Wines that Sparkle
Perhaps you believe we have missed the sweet-spot here on bubblies, that Americans drink 50% of them between November & February each year. But that would not take into account the season of Graduations, Mommy & Daddy days, and the big one...Weddings. So get the low-down on what to toss down.
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Want to see the NEW courses in Spring 2009? Download a schedule.

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Wines & Cheeses (mentioned in 4/3/09 Wall Street Journal)
Thursday, May 14th (AWS Wine Room in Roswell)
Instructor: Michael Bryan

Artisanal cheeses are no less labors of love than their wine counterparts. Location of pastureland, seasonality of milks, and aging all weigh heavily on the final taste experience. Join us for 8 pairings of wine & cheese. >>>> More Info

Taste Like a Pro
Tuesday, May 19th (AWS Wine Room, Roswell)
Instructor: P. Kelly Wheeler

Join Kelly Wheeler for some in-depth cues, pointers, and methodologies for the proper analysis, evaluation, and ultimately the conclusion of wine's identity--blind.

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Introduction to Wine, Level II
Wednesday, May 20th (AWS Wine Room, Roswell)
Instructor: Michael Bryan

This four-class course builds on Level I, now it's time to understand what makes a great wine great, how to assess the aging potential on a wine, how to analyze older wines, and understand food & wine pairing. Level I is NOT a prerequisite, but call our office to discuss to ensure this is the right level for you.
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For Beginners ONLY
Thursday, May 21st (AWS Wine Room, Roswell)
Instructor: Michael Bryan

Sure you can drink it, but can you pair it? Can you speak it? Come to terms with it in a special tasting that helps you express yourself in the world of wines. Don't be left standing there holding the bottle--get more confidence and find more pleasure in every sip.

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The South of Italy
Tuesday, May 26th (AWS Wine Room, Roswell)
Instructor: P. Kelly Wheeler

Sure you can drink it, but can you pair it? Can you speak it? Come to terms with it in a special tasting that helps you express yourself in the world of wines. Don't be left standing there holding the bottle--get more confidence and