Wine Club Tasting Tiny Bubbles in Champagne

Tiny Bubbles – Tasting Sparkling Wines

Yes, romance is in the air and February beckons for a tasting of sparkling wines. Champagne from France and Sparkling for the rest of the world is technically how to refer to this beautiful celebratory wine. We tend to save this beverage for celebrations here in the United States but we’re here to tell you that as a Wino, every day you wake up is cause for celebration. In Australia, 20% of the wine sold is sparkling: they know how to celebrate down under.

Really, Sparkling Wine comes with a wide variety of characteristics. From sweet and indulgent to dry and crisp, there is no standard fix for a group of people. The sweeter wines go beautifully with desert offerings while the crisper, drier versions are great paired with a meal, especially sushi – or truly decadent with potato chips. Trust a fellow Wino on that one…

True Champagne is from the region of Champagne and they are very protective of that label. The primary grapes used there are Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. In California, bubbly is a blend of 20 to 40 different grapes! That takes quite a chemist to know how to pull that many flavors off. Each wine producing nation around the world has their own special formula, but many do use the original Champagne method of making the wine. And by the way, don’t go looking for a vintage on any French Champagne… only 3 vintage wines come out every decade.

What about Pink Sparkling Wine? It’s not just for Mary Kay parties. The skins of the Pinot Noir were in the base wine or the Pinot Noir was added in the second fermentation which is what give the rosè its color. So don’t think of the rosès as a chick drink. They are in fact quite complex and can be dry and crisp or .

Pouring a Sparkling is a little challenging. We know and we feel for the pourer at this party. We also have confidence that a good Wino can figure out how to pour but we want you to know that the glasses make all the difference in this tasting. Check out http://thewinoclub.com/wino.fast.facts.html and read to section under Wine Glass 101 for our tips and suggestions. Happy tasting and we’ll see you at www.thewinoclub.com!

Sincerely,
Stacy & Darcy