Bubblies & Stickies:
(Sparkling and sweet wines)
Overview:
Bubblies: underrated, misunderstood, not drank often enough, not drank w/food. Fun, festive, pick-me-up,
versatile, doesn’t have to be expensive, drink it more often! As Napolean said, “I drink Champagne when I
win, to celebrate…and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.” How it’s made—2 methods: all
in one big vat, then bottled; or methode traditionnel or champenoise –wine put into a bottle with sugar and
yeast, producing a 2nd fermentation in the bottle, trapping the bubbles. It’s the supreme celebration
beverage. Not easy to produce and can be expensive.
Stickies: Some of the greatest, longest lived, most expensive wines in the world; Bad reputation because
of the cheap yucky stuff—some tasted (or taste) like corn syrup poured in a wine-like substance; Very
different styles world wide, good for different occasions. How its made—Naturally sweet v. fortified
(arrested fermentation by adding alcohol--which kills the yeast, thereby leaving more sugar juice, and the
additional alcohol). Food and dessert pairing: Golden rule: Make sure dessert is less sweet than the
wine. Not easy to produce and can be expensive.
SELECTED TYPES OF BUBBLIES:
Moscato d’Asti: This wine is magic, and relatively unknown. It is a lightly sweet, lightly bubbly wine from
Piedmont in Northwest Italy, often made in small quantities. This should be your new daily celebration wine
(we all need to find more excuses to open sparklers). Enjoy for breakfast, brunch, or before dinner
because of its low alcohol, delicate bubbles, elegant, light, and white peaches character. It’s truly a hidden
secret of wine lovers, (and lovers in general), but don’t confuse with Asti, or Asti Spumante, which are
often (but not always) the mass-produced generic wines you find in Ralph’s. Because of its low
effervescence, it’s bottled in a regular bottle, not a Champagne-style bottle. Made from the Moscato grape
which is 100% naturally sweet. Look for small producers, $12 and up. Good with peaches and cream,
light strawberry shortcake, light pastry appetizers, or for dessert.
Cava: The ubiquitous Spanish sparkling wine, originally from the Penedes region near Barcelona. This is
a great wine because it truly expresses a Spanish character, and it’s easy to pronounce (have you been to
a wine store lately?!). The “Brut” is very dry, and usually tastes like minerals, rocks, dirt, or other such
tasty delights. Also look for white fruit and nut flavors. Sometimes it likes to finish slightly bitter. It can be a
rather simple sparkler, but I love wines that possess character, and a self-identity. It is not trying to be
Champagne, and does not need to be drunk with caviar. Although it can be, it is not necessarily a “special
occasion” wine. Amaze your dinner guests with these facts: 1) it’s traditionally made from the Xero-lo,
Parellada, and Macabeo grapes; 2) Freixenet is the largest producer of sparklers IN THE WORLD; 3) it’s
made in the traditional method (i.e., like Champagne—2nd fermentation in the bottle). This is a great, all
around sparkler, good by itself and with many foods (and tapas). Often very affordable, so feel free to
pick up a handful of different producers and taste them all with your friends (I am your friend now, right?).
California Sparkling Wine: Unlike Cava, California wines are always trying to copy the French. Which is
not necessarily a bad thing, considering the French produce the best sparklers in the world. In CA they
often use the same grapes, the same method, and even the same people! Actually, many of the top
brands in CA are owned by French Champagne houses: Domaine Carneros = Taitinger; Domaine
Chandon = Moet et Chandon; Iron Horse = Laurent-Perrier; Pacific Echo = Moet et Chandon & Veuve
Cliquot; Piper Sonoma = Piper Hiedsieck; Mumm Napa, Roederer Estate...you get the idea. Because of
the California climate, and American taste, the wines tend to be a touch sweeter, sometimes fuller, and
less complex. However, I’ve had several in blind tastings that were truly amazing, complex, and very similar
to certain French Champagnes. “Tott’s” and “Cook’s” not included.
Champagne: The real deal. Nothing else like it. As you probably know, Champagne is Champagne only
when it comes from Champagne. Everything else is sparkling wine (or has it’s own name, like Cava). What’
s the key to understanding this wine? In a tiny half-nutshell, Champagne tries to deliver finesse,
complexity, balance, creaminess, subtlety, and beauty. The best get an A+ in all these areas. Flavors to
look for (a bit easier to identify than “beauty” or “finesse”) are: lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear; angel food
cake, bread, dough, biscuit, yeast(this is a Champagne trademark), nuts; custard, minerals, flowers, and
the list goes on… What makes Champagne unique? In the other half-nutshell: Cooler climate; chalky soils;
and BLENDS: i.e., many vintages blended together; many vineyard batches blended together; 3 grapes
blended together (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier); also, the methode champenoise (google
it); and a general wine-making philosophy aimed more towards style and elegance (like most things
French). It’s not cheap, though. The good stuff really starts in the $30 and up range. Contrary to what
people often think, it is actually GREAT with food/dinner. And there are many styles to pair with different
occasions/meals. I love it with Asian food, (sushi is killer), seafood, crab, fish, pork, chicken, all types of
appetizers, and of course, by itself.
SELECTED TYPES OF SWEET WINES:
4 categories: 1.) Medium, humid climate for rot-infestation (Sauternes); Cool climate, Late Harvest
Riesling (Naturally sweet, low in alcohol); Warm climate, lightly fortified sweet Muscat (Like ripe fruit,
fortified with a little alcohol—up to 15%); Fortified Wines (i.e. Port,Vin Santo—up to 20%).
