are only produced from the Champagne region in France. That leaves a whole lot of un-categorized bubbles out there.

Although they have heightened in popularity in recent years,  champagnes and other sparkling wines are not new or rare. It is produced around the globe; however the United States, California, Oregon and New Mexico are leading producers of sparkling wine.

While some sparkling wines are made from a combination of grapes, some are made from just one:

Blanc de Blanc:  is made only from Chardonnay. This type of bubbly is typically lighter in style, and perfect on its own or paired with with shellfish and seafood.   If you want to go lowbrow, Barefoot Wines has a Brut Cuvee, made from Chardonnay grapes with hints of green apples and jasmine. A true wine lover might even pick up on hints of kiwi and peach.

Trader Joe’s has a lovely version of this for a whopping $4.49 per bottle, if you want to class it up, Mumm Napa Blanc De Blanc is a Wine Spectator pic, known for being rich and layered, with floral and ginger aromas accented by Meyer lemon notes, plus accents of spiced hazelnut and tart apple.

Blanc de Noir: literally translated it means “white of blacks” but in this case, it is a white champagne made from red grapes, (such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier).

Try a full-bodied Champagne like Perle de Vigne “Grande Réserve” Brut, a buttery combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Prosecco: is an Italian sparkling wine made from a white grape of the same name.

Grown in the Veneto region of Italy and named for the Northern Italian village of Prosecco (Trieste),  it’s a lovely apertif and great for a summer barbecue or cookout. Santa Margherita is popular, affordable sparkling wine that has a versatile flavor to pair with any meal.

Rosé: can be made of a combination of grapes but must contain some percentage of a red grape.

Rosé wines are light and effervescent, perfect for springtime or summer. Moncontour Vouvray Brut Rose is one that is great for girls’ nights with flavor reminiscent of of strawberries, lavender and minerals with a dry, clean finish.

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3 Comments

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    Daryl
    February 10, 2011 at 12:22 am

    Interesting. I still favor my Reisling! Love your descriptions

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