How
to Make Your Holiday Party a Success with Sparkling Wines
By Jennifer Stanton
Contributing Columnist
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the increased
consumption of the wonderful wine known as “bubbly.” Although
sparkling wines are not just for holidays and celebrations,
this is a great time to learn more about them so you can
impress your friends and family with your knowledge when
that cork pops at your next holiday gathering.
The first thing to know is that not all sparkling wines
are created equally! Many places around the world make wonderful
sparkling wines in many varied tastes and price points. However,
when shopping for your holiday party, you can simplify your
search by focusing on three regions that are well known for
producing quality sparkling wines:
• Champagne, France
Long
regarded as the gold standard in sparkling wines, the term
“Champagne” is protected by law in many countries, and
refers to sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of
France and produced according to a specific technique known
as “Méthode Champenoise,” or Champagne method, where
secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle. Grapes must
be the white Chardonnay, or the black Pinot Noir or Pinot
Meunier.
Contrary to popular belief, Champagne was not invented
by Dom Pérignon, the famed Benedictine monk and cellar
master. The first documented production of bottle-fermented
sparkling wine occurred more than a century before his birth,
in 1531, at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, another Benedictine
property in the Limoux area of southern France. Nevertheless,
as we shall see, Dom Pérignon contributed in other
significant ways to the development of Champagne as we know
it today.
Because of Champagne’s cold climate and short growing
season, there is not enough time for the yeasts contained
in the
grape skins to fully convert the sugars in the grape
juice to alcohol during the initial fermentation
process. This
was a vexing problem for winemakers of the Dom’s era
because if the wine was bottled in this condition,
it literally
became a time bomb. When the weather warmed up again
in the spring,
dormant yeast in the bottle would begin generating carbon
dioxide. This carbon dioxide is what gives sparkling
wines their sparkle, but absent a proper containment
method,
it would then push the cork out of the bottle, or even
worse,
cause it to explode.
Dom Pérignon’s superiors at Abbey of Hautvillers near
Champagne charged him with getting rid of the bubbles that
were endangering the cellar workers and causing significant
loss of inventory. Dom Pérignon worked diligently
to prevent the bubbles by blending grape juice from other
vineyards and experimenting with other wine making techniques.
However, unable to prevent this secondary fermentation from
occurring in the bottle, he finally gave in and started bottling
the sparkling wine for consumption by using reinforced glass
bottles and wire-collared corks.
Therefore,
as you can see, although he did not technically “invent”
Champagne, Dom Pérignon set the standards
for making sparkling wine in this region, and these practices
are still in place today, albeit with a little help from
technology.
•
Penedès, Spain
Sparkling
wine has been made in this region since the late 19th century
and is known as “Cava,” derived from the Catalan
word for cellar. A Cava is created in the same manner as
Champagne, but because it is not from Champagne, the technique
becomes known as “Méthode Traditionnelle,” or traditional
method.
The grapes traditionally used for Cava - Macabeo, Xarello,
and Parellada - make Cava a light, white, fruity, perfumed
wine.
A true Cava can always be spotted by the four-pointed star
on the top of the cork.
• Veneto, Italy
Italy's answer to refreshing, well-made, sparkling wine,
Prosecco is created from the eponymous grape of the northern
Veneto region, hard by the foothills of the Alps. It is a
light, affordable, and fun sparkling wine.
Traditionally, Prosecco was made as a soft, somewhat sweet
wine with just a little fizz (frizzante), but today's Proseccos
are dry and very bubbly (spumante).
Sometimes combined with small amounts of Pinot Blanc or
Pinot Grigio grapes, Prosecco is made using the Charmat method.
This method differs from the traditional method in that the
wine goes through the second fermentation in pressurized
tanks instead of individual bottles. The shorter tank fermentation
is preferable for Prosecco because it preserves the freshness
and the flavor of the grapes.
Now that you are armed with some information about the world
of sparkling wines, dare to be different this year and
throw a Champagne and Sparkling Tasting party. It’s almost
as much fun shopping and selecting your bubbles as it is
sharing them with your friends.
Here are a few things to consider for your party:
