Seeing as the holidays passed recently and that Valentines day will be upon us soon I figured it was as good of time as any to extol the values of Champagne. Now lots of people complain that they get nasty hangovers every time they drink the stuff and refuse to drink it. But lets be honest, most people only drink Champagne when they are celebrating, and when we celebrate we tend to drink a little bit more then we normally would… So maybe that hangover comes from the combo pack of booz you imbibed that night and not the bubbles themselves? Just throwing it out there.
I think that Champagne and sparkling wines in general are awesome. They can be a great accompaniment to food, and mixed to make classic cocktails such as the French 75. The one problem facing consumers is how to pick a sparkling wine with out breaking the bank. Luckily for us we live in a time where sparkling wine is produced all over the world, not just in the great houses of Champagne. Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, sparkling wines from France and the USA all provide good options. Hell they even make good bubbly wine in New Mexico.
How to choose a really good wine for a special occasion though? We have all heard of Dom Perignon and Cristal, but there are top-notch wines of that caliber available that won’t break the bank. The best way to choose a good sparkling wine is with the help of your local wine merchant. They will be able to describe for you the difference between a: Brut, Extra Brut or Blanc de Blanc. They will have a good idea about different vintages if you’re looking to get really fancy, or about alternatives to the well-known names if you’re looking to bring something new to the table. If you have any questions feel free to post. Oh, and the best bubbles that I have had was a 1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blanc… Absolutely amazing.
{ 0 comments }
