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As we head toward the heart of holiday entertaining season we seem to find more time, and reasons, to celebrate.
Normally that makes the proposition of drinking sparkling wine easier, fulfilling the adage of pouring it on special occasions, but sparkling wine attitudes are slowly changing in this market and drinking it any time is becoming more common.
Whether it was the Prosecco explosion, the rosé rush, or just a lot of work by sparkling wine crusaders pounding the bubbly drum, it seems more consumers are finding a reason to drink sparkling wine any night of the week, and not just on that special occasion. It’s as if sparkling wine has achieved its long soughtafter place as just another wine suitable for all occasions.
It could be that consumers are finally warming up to the idea that sparkling wine makes most any food taste better and, beyond that, it appears to have an innate ability to lift the spirit of the sipper — a useful trait at the best of times.
More likely it is the growth of local sparkling and the work done to explain the various steps of production. Whatever the reasons, we are fast becoming European-like with respect to bubbly, drinking it no matter what the occasion.
If you are still not convinced any time is sparkling wine time, fear not — you can a become an expert with very little work. What you need to focus on is where the wine is made and which technique is used to get the bubbles in the bottle.
Champagne the region is the only place Champagne the wine can be made. All other versions of effervescent wine should only be referred to as sparkling wine. Commit to memory: all Champagne is sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. That’s all you really need to know.
In terms of the rest of the world, Spanish sparklers are easily identified on the label as “Cava,” although it is made exactly like Champagne (the second fermentation is inside the bottle thus creating the tiny bubbles). European Union rules prohibit Spain from using the French term méthode champenoise, so look for the Spanish equivalent, método tradicional.
In France, non-Champagne sparklers termed Crémant are made in most areas, although the most interesting and affordable usually come from Limoux and the Loire. The term Crémant is used across Europe to signal the wine is harvested by hand, aged for one year in bottle and made using the Champagne method, or méthode champenoise. If the wine is carbonated, or made using other bulk methods in tank, it is tagged Mousseux, which is French for sparkling wine.
In Germany, nearly all sparkling or Sekt wines are carbonated in huge tanks. In South Africa, Cap Classique designates sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne method, while in Italy the vast majority of sparkling wine is tank fermented (think Prosecco) lending it a less aggressive, softer style that has won over the hearts of many consumers.
In B.C., the Traditional Method requires the secondary alcoholic fermentation take place in a glass wine bottle and it must spend nine months on the lees for non-vintage dated wine and 12 months for vintage dated wine.
The Méthode Cuvée Close is an alternative method involving primary or secondary alcoholic fermentation in a closed vessel. Depending on your tanks, the duration of the alcoholic fermentation process and the maturation of the cuvée on the lees must be at least 30 days.
Remember sparkling wine should be served chilled (5 to 6 C) but not frozen. Put the bottle in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (the top milk shelf is the coldest spot) or plunge the bottle into ice and water for 15 minutes before serving.
You can serve sparkling wine in any glass from the classic, tall, thin flute to the latest acceptable vessel — a full-sized, standard wine glass. Many now believe the bigger wider bowl enhances any well-crafted bubbly.
Our weekend picks feature five go-to sparklers to be opened any time over the holidays.