All That Sparkles

I could conceive of drinking Cabernet or Zinfandel by myself. But Champagne? Never. Champagne
and other sparklers are the most convivial wines, and they demand to be shared. Anniversaries,
birthdays, festive holidays (especially New Year's Eve) seem to be Champagne moments. In fact, just
opening a bottle of bubbly creates its own special occasion, and a fine Champagne is an ideal last-
minute present.

CHAMPAGNE OR SPARKLING WINE?

Genuine Champagne, the world's most revered bubbly, comes solely from the region of the same name
in northeastern France. Not all sparkling wine is Champagne. In fact, France has many fine versions of
crémant, French sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region, and almost every wine-
producing country makes some wonderful sparklers.

Spain, for instance, has its delightfully affordable Cava, traditionally made from native grape varieties
and, more recently, from Chardonnay. Germany has Sekt, most of which is made from bulk wine
imported from Italy and France. More expensive Sekt is made from German-grown grapes, either
Riesling or members of the Burgundian Pinot family. Italians produce a wide range — from the
inexpensive, light Prosecco to the delightful pink Brachetto d'Acqui and from the frothy Asti
(formerly called Asti Spumante) to the aristocratic (and pricey) wines of Franciacorta. Australia and
Argentina make good-value sparkling wine, too. On the home front, some of the most important
Champagne houses (including Moët et Chandon, Mumm, Taittinger, and Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin)
have properties in California. (By the way, some wineries outside France persist in misleadingly
labeling their bubbly as Champagne.)

THE QUALITIES OF SPARKLING WINES

You can leave most of the technical jargon to the winemaker: The enjoyment of sparkling wine should
be as lighthearted as the product itself. But you might want to know a little about its styles:
 The term méthode champenoise on a bottle of sparkling wine means that it is made by the
method used in Champagne, France, which uses fermentation inside each individual bottle to
create the bubbles. A cheaper, bulk process called the charmat method uses big pressurized
tanks and creates much larger bubbles.
 An essential element in any bubbly is the amount of sugar in the finished wine. You'll
commonly see designations ranging from brut (nearly dry), through demi-sec (medium dry),
to doux (very sweet).
 Information about the grapes used is sometimes noted on the label: Blanc de blancs means
"white wine from white grapes," while blanc de noirs means "white wine from black grapes."
Rosé sparklers have a beautiful tinge. There are even a few red bubblies, mainly from Italy.
 Most sparkling wine is nonvintage (technically multivintage, because it's a blend of wines
from various years). In great years, however, sparkling-wine makers may choose to create
vintage wines, which will usually cost more than their nonvintage counterparts.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE PARTY

Many sparkling wines are superb, but if you give bubbly, I suggest sticking with Champagne. It makes
a statement, and you don't have to spend a fortune. You can find excellent Champagnes for under $40.
Also, Champagne can age and develop beautifully in the bottle, so it makes a great gift for a host's
cellar.

WHAT TO MIX IN THE PUNCH

If you're looking for a sparkling wine to use as a cocktail mixer or for punches, a domestic charmat-
process sparkling wine will work fine. Another inexpensive choice, often used in cocktails, is
Prosecco, made in the Veneto region of Italy. Expensive Champagne is best savored unmixed and
undiluted.

HOW TO OPEN THE BOTTLE

Serving any sparkling wine is more of a ritual than with most other wines. (But hey, you don't need a
corkscrew!) First, make sure the wine is properly chilled to about 45°F. Then wrap a towel or napkin
around the bottle to catch any potential overflow. Tilt the bottle slightly, guard the cork gently with
your palm, carefully remove the foil wrapper, and untwist the end of the wire cage that secures the
cork. Be sure to keep the cork pointed away from anyone's face and slowly twist the bottle downward,
away from the cork, until the pressure inside begins to push the cork outward. Properly opened,
sparkling wine will sigh, not pop.

To preserve its bubbles, pour the wine gently, and always use tall, slender glasses (flutes). A standard
Champagne bottle will serve about seven people, with a sip left over.