German Reisling: Dispel all notions of cheap sweet stuff NOW! Riesling is considered by most
connoisseurs to be one of the greatest white wines, sweet, or not. Mass-produced junk like Liebraumilch
and Blue Nun is not what you should be trying. The true, small, artisanal German wines are the real deal,
partly because: high acidity (great with food); lovely fruit (pure, balanced); great mineral-stony aspects
(most are grown on very steep hillsides of slate or other rocks), and transparency (what’s that?!—it means
it shows its true flavors and character from the place where it was grown—not an oak and fruit cocktail).
These wines are really great with many Asian foods, especially those that are spicy hot, and tangy sweet
and sour. They also work wonderfully with pork, and other lighter meats, and foods cooked with slightly
“sweet” sauces. Stuff you gotta memorize: Look for Rieslings from the Reingau, Mosel, Pfaltz, Rheinessen,
and Nahe regions of Germany, for “QmP” on the label(a very general indication of higher quality), and in
the following styles (from lighter, to more concentrated): Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese (and for dessert):
Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein. P.S.: trocken means it’s truly dry. German wines
are for the most part very under-the-radar for most people and as a result, the prices are a steal, even for
very high quality wines (especially when compared with French or CA wines).
California Muscat: This is California’s take on southern France’s (and Italy’s) traditional sweet Muscat
wines. It’s naturally high in sugar, but the high acidity keeps it from tasting “gooey”. It makes a very
aromatic, fragrant, and lusciously fruity wine, and is perfect with dessert (or as dessert). The wine we’re
tasting is 100% Orange Muscat. It’s lightly fortified to 15%, and aged in French oak for complexity. The
Orange Muscat grape has powerful aromas of exactly what you’d think: oranges and everything
associated with them: orange peel, orange blossom, cloves (from the oak?), and a hint of muskiness and
honey. Think of orange peels inside a dirty sock, coated with honey. OK, maybe not like that, but try it for
yourself. Quality in CA sweet wines is truly amazing these days. There are great US/Canada (yes,
Canada) producers that specialize in the stuff, and reputable producers making tiny quantities that sell for
big bucks (i.e. “Dolce”).
Sauternes: Yes, it’s rot-infested, but the French call it the more palatable “Noble Rot”, or botrytis in
scientific terms. Made in a little corner of Bordeaux where the conditions are perfect to induce noble rot,
Sauternes and its neighboring villages produce one of the most amazing, delicious, complex, and
expensive white wines in the world. When the two grapes of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are
meticulously picked (sometimes almost berry-by-berry, to ensure botrytis has developed), and blended
and aged together, it’s like a snowy Christmas-eve in front of a warm fire--magical. And like Champagne
and caviar, this is serious luxury territory. It’s a treat to savor the various intense aromas of dried and
fresh fruits, apricots, nuts, caramel, toffee, honey and yes, that special note spawning from the botrytis—
petrol. Although it is very sweet, focus your attention on how it feels in the mouth—it often appears light
and elegant. That’s because of the high degree of acidity that counter-balances the residual sugar, giving
lift to the richness. OK, no discussion of Sauternes is ever complete without mentioning the highly
esteemed, often the best, and wildly expensive Chateau d’Yquem. There, I did it. But there are some
good value Sauternes out there, believe it or not.
Port: Could this be the most sexist beverage on earth? It used to be that the Port (and cigars) were
brought out after the women have left the room (especially in England). Not anymore. Port is very in
fashion now, as it should be, and is seen as an intellectual, almost aristocratic drink. But what is it? Simply
put, Port is a fortified red wine coming only from the city/region near Oporto, Portugal. But why do the
names--Cockburn, Dow’s, Graham’s, Sandeman, etc.--sound surprisingly English? Because they are…the
British helped “invent” Port centuries ago by recognizing that by adding more and more brandy to the
regular wine from this region (in order to stabilize it for the long voyage to Britain), it stopped fermentation
of the wine, leaving it sweet, but with higher alcohol. The English set up companies in Oporto to produce
the wine (not grow the grapes), and ship it back to England, and thus controlled the market. The
combination of sugar and alcohol in Port allows it to age for many decades, and to develop amazing
complexity. Not only that, but the blending process is painstaking (made from up to 80 different grape
varieties), and the aging process is involved with many choices. There are 3 basic styles to look for: Cask-
aged Ports: these Ports aged in casks for many years, then bottled. The wine is a blend of different
vintages whose average age is indicated on the bottle: This includes Tawny and Ruby Ports. Thus “20
year old Tawny” contains cask-aged Port averaging 20 years of age. They have been “pre-aged” and do
not improve in the bottle, and may last a long time once open. Tawnys can be awesome. Vintage Ports:
These are produced from one vintage only, and only in great years. They age for about 2 years in cask,
then are bottled. They age very well in bottle for decades. They are considered the best, but need to be
aged for many years in the bottle. Late Bottled Vintage (LBV): These share both vintage and Tawny
characteristics: these are vintage Ports that are aged for 4-6 years in cask then are bottled, producing a
Vintage Port that has some signs of early ageing. The best Ports are very expensive, age for what seems
forever, and deliver phenomenal flavors and character. And to leave you with one last sexist remark:
drinking (and knowing about) Port is also not a bad way to meet guys (and maybe the reverse is true of
Champagne?).
Wine Tasting Basics: Sight; Smell; Taste; Finish and Conclusion