The secondary fermentation that Champagne undergoes is done within the bottle. This process starts with the introduction of yeast and sugar, resulting in a gas that can’t escape the bottle, imbuing the wine with its signature sparkling bubbles. Champagne is usually aged longer than other sparkling wines. Champagne can range in taste from extra dry (extra brut) to sweet (demi sec), with dry (brut) being the most widely consumed. If you want a dry Champagne, look for extra brut or brut on the label. If you prefer wines on the sweeter side, look for sec or demi sec on the label. For holiday dinners, go with a brut style of Champagne. The biscuit flavors and effervescence pair well with salty foods, especially roasted turkey. For an interesting ending to dinner, try pairing a sweeter Champagne with dessert. PROSECCO: The Sparkling Wine Hero of Brunches and Bachelorette Parties Everywhere Prosecco comes from the Veneto region of Italy and is produced by the Charmat method, where the second fermentation takes place within pressurized stainless steel vats and for a shorter amount of time. This allows the grapes’ fruitiness to shine through, creating a slightly sweeter flavor than Champagne. Also, Prosecco’s bubbles tend to be softer than Champagne’s and Cava’s. Prosecco can be found in many price points, but is usually less expensive than Champagne. Generally speaking, the less expensive a Prosecco is, the sweeter it is, which is why you often see it mixed with orange juice for mimosas on brunch menus. However, you can also find dry Prosecco at a good wine shop. CAVA: Bubbly on a Budget Don’t let Cava’s inexpensive price make you think that it’s lower in quality and taste than Champagne or Prosecco! Cava is one of Spain’s greatest gifts to the world, yet it has always had an image problem. Up until a few years ago most people dismissed Cava as cheap, uninspired wine. Restaurants wouldn’t offer it on their menus, and it was almost
impossible to find in grocery stores. Lately that has been changing. While Champagne and Prosecco are widely known in the United States, Cava is slowly catching on. It undergoes the same in-bottle secondary fermentation that Champagne does, though it’s called “méthod traditionnelle.” This gives it slightly more effervescence than Prosecco as well as a “drier,” less fruity flavor, though not quite as complex as Champagne. The great thing about Cava is that it is usually less expensive than Champagne and Prosecco, so if you’re on a budget, don’t hesitate to try Cava. WHAT OTHER KINDS OF SPARKLING WINES ARE THERE? Sparkling wines can be made from just about any kind of grape. Champagne is predominantly made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier grapes. Sparkling wines from other countries are usually made from grapes native to the country in question. FRANCE: Sparkling wines produced in France but outside of the Champagne region are known as “crémant.” If it is produced in Burgundy, for example, it is called “Crémant de Bourgogne.” These wines are made in the méthode traditionnelle and can have other grapes such as Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, or Cabernet Franc added to the mix. ITALY : Besides Prosecco, other sparkling wines produced in Italy are Lambrusco, Moscato, Asti Spumante, and Franciacorta. Lambrusco is a medium-bodied sparkling red wine made in the Emilia Romagna region. Moscato is a semi- sweet, semi-sparkling (called “frizzante” in Italian) wine made in the Piedmont part of Italy. Due to its sweeter flavor, you’ll commonly find it in the “dessert drinks” section on restaurant menus. Asti Spumante is also produced in the Piedmont region and is more effervescent and sweeter than Prosecco. The lesser known Franciacorta is made in Lombardy with an extended aging period to increase richness and complexity to make it taste more like Champagne.
PARTY IN A BOTTLE
27
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online