WHERE TO STORE CHAMPAGNE

Store sparkling wine in the cellar, or in another place with a cool, even temperature, but not in your
refrigerator. The moisture in the fridge will eventually cause the cork to mold and spoil the wine. You
can usually chill your wine for a couple of hours before opening. For faster results, use an ice bucket.
Wine shops sell an airtight stopper that allows you to store leftover sparkling wine in the refrigerator
for a couple of days — but in my experience, there's usually none left!
Five Sparkling Wines from Around the World
Chandon Brut Fresco, Argentina ($11)
Dense and lush, with clean, balanced fruit and a long finish.
Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad, Spain ($20)
Bright and crisp, with toasty flavors and great structure.
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 1998 Riesling Sekt, Extra Dry, Germany ($20)
Long and smooth, with peachy fruit and keen acidity.
Domaine Carneros 1997 Brut, Napa ($23)
Brisk and tangy, with lovely Pinot notes and very fine mousse; balanced, elegant, and long.
Louis Roederer 1995 Blanc de Blancs, Reims, France ($55)
Fresh, racy, elegant, and creamy, with finesse, bright, lifted fruit, and a lengthy finish.

Champagne Buying Guide

 If you have the money to spare, it's worth buying a fine
Champagne. It does taste better (and experienced drinkers
will swear that you don't get hangovers with better
Champagnes). Bear in mind that Champagne is a matter of
taste: A more expensive bottle of Sec won't taste better to
you if you prefer Brut.

Here are a few of the more popular selections from the many brands of Champagne and
sparkling wine. All are readily available in the United States (prices may vary). It is
worth remembering that nonvintage is generally a more accurate representation of a
house's style than a vintage bottle.

FRENCH VINTAGE
Krug Clos du Mesnil 1989, $210
Salon Blanc de Blancs Brut 1985, $156
Moët & Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Brut 1990, $110
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1985, $70
Bollinger Brut Grand Année 1989, $60
Louis Roederer Brut Rosé 1993, $56
Philipponnat Grand Blanc Brut 1989, $50

FRENCH NONVINTAGE
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Premier Cru, $25
Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, $28
Veuve Clicquot Brut, $28
Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut, $30
Taittinger Brut La Francaise, $38
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Rosé, $40
Gosset Grande Reserve Brut, $45

CALIFORNIA VINTAGE
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Napa Valley 1994, $26
Domaine Carneros Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs 1992, $35
Iron Horse Blanc de Blancs 1990, $35
Beaulieu Napa Valley Sparkling Wine 1991, $40
Mumm Cuvée Napa DVX 1994, $40

CALIFORNIA NONVINTAGE
Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noirs Sonoma Valley, $15
Mumm Cuvée Napa Brut Prestige, $16
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, Carneros, $17
Roederer Estate Brut, Anderson Valley, $20
Equinox Harmony Cuvée Brut, $28

SPANISH
Freixenet Carta Nevada Cava Brut, $8
Segura Viudas Aria Cava Brut, $9
J.M. Huguet Brut Nature Gran Reserva Cava 1995, $18

Note: If you are making Champagne cocktails or punch, an inexpensive bottle of

 sparkling wine will do just fine.

Champagne or Sparkling Wine?

true Champagne comes from France's northernmost

winemaking region of the same name, which encompasses
only about 85,000 acres. The wine is made through a carefully
defined process called the "Méthode Champenoise." There
lots of other bubbly stuff out there, some of it very good,
but it is technically not Champagne.

Wines that bubble like Champagne, but are made

somewhere else, are called "sparkling wines," even if they
made by the Méthode Champenoise. Sparkling wines are
often less expensive than true Champagnes. If you don't feel like
investing in a bottle of the French stuff, you can try a good
sparkling wine from California or Spain, among other places.

A word of warning: The use of the word Champagne is controlled by French, not international, law.
While no French wine maker from somewhere other than Champagne would dare put the word on a
label, producers from other countries, including some American wineries, will.
Deciphering a Champagne Label

A )Sweet or Dry? Part of the Champagne's name indicates its sugar content. Brut is the
driest; Extra-dry is actually less dry than brut; Sec is sweet; Demi-sec is even sweeter.
There are, of course, exceptions. Some Champagnes are not labeled with any of these
terms, just as some wines are not labeled with the types of grapes which have gone into
them.

The classic Champagne style is brut. When in doubt, buy this — but you owe it to
yourself to try the other styles to see whether you like them. Knowing how sweet you like
your Champagne is more important than recognizing brand names, because many brands
make Champagnes of varying sweetness. A bottle of Moët & Chandon could be labelled
Brut, Extra-Dry, or Demi-Sec.

B )Vintage or Nonvintage? The presence of a date tells you that the champagne is
vintage. The absence of one indicates nonvintage (NV).

