SPARKLING WINES

BUBBLIES are ubiquitous during the Holiday season. There are huge numbers out there, some great, some good, some fair, and many dreadful.

The first sparkling wines were made in France. There is no agreement where that happened. Some swear it was in Limoux in Southern France, most carry the torch for the ancient province of Champagne, which gave its name to the beverage that so many people swoon over.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. In no time flat, "Champagnes" were made everywhere. But count on the French to rule the roost. It took them decades, but it finally came to pass that only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of northern France are entitled to use the magic word - CHAMPAGNE.

When in Champagne country, don't miss a tour in the cavernous cellars of one of the great Champagne houses in Reims. The town sits on a maze of man-made caverns which are used for production and storage. During your tour pay close attention to your tour leader and don't be rowdy. My elegantly dressed guide, decked out in the latest Paris fashion, gave the evil eye plus a tongue lashing to some oafs who began to chat during her tour.

A generation ago, the head of the great Champagne house of Bollinger was Lily Bollinger. When asked how she enjoyed her own product, Lily Bollinger is reported to have said, "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Sparkling wines come in so many incarnations and at so many price points that in a fashion, it's not that hard to imitate Lily Bollinger.

California has become a hotbed for French Champagne houses. Naturally, they call their products "sparkling wines," even though they use the same grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier), the same method - "Methode Champenois," and the same nomenclature (i.e. "ultra brut" means totally dry, "brut" or "extra sec" is dry, "sec" means slightly sweet, and "demi-sec" is sweet) as they do at home in Champagne.

"Methode Champenoise" refers to the traditional laborious method of getting bubbles into Champagne by refermenting wine in its bottle. Producers in other parts of France (e.g. Loire Valley) must use the terms "methode classique" or "methode traditionelle."

RECOMMENDED CALIFORNIA SPARKLERS: Roederer from Anderson Valley in Mendocino, Domaine Carneros from the Carneros District, Napa Valley, and Domaine Chandon, Napa Valley, are all making excellent sparklers.

A Spanish outpost in California is Gloria Ferrer, whose wines are very good value.

Homegrown sparkling wines include  the excellent "J" from Jordan Estate in Sonoma, Schramsberg based in the Napa Valley and the small production Terra Savia "Blanc de Blanc" from Mendocino.

NEW MEXICO: Who would have thought? The French Gruet family produces a good sparkler that sells for around twelve dollars and is widely available.

CAVAS FROM SPAIN: "Cava" is the name of the sparkling wines that come from Catalunya near Barcelona.The method for Cava is the same as the one used in Champagne, but the grapes are all indigenous. Some great values, but the really good stuff is only now trickling into the U.S. Check out the Spanish Table for best selection.

The ubiquitous "Cristalino" at seven or eight dollars is unbeatable as a PARTY WINE.

ITALY: Prosecco is a grape as well as the word for a sparkling wine from the Veneto region north of Venice. It is popular as an aperitif. Prosecco is not made according to the Champagne method. Instead, the producers use the less expensive Charmat bulk process.

Truly great sparkling wines are made in Franciacorta, Lombardy. They follow the Champagne method. Grape varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc. Not cheap, but worth looking for.

FRANCE: Many wine regions of France produce good sparkling wines that are made in the Champagne mode and can be delightful and are much less pricey than Champagne itself. Check out sparklers from Alsace, Loire, and Bourgogne (Burgundy) for some impressive deals.

LIMOUX has a good claim to be the fountain head of sparkling wines. Blanquette de Limoux, or better yet, Cremant de Limoux, are the names of of the region's sparkling wines. Try to locate sparklers from Domaines De Fourn, Martinolles, De Flassians, and Les Caves du Sieur d'Arques. Limoux sparklers are not going to break the bank.


CHAMPAGNE: Most Champagne sold throughout the world is pretty mediocre stuff. The massive quantities that the standard brands produce make it virtually impossible to produce sparkling wines of distinction with the exception of their over priced luxury bottles.

However, there are some well-known houses whose sparklers I would happily drink in the Lily Bollinger fashion, some pricey, some not. Ayala, Deutz, and Lanson are reasonable.  Gosset, Henriot, Joseph Perrier, Philipponat, Pol Roger, and Pommery occupy the middle ground while Bollinger and Krug roost in the realm of luxury Champagnes.

