ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 28, 1994                   TAG: 9412280048
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BETH CRITTENDEN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

JUST BECAUSE IT SPARKLES DOESN'T MEAN IT'S CHAMPAGNE

If your New Year's Eve plans include a traditional Champagne toast, you will be in good company. Almost 50 percent of all Champagne and sparkling wine sales take place during the holiday season, and 90 percent of all Champagnes and sparkling wines are consumed within three hours of being purchased.

All Champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are champagnes. Heidi Yorkshire, author of "Wine Savvy: The Simple Guide to Buying and Enjoying Wine Anytime, Anywhere," explains, "Only sparkling wine made in the French region of Champagne (east of Paris, and a croissant's throw from EuroDisney) is Champagne. Everything else from everywhere else - the rest of France, Spain, the United States, Australia, wherever - is correctly called sparkling wine.

``Don't be fooled by the word Champagne on the label of a non-French bottle of bubbly; it may be allowed in some places, but it's no guarantee of quality."

There are two methods for producing sparkling wines: mthode champenoise and charmat. All wines bubble during fermentation, and in still wines the bubbles escape into the air leaving little or no effervescence once the wine is bottled.

Champagne and sparkling wines made in the mthode champenoise (the traditional method used in Champagne) undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle. A blend of yeast and sugar is added during bottling that ferments into alcohol and carbon dioxide, creating the bubbles. During this second fermentation, the bottles are stored neck down and are turned and tilted (or "riddled") by hand or machine until any remaining yeast sediment is collected in the neck of the bottle.

The neck of the bottle is then frozen and the temporary cork and frozen sediment is removed. Any lost wine is replaced with a mixture of sugar and wine (called "dosage") and the bottle is recorked and topped with a wire cage.

Sparkling wines made in the charmat method go through secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks and are bottled under pressure.

Sparkling wine has a vocabulary all its own, established by the French:

"Brut" is the driest style of sparkling wine and is identified as such regardless of where or how the wine is produced or what grapes are used. Dry sparkling wine tastes best with salty foods (caviar is the traditional classic) and is a good choice for before dinner.

"Blanc de blancs" is a white wine made from Chardonnay grapes. It is dry and delicate and can be served like Brut, matched to more delicate foods.

"Blanc de noirs" is a white wine made from the dark-colored Pinot Noir grapes. It is usually a deeper color than blanc de blancs and sometimes has a slightly pink color from contact with the grape skins. Blanc de noir is generally fruitier and more robust than blanc de blanc.

"Brut ros" is a specialty wine and sometimes hard to find. It usually is made from Pinot Noir grapes and is known for being fruity, flavorful and able to match up to more substantial foods, such as roast lamb.

Extra-Dry means slightly sweet; Sec or Dry is sweeter still, and Demi Sec or Half Dry is the sweetest of all and is great with desserts or even as dessert.

To open a bottle of sparkling wine, don't copy the practice used by winning teams following sports events. The object is not to shake the bottle and blow the cork, losing the contents to the floor or field.

Before opening, the bottle should be well-chilled. Remove the foil and carefully loosen the wire cage that holds the cork, holding a towel or napkin over the cork once the cage is removed. Tilt the bottle away from yourself, other people and critical light fixtures (just in case), and slowly turn the bottle (not the cork), easing the cork out until you hear a soft pop or "sigh" as the gas escapes and the wine stays put. The softer the pop, the less gas to escape and the longer it will take for the wine to lose its effervescence, or go "flat."

Pour slowly into a tilted champagne flute or tulip-shaped glass and enjoy in moderation the taste and sensation of the wine. Have a safe and happy New Year!

Cheers!

THE WINE LIST runs once a month in the Extra section. Beth Crittenden is director of the Roanoke Valley Wine Society, which meets for wine-tasting programs the fourth Thursday of each month. Call 992-3285. Crittenden also is a Virginia wine wholesaler and because of this affiliation will not make specific brand-name recommendations. Address your questions about wines to The Wine List, Features Department, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.| 


 by CNB