Nonvintage is often the best value and is most indicative of the Champagne house's style
because it is a controlled blend, often from several different harvests. One of the best
buys on the market is Veuve Clicquot Brut NV.

Vintage indicates that the Champagne came from a particularly good harvest. Champagne
producers, or "houses," get to declare their own vintage years, so a given year may be
vintage for one brand, and nonvintage for another. Because they were generally good
years for grapes, though, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, and 1996 were vintage
years for most Champagne houses. A classic example of vintage Champagne is Bollinger
Brut Grand Année 1989.

Another type of vintage Champagne is called "prestige." It represents the highest-quality

wine of a given Champagne house and often comes in a specially created bottle with its
own name. Prestige Champagne is also the priciest because it is generally made from the
first pressing of the best grapes of the premier vineyards and aged longer than average.
Roederer's clear-bottled Cristal and Veuve Clicquot's La Grand Dame are both prestige.
And, of course, a classic example is the French Moët & Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Brut 1988.

C ) White or Rosé? If the label doesn't say rosé, you can generally assume the
white. The elegant pink hue of rosé Champagne is a natural coloring, which comes from the sk
ins of the Pinot grapes. White Champagnes are produced by pressing the red grapes quickly, witho

D ) Appellation. The words Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) beneath the word Champagne
indicate that this is a product of the Champagne region. The quality of French Champagne production
is closely controlled and policed through the A.O.C. system. Still, not all bottles of French
Champagne necessarily bear an A.O.C. mark. Don't worry. If it's made in France, and the label says
Champagne, it's still the real thing.

Serving and Tasting Champagne

The Proper Way to Uncork the Bottle

When opening a bottle of bubbly it is important to pay

attention. Most people, both in real life and in movies, open
Champagne bottles in stupidly dangerous ways. Here's the
correct method:
1. Cut the foil around the top of the bottle.
2. Place your hand or your thumb on top of the cork. Keep it there
until the cork is out. Shooting corks all over the place is not cute.
3. Loosen the wire cage. No, you don't need three hands; the hand
that holds the bottle can have its thumb on the cork.
4. Wrap a towel around the bottle to prevent slippage.
5. Ease the cork out gently by slowly twisting the bottle in one
direction. You do not want the Champagne to foam or the cork to
pop, or you will lose precious bubbles.

Serve Champagne in either a flute or tulip-shaped glass. This helps preserve the bubbles
which, after all, are what make Champagne unique. If you have any of the old-style
shallow-bowled Champagne coupes (which, legend has it, were molded from Marie
Antoinette's breast), use them for sherbet or berries. Serving Champagne in them will
simply make the bubbles disappear more quickly.

How to Discern Better Bubbly

You can dazzle someone with your Champagne knowledge even before you taste your
glass. Look at the bubbles: If they are small, like pinheads, the odds are it's a good
champagne. If they are big, like the bubbles in seltzer, don't be impressed.

Different flavors come from the percentages of the three kinds of grapes —
Chardonnay,Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier — in the blend. In general, more white grapes
makes for lighter Champagne; more red grapes means fuller Champagne. The containers
used for the first fermentation can also influence the flavor. Champagne fermented in
wood tends to have fuller body and bouquet than that fermented in stainless steel.
Though wine critics bandy about mouthfuls of terms and flavor associations to describe
the different characteristics of Champagne, what matters most when you sip it is how it
tastes to you. If you are fortunate enough to be able to taste several Champagnes side by
side, the comparison will help you identify characteristics you prefer. It's as good an
excuse as any for a party.

Storing and Chilling Champagne

 Like any other wine, Champagne should be stored in a
cool, secure place. But don't bother to keep it for too
long: It won't improve, and it might deteriorate after
three or four years. (In other words, don't save a bottle
from your wedding to drink on your tenth
anniversary.)

If you forget to chill the Champagne well before

serving, do not put it in the freezer. Champagne is
under a lot of pressure, and a bottle that explodes in
the freezer is not a pretty sight. A quick way to chill
Champagne is in a bucket filled with ice and water. It will be cold enough in about 20
minutes.

Once the bottle's open, it's easiest just to serve the whole thing. The efficacy of the trick
of putting a silver spoon upside down in the bottleneck to help save the bubbles is
unproven. There are, however, special Champagne stoppers you can buy. Don't use a
regular stopper — the Champagne is likely to push it out.