HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SPARKLING WINE
It must be a sign that the festive season is soon upon us, as I received a few letters asking about sparkling wines. My annual guide will be published in a few weeks, so you will have to wait until I finish all my samples.
There were, however, a number of questions about how to serve bubbles. So in preparation for the season to drink bubbly, here’s a few suggestions about how to get the most out of it.
What is the ideal temperature?
Serving temperature is key. Like with most white wines, 8 C is a good starting point. Whether you go warmer or colder depends on how much sugar is in the wine.
In terms of sugar, the more there is, the colder you should serve the bottle. So feel free to keep sweeter sparklings, anything above 10g/ l, in the 6-8 C range. Many Proseccos, for instance, fall into this category. Drier bubbles like Champagne and Cava can be served as high as 10 C. It’s a tradeoff. The majority of sparkling wines have very nuanced aromatics, so the colder they are served, the less you will smell. But a “warmish,” sweeter wine can get cloying and taste flat.
To flute or not to flute
When I do professional tastings, sparkling wines are often served in standard tasting glasses, and not flutes. The principle is that the wider opening will allow for the taster to better appreciate the full aromatic spectrum. But I have also read that by using a tall, narrow glass, like a flute, allows for the bubbles to accelerate and “explode” on the surface with aromas.
I don’t really like the tasting glasses, and I find flutes difficult to swirl. When I drink at home, I use what is called a “tulip” flute. It’s a nice median between the tasting glass and the classic flute.
Should rosé sparkling have more flavour?
I get this one all the time. While a pink sparkling might look like it should pack more of an aromatic punch, they rarely do. And to be honest, I don’t want them to taste like a sip sack.
My favourite rosés are so nuanced you can barely taste the “redness.” Imagine you are standing outside and a gentle breeze carries a faint hint of strawberry from a distant field. That’s a great rosé sparkling wine.
I have a bottle of Champagne that has been sitting in my basement for years. Is it still good?
My first response is, “why haven’t you drunk the bottle?” A bottle of champagne lasts weeks at best at my house. Waiting for New Years is not an excuse. Find something to celebrate, or just have it as a classy aperitif when you are cooking with your partner.
And yes, your bottle is very drinkable. If it has been there for years, then it might not fizz as much as you might like. But Champagne is a sparkling wine. It will still be a pleasure to drink. I would suggest serving it at dinner as a white wine if it has been collecting dust for more than five years.