Importers are now bringing in Champagnes from small houses who usually grow all or most of  their own grapes, unlike the mass market brands, and their quality is often excellent. Prices are quite fair.

French law dictates that every Champagne label must carry an acronym of the producers status followed by a  six-digit license number. The acronyms are in such tiny print that they require a magnifying glass to decode them, but they can mean the difference between getting rot gut or excellence .

N.M. (Negociant-Manipulant - dealer/producer):   quality excellent to less than inspiring.
C.M. (Cooperative-Manipulant - co-op producer): quality decent to poor.
M.A. (Marque d'Acheteur - buyer's own brand):    don't touch  
R.M. (Recoltant-Manipulant - grower/producer):    quality excellent to very good.

Final words on Champagne: It seems to be part of the French genius to make silk purses out of a sows' ears. Non-sparkling wines from Champagne are usually dreadful, especially Pinots. The growers and producers turn it into Champagne, the ultimate status wine, and reap huge profits in the process.

TREAT YOUR FRIENDS AND YOURSELF TO SPARKLING WINES IN MAGNUM (equals two bottles) WHICH ARE REASONABLE AND TASTE GREAT:

Sommariva Prosecco - $32. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley

Roederer Estate "Brut" - (one of California's best sparklers) - $45. The Wine Club, San Francisco

MISCELLANEA

JUST OPENED: Premier Cru Wines on University and Sixth Streets in Berkeley, California. It has been part of the East Bay (SF Bay) wine scene for a long time. They now occupy their own building, conveniently located near the freeway. The show room looks fabulous and prices are reasonable. Seek advice from the knowledgeable and friendly sales staff.

BUMPER STICKER SPOTTING: "Live long enough to become a burden for your kids." appears to be the secret wish of some aging baby boomers. Moderate wine consumption might just be the the ticket to success.

"MODERATE WINE CONSUMPTION" (1 to 2 four-ounce glasses of wine) promotes longevity (Journal of Gerontology, 2007). Wine drinkers have a 34%  lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Finally, drinking wine slows brain function decline (Neuroepidemology, 2006).












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BEAUJ-OLÉ

Now that the 2010 “Le Nouveau Beaujolais Est Arrive" madness is over where we paid more for a bottle of  “Nouveau” ("because it's air freighted"), than the vastly superior 2009 regular Beaujolais, it's time to talk about the treasures that the '09 Beaujolais vintage delivered.

Incidentally, I happened to be in a wine store on the evening before the official release date of the “Nouveau” which is set by the French authorities for the third Thursday in November.  I asked the clerk whether I could have a bottle of “Nouveau” and was told in no uncertain terms that that would be a violation of French law. Huh? Since when do we abide by French law?
   
Beaujolais is part of Burgundy and vintages are highly variable, just as they are in Burgundy. The grape of Beaujolais is called Gamay.

Beaujolais is one of the best food wines on the planet because of its great fruit and acid balance. It even works with fish. Also, Beaujolais is perhaps the only red that can cool the burn of spicy dishes. It’s  the ultimate guzzling wine as well.

Once upon a time, long before the Wall came down, I was living in West Berlin. As often as possible during fall and spring we escaped from Berlin's frigid clime and dashed down to sunny Provence.
On one of those trips I wanted to explore St. Louis in Alsace, where my father was born. There wasn't much to see and finally we stopped at an inn, went inside and were greeted with a handshake by a young woman in native costume. We sat down and I asked her about the contents of the kegs that sat on the counter. “Why, it’s Beaujolais, “ she answered with a sweet smile. From the moment we tried Beaujolais, we were hooked. We slept well that night, under the stars of Alsace, snug in our sleeping bags in a field outside St. Louis.

BEAUJOLAIS QUALITY LEVELS:

“BEAUJOLAIS” is the cheapest and “simplest” level in the Beauj hierarchy. Prices range from eight to fifteen dollars. An excellent choice would be the Depardieu (imported by Kermit Lynch in Berkeley) for about fifteen dollars.

"BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES” are wines that come from the northern and better part of Beaujolais. Depending on producer or negociant (dealer), these tasty wines retail from about twelve to fifteen dollars.
A good example is the Chateau de Piron, imported by Beaune Imports in Berkeley

The best (and sometimes age-worthy) Beaujolais wines come from ten villages (e.g. Morgon) but you will NEVER see the word “Beaujolais” on these bottles, which are referred to by the wine savvy as “Cru Beaujolais.”

"CRU BEAUJOLAIS" refers to ten villages that have earned this special quality designation. They are  FLEURIE, ST-AMOUR, JULIENAS, CHENAS, MOULIN-A-VENT,  CHIROUBLES, MORGON, REGNIE, COTE DE BROUILLY, and BROUILLY.

Wines from these villages may be be bottled by huge producers like Georges Duboef or artisans like Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton and Jean-Paul Thevenot (the latter all imported by Kermit Lynch, Berkeley) and many other wineries.

Crus Beaujolais start from about fifteen dollars. I bought the tasty Maison Loius Tete "Morgon" for fifteen dollars and the same firm's "Moulin-a-Vent" for sixteen dollars at K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco. At these prices you can experiment and it's worth it, but you may encounter some Crus Beaujolais that are quite a bit pricier.

Beaujolais is an ideal wine for holiday feasts with all their different dishes because it's so food-friendly. And yes, Beaujolais always tastes best when slightly chilled, say to about fifty-five degrees.


MISCELLANEA

It's the season....to think about your impecunious friends who love wine and perhaps want to learn more about them.

BOOKS THAT COVER THE WINES OF THE WORLD:

Hugh Johnson's  Pocket Wine Book 2011- $15. Updated yearly, with input from experts around the globe. A handy reference which fits into your hand bag or coat pocket. Excellent cheat sheet for restaurant and wine shop visits.

Hugh Johnson, The World Atlas of Wine - $50. Demonstrates the close relationship between geography and wine. Indispensable for wine aficionados who want to get a grasp of the vast world of wine.


CALIFORNIA AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST:

Bob Thompson, The Wine Atlas of California and the Pacific Northwest. Does pretty much for the American West Coast what Johnson does for the world. In addition, it lists wineries and gives travel info. Out of print, but worth searching for.

Matt Kramer's New California Wine - $25. Great survey of the current California wine scene.

REST OF THE WORLD:

Mitchell Beazley's Pocket Guides: Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines, Wines of Australia, Wines of Bordeaux, Wines of Burgundy, Wines of the Loire, Alsace, and the Rhone, Wines of New Zealand, Wines of Spain. Wines of Italy, etc. Individual guide books, discussing wine regions and their producers and recommending regional restaurants.

Under the auspices of Hugh Johnson, the British Publisher Mitchell Beazley puts out a series of Wine Atlases, focused on the wines of specific countries (e.g. Stuart Pigott, The Wine Atlas of Germany). These atlases are treasure droves of information about the wines. The also double as travelers guides.


Willie Gluckstern, The Wine Avenger - $12. Off-beat and provocative.

LIQUID GIFT IDEAS:
Magnums (with a content of 1500ml=two bottles) look impressive and wine often tastes better from large format bottles. If no purveyor is mentioned go to www.winesearcher.com

MAGNUMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
REDS:'08 Clos de la Coutale-Cahors (Southwest France - Malbec country) $32 - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, California

'05 Chateau St. Eulalie - "La Cantilene" (Languedoc, Southern France - mostly Syrah with the rest Mourvedre and Grenache, great vintage) $41 - DeeVine Wines, Pier 19, the Embarcadero, San Francisco

'00 Paramo de Guzman - Crianza (Ribera del Duero, Spain - Tempranillo from a great vintage) $45 -  DeeVine Wines

'05 Chateau Lanessan, Haut-Medoc (Bordeaux - mostly Cabernet Sauvignon from a great vintage)  $70 -  K&L Wine Merchants, San Francisco

WHITES:
'09 Muscadet Clos de La Papiere, "VV Clos des Briards, $38

'07 Weingut Erben von Beulwitz "Kaseler Nies'chen" Riesling Kabinett (classic, off-dry German Riesling) $46.75 - DeeVine Wines

'09 A. J. Adam, "Dhron Hofburg"Riesling Kabinett (off-dry German Riesling) $55