Bubbly for the New Year

Now that Christmas is over, we look forward to ringing in the New Year with those we love.

What will you be doing? 

Guiseppe and I will be in Palm Beach celebrating with our good friends.  Black tie, bien sŭr! 

More importantly, what to drink for the evening?  Bubbly of course.

Giuseppe is forever a Schramsberg man.  Lately his fetish is Schramsberg rose.  Pink seems to be all the rage these days in the world of sparkling wine.  (Schramsberg is a premier American sparkling wine.)  Me?  I'm a purist at heart.  I love Champagne.  What's the difference?  If it's not from Champagne, France, it's merely a sparkling wine.  But what about the 'champagne method'?  Sometimes winemakers call it 'methode champenoise' -- wines made like champagne, looks like champagne, but by law, cannot be called champagne.  It can only be called sparkling wine.  I particularly love Ruinart, Lanson, Piper-Heidsieck, Nicholas Feuillate and Pommery to name a few.  These range from USD$30 to $65.

What are you supposed to look for in a champagne?  What are the hallmarks of quality?

• bead size (aka bubbles): the smaller the better. 
• persistence of beads: is it consistent or does it stop after 60 seconds?  You want persistent beads.
• yeast flavor: what do you taste?  Sparkling wines will have a yeasty flavor because of the way it is made.  Do you taste baked bread?  Bread dough?  Be more aware of the yeast component.  Each producer will have its own yeast flavor.  Think of it as its house recipe.
• citrus favors: lemon rind? lemon juice? lemon curd?  How you prefer it is a matter of personal preference.
• persistence of flavor: how long the wine stays in your mouth is a moniker of quality. 

If the budget doesn't allow for the 'real' thing, go for prosecco.  It's Italian sparkling wine made from (what else?) the prosecco grape.  It comes from northern Italy.  Some may call it 'spumante', the Italian term for sparkling.  When you think of spumante, you think of sweet Asti Spumante, but prosecco is dry and it is just lovely especially for it's price.  It's a third to half the price of a non-vintage champagne. The bead size is bigger than a French champagne, but the high quality and great taste makes up for it.  No one will know the difference, especially when it comes to toasting among good friends! It's fabulous.

Have a great time at the party.  Drink more bubbly!