Before the streamers have settled on 2010, the parties will be alive with the sound of popping corks. This is the time of year when sparkling wines fly off the shelves, as people rush to celebrate with a few glasses of bubbly. Although I think sparkling wines are best enjoyed whenever the occasion calls for it – think days that end in “y” – New Year’s seems as good a time as any for an incredibly cursory look at sparkling options.
Even the most devout teetotaler can tell you where Champagne comes from. If you’re unsure, save yourself the headache and money, and drink something else sparkling, such as water. As with most wine tales, the story of Champagne is a fascinating one, with lore telling that it was invented by the monk Dom Perignon in the mid-1600s, and later perfected by the widow Clicquot (veuve is French for widow; hence the well-known Veuve Clicquot Champagne). Truth is, there were all manner of sparkling wines being produced during that time. It was actually the English who lent their glass blowing skills to save chilly Champagne, after the spring thaw routinely wreaked havoc on French Champagne houses. As the cool winter temps gave way to warmer spring, the temperature in the Champagne caves would rise, awakening the yeast in the bottles and causing them to become reanimated. This yeasty excitment caused countless bottles to explode. Thicker glass was needed, and the English obliged. Those same gents also helped with corkage.
Without going into too much detail, traditional method Champagne production (the labeling term “methode champenoise,” or Champagne method, was banned by the EU in 1994, because it was deemed misleading), begins with a still wine unique to each wine producer. This is more often than not a blend of different varietals, vineyards and vintages to create a consistent product year after year, with the help of a master blender. A liqueur de tirage – a mixture of wine, yeast, sugar and clarifying agents – is added to the still wine, and the wine begins the process of secondary fermentation. The yeast eat the sugar, creating alcohol and CO2, which creates the bubbles. The yeast eventually die, and their enzymes go dancing with the wine for years (yeast autolysis), leaving those lovely bread and biscuit flavors, characteristic of traditional method sparklers. Later the bottle is partly frozen to help capture the dead yeast, which is removed (disgorgement), then any lost liquid is replaced with a mixture of wine and cane sugar solution (dosage). All of this takes a lot of work, so that’s why these wines are often pricey.
