THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 18, 1994 TAG: 9412150089
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: HUMBLE STEWARD
SOURCE: JIM RAPER
LENGTH: Long : 148 lines
THE BUBBLES make us happy, which is why many of us will drink sparkling wines over the holidays. And although the enjoyment of the bubbly requires no expertise, the Humble Steward gets a lot of questions about it this time of year.
Here are some frequently asked questions, and my answers, some of which are patently subjective:
What makes a sparkling wine a Champagne?
True Champagne comes from the region of that name in France. The region of rolling hills and chalky soil is about 90 miles northeast of Paris and includes about 270 villages and communes.
Commercial production of sparkling wine began there early in the 18th century. Much of the credit for its development goes to Dom Perignon, the cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers.
Most countries enforce France's claim that only those sparkling wines produced in Champagne can be labeled as such. In the United States, however, some producers use the name, although most of the premium domestic examples are labeled simply as Sparkling Wine Methode Champenoise.
What is ``methode champenoise?''
The traditional, time-consuming and expensive way of making sparkling wine, it requires a secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle in which it will be sold.
The secondary fermentation produces the carbon dioxide in the bottle, which gives the wine its bubbles. It also produces a sediment that must be disgorged before the bottle is finally corked.
Most inexpensive sparkling wines are made by more cost-effective means, such as the charmat process, in which the secondary fermentation occurs in a pressurized tank before the wine is bottled. The so-called transfer method allows the secondary fermentation to happen in a bottle, but not the bottle in which the wine will be sold.
Before the final bottling, the wine is transferred into pressurized tanks and filtered. Transfer method sparkler labels may read, ``Fermented in the bottle,'' whereas methode champenoise sparklers can read ``Fermented in this bottle.''
What grapes are used to make Champagne and other sparkling wines?
Many people think sparkling wine is made predominantly from chardonnay. But in the Champagne region, only about 25 percent of the vineyard acreage is planted in chardonnay.
Two red grapes dominate: pinot noir (35 percent) and pinot meunier (40 percent). But the red grapes are pressed and the wine fermented without skins so there is no red or pink coloring. Of course, the production of sparkling rose does require skin contact.
The best Champagnes are blends of pinot noir and chardonnay, and only a small amount of pinot meunier. The same is true for the best domestic examples.
The sparkling wines of Spain, called cava, sometimes include chardonnay. But most are made from the little-known varieties of xarello, macabeo and parellada.
The Italian examples most familiar to us are the Asti spumantes, which are made from grapes of the muscat family and are sweet. However, very good dry, or brut, spumantes are made from chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot blanc and pinot grigio. The phrase equivalent to methode champenoise on Italian labels is ``metodo classico.''
What does ``brut'' mean?
Brut is the name typically given to the driest of the sparkling wines made by a producer. An extra dry, contrary to logic, has a little more residual sugar and is therefore not as dry as brut.
The amount of residual sugar in extra-dry sparklers is small, however. Those that taste sweet usually are labeled ``demi-sec'' (3.5 percent to 5 percent residual sugar) or ``doux'' (more than 5 percent).
With Asti spumantes, on the other hand, the term demi-sec on the label means that the wine is not as sweet as usual.
What about ``blanc de blancs'' and ``blanc de noirs?''
The first refers to a white wine made from white grapes and the second to a white wine made from black (or red) grapes.
If a Champagne has blanc de blancs on the label it means the wine is made only from chardonnay, because chardonnay is the only white grape allowed in true Champagnes.
In the United States, the term usually means much the same, although other white varieties such as pinot blanc may be in the blend.
Blanc de blancs are a little lighter and more delicate than sparklers with red grapes in the blend.
If a Champagne or premium domestic sparkler has blanc de noirs on the label, it usually means that the wine was made from pinot noir. Most blanc de noirs have a pale salmon or pink color and the flavors of strawberries and cherries are more prominent than in traditional cuvees (blends) of white and red grapes.
What does it mean when people say sparkling wines taste ``toasty'' or ``creamy?''
Toastiness can come from the toasted barrels in which wine is fermented or aged. But in the case of sparkling wines, I think most people are referring to the breadlike or yeasty aspects of the taste. This comes from the wines being aged in bottles together with the yeast that causes the secondary fermentation.
Creaminess, also, is subjective. It might be related to the vanilla flavors wine can gain from contact with oak. Or it can come from a malolactic fermentation that converts tart malic acid into the more buttery lactic acid. But when applied to the better Champagnes, creaminess more likely means tiny and tight bubbles that give the wine a unique texture in the mouth.
Does this mean creaminess - or tiny, tiny bubbles - can be found only in expensive Champagnes?
Yes. Our rare opportunities to taste the cuvee speciales (prestige cuvees) of the great Champagne houses, such as the Dom Perignon of Moet & Chandon, the Cristal of Louis Roederer or La Grande Dame of Veuve Clicquot, reinforce our opinion. The best sparklers come from Champagne and cost $80 to $150 a bottle.
Almost all of the better Champagnes are vintage dated, and it is to our benefit that so many recent vintages have been very good ones: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990.
The traditional house cuvees of the Champagne producers are not vintage dated, and while most are impressive, they taste like the $25 to $35 wines that they are when compared to their lofty cellarmates, the cuvee speciales.
Are there any good sparkling wines that cost less than $20 a bottle?
Yes. Some sparklers made in California retail for $16 to $17. They are quite good and are better values than some Champagnes costing twice as much. As a rule, the California sparklers have more prominent fruity flavors than do Champagnes.
A few Champagne producers have established wineries in California and are making great strides in producing domestic sparklers. Look for the bottles from Roederer Estate (Louis Roederer), Domaine Chandon (Moet & Chandon), Mumm Cuvee Napa (Mumm), Piper-Sonoma (Piper-Heidsieck), Maison Deutz (Deutz) and Domaine Carneros (Taittinger).
Virginia is among a few other states that produce good sparklers. Look for examples from Oasis, Prince Michel, Barboursville and Ingleside Plantation (most are $15 to $20).
Washington State sends us what may be the best value of all in sparkling wines, the Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Columbia Valley, which I have bought for as little as $8.
Do you recommend any of the non-alcoholic sparkling beverages?
Yes, and not just because of their taste. Every holiday host or hostess who serves sparkling wines also should have a non-alcoholic sparkler on ice.
Guests who don't drink alcohol or who have volunteered to be designated drivers will appreciate having a no-penalty taste of the bubbles.
A fine choice would be the Sutter Home Fre (about $5). Alpenglow, a Virginia company, makes a Scuppernong Sparkling ($4) that is pleasant. MEMO: The Humble Steward is a biweekly feature of Sunday Flavor. Send
questions or comments to: The Humble Steward, Sunday Flavor, The
Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,
Va. 23510. If possible, give complete label information when naming
wines, and list the vintage year. Please include your name and phone
number. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
True Champagne comes from the region of that name in France.
Commercial production began there early in the 18th century.
by CNB