Those Bubbles Are Waiting - Holiday Champagne

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by Administrator in Lifestyle

by Wine Dog - Bob Ecker

Holiday times mean Champagne and…why not? Who doesn’t love a gorgeous glass of bubbly? Champagnes and sparkling wines seem to make every occasion festive. Have you ever had pizza a la sparkler? Champagne with turkey? With passed appetizers? Bubbly makes all things enticing, refreshing, and evocative. Even opening a bottle is fun. Ever see anyone do the “saber” treatment on a bottle? Way cool - just stand back. Did you know that each bottle contains some 56 million bubbles, or approximately 12 million per glass?

Veuve Clicquot is a perennial favorite; feminine, yet immensely zesty. (Plus Veuve’s unmistakable yellow label puts a smile on everyone’s face.)

French Champagnes are wonderful, starting with the original - Dom Perignon. Dom’s complex, yet rich flavors are always a joy. Veuve Clicquot is a perennial favorite; feminine, yet immensely zesty. (Plus Veuve’s unmistakable yellow label puts a smile on everyone’s face.) Ayala is an old Champagne house that has recently begun exporting to the U.S. again. Crisp and delightful, this bright wine is getting noticed. Cristal, by Louis Roederer, is still a crowd pleaser, though ridiculously expensive. Bollinger is always lovely, one of the original “Grandes Marques” in the world of Champagne. Delamotte – particularly the Blanc de Blancs, is lemony, slightly acidic, and an under-the-radar winner. If you’ve never tried Delamotte you are missing out.
Though I certainly love all of these French bubblies, my personal favorite Champagne remains Grand Cuvee from Krug. Clearly not for everyone since this Champagne is perhaps the antithesis of a tangy, bracing sparkler. Krug’s Grand Cuvee is almost a meal in itself, exhibiting bold, rich, dense, elegant, and toastyflavors with a long, languorous finish–the dazzling, quintessential, king of full bodied Champagnes.

Some of the very best American sparklers include J. Schram from Schramsberg – Napa’s oldest sparkling wine producer. It’s a memorably confident sparkling wine all will enjoy.

But let’s not leave out some solid American producers. Some of the very best include J. Schram from Schramsberg – Napa’s oldest sparkling wine producer. It’s a memorably confident sparkling wine all will enjoy. J Vineyards, based in Healdsburg, produces many excellent wines including the J Late Disgorged Vintage Brut: Pale, ever so sweet on the tongue, and delicate. The Roederer Estate (from Mendocino) Brut is another fine, medium-bodied California sparkler. And not just California can produce winning bubblies — the 2000 Sparkling Pointe, Methode Champenoise, from the North Fork of Long Island was judged best American Sparkling win in the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. New York!?!
Incidentally, in days of yore, a host would pour a bit of his guest’s wine into his own glass and drink it first, to prove it was safe and not poisoned. If the guest trusted his host, however, he would merely clink the host’s glass as a symbol of trust. As Napoleon said of Champagne, “In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.”

Those bubbles are waiting.

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