Champagne and Sparkling Wines
You can say that all Champagne is Sparkling wine, but you can’t say that all Sparkling wine is Champagne. In order to label wine as Champagne it must be produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. In classic Champagne, common grapes are Pinto Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir adds the spice, red fruit flavors (strawberries, cherry) and complexity, while Pinot Meunier contributes floral aromas and earthy qualities. Chardonnay adds acidity and sharp green apple and citrus notes.
Most champagne is sold as non-vintage, meaning they have used grapes from more than the current year’s harvest. You may see that denoted as NV on the label. Non-vintage Champagne is usually lighter, fresher and less complex than vintage. Vintage Champagne is made from grapes from the same year’s harvest and will show the year on the label. Vintage Champagne is only made in years when the producer feels the grapes are exceptional. Vintage Champagne is moderate to expensively priced. It will be fuller in body, richer, creamier and more complex than non vintage.
Blanc de Blanc means "white of white" and is made only of Chardonnay; lighter in style, perfect with shellfish and seafood. Blanc de Noir means "white of black/dark" and is a white or sometimes rose colored champagne made from either Pinot Noir or both Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, both red grapes. Usually fuller-bodied than Blanc de Blanc, this style can match with a variety of foods.
Champagne is incredibly versatile with food. In general, appetizers, asparagus, butter and butter sauce, Caviar, eggs and eggs dishes, lobster, oysters, shellfish, popcorn, smoked salmon pair well.
Remember to chill at about 45 degrees and serve in fluted or tulip-shaped glasses to preserve the bubbles and aromas.
There is a level or sweetness (residual sugar) in sparkling wines. When you see the words Brut Nature or Brut on the label these would be very dry with no perception of sweetness.
The perceived sweetness increases as you move from Sec, Demi–Sec and Doux in that order.
Many different sparkling wines can be alternatives to Champagne. Cava is a type of Spanish white or pink sparkling wine produced in Spain. Try it with fried fish, Sushi and Tapas. Try strawberry shortcake with a Brut Cava. Asti is a sparkling wine produced in the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy. It is available as a sparkling wine (known as Asti spumante or Moscato d'Asti). Both are off dry to sweet, low in alcohol, and often enjoyed with dessert. Try poached pears with Moscato d’Asti. Prosecco, another choice, is delicious with Marcona almonds.
Until next time, cheers!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wine and Sweets
Wine and Sweets
Dessert wines are perhaps something we overlook when we pair wines during a multicourse meal. There are four basic categories of dessert wines: Ice Wines, Late Harvest, Fortified, and Dried Grapes wines. These represent a broad spectrum of wines and styles.
Let’s start by exploring Ice Wines: The taste, nearly always made from white grapes (Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc), is quite sweet, usually with a nice acidity with fruit flavors of apple, peach, and apricot. Desserts to try: cheesecakes, berry cobblers, lemon tart, peach desserts, short bread cookies.
Late Harvest Wines: This implies the grapes are picked late in the season. Some are left on the vine so long they begin to shrivel and turn to raisins. The taste: fruit flavors like above, but also some with tropical fruit flavors as well. You can find Botrytis affected wines in this group. Botrytis, a mold, is also known as noble rot. Sauternes would be a good example of a wine that is Botrytis style. Botrytis wine flavors will be nutty, earthy with honey and vanilla. Other examples of Late Harvest can include Late Harvest Semillon, and Late Harvest Zinfandel which are usually not affected by Botrytis.
Desserts to try: apple and pear based desserts, peach desserts, almonds, crème brulee, also apricot and nectarine based desserts.
Fortified Wines: Fortified means to strengthen. In the wine world it means to strengthen the alcohol content by adding neutral grape brandy. Wines in this group would include Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala, which are all blends. The taste: vivid sweetness from the grapes themselves, and full bodied from the added alcohol. Blackberry, red cherry, dark raisin and fig are the flavors you will find in these wines. Desserts to try: chocolate, coffee and caramel based desserts go well with port and other “dark” dessert wines (Port and Port styles). Tawny ports and Madeira (Bual and Malmsey) are great with nuts, caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. Try the Madeira (Bual) with Pumpkin pie!
Dried Grapes Wines: These wines come from grape clusters that are harvested and then hung to dry or sometimes placed on mats in the sun to dry. French wines Vine de Paille or Italy’s Vin Santo are examples of these wines. Try pairing these wines with Hazelnut Biscotti or Greek Baklava.
The bottom line is, the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert, otherwise the wine can dull and acidic.
Sparkling desserts wines are usually only slightly sweet and don’t pair well with desserts that are super sweet. Pair a poppy seed lemon cake, which is usually not as sweet, for a great companion to a sparkling wine.
Dessert wines are perhaps something we overlook when we pair wines during a multicourse meal. There are four basic categories of dessert wines: Ice Wines, Late Harvest, Fortified, and Dried Grapes wines. These represent a broad spectrum of wines and styles.
Let’s start by exploring Ice Wines: The taste, nearly always made from white grapes (Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc), is quite sweet, usually with a nice acidity with fruit flavors of apple, peach, and apricot. Desserts to try: cheesecakes, berry cobblers, lemon tart, peach desserts, short bread cookies.
Late Harvest Wines: This implies the grapes are picked late in the season. Some are left on the vine so long they begin to shrivel and turn to raisins. The taste: fruit flavors like above, but also some with tropical fruit flavors as well. You can find Botrytis affected wines in this group. Botrytis, a mold, is also known as noble rot. Sauternes would be a good example of a wine that is Botrytis style. Botrytis wine flavors will be nutty, earthy with honey and vanilla. Other examples of Late Harvest can include Late Harvest Semillon, and Late Harvest Zinfandel which are usually not affected by Botrytis.
Desserts to try: apple and pear based desserts, peach desserts, almonds, crème brulee, also apricot and nectarine based desserts.
Fortified Wines: Fortified means to strengthen. In the wine world it means to strengthen the alcohol content by adding neutral grape brandy. Wines in this group would include Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala, which are all blends. The taste: vivid sweetness from the grapes themselves, and full bodied from the added alcohol. Blackberry, red cherry, dark raisin and fig are the flavors you will find in these wines. Desserts to try: chocolate, coffee and caramel based desserts go well with port and other “dark” dessert wines (Port and Port styles). Tawny ports and Madeira (Bual and Malmsey) are great with nuts, caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. Try the Madeira (Bual) with Pumpkin pie!
Dried Grapes Wines: These wines come from grape clusters that are harvested and then hung to dry or sometimes placed on mats in the sun to dry. French wines Vine de Paille or Italy’s Vin Santo are examples of these wines. Try pairing these wines with Hazelnut Biscotti or Greek Baklava.
The bottom line is, the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert, otherwise the wine can dull and acidic.
Sparkling desserts wines are usually only slightly sweet and don’t pair well with desserts that are super sweet. Pair a poppy seed lemon cake, which is usually not as sweet, for a great companion to a sparkling wine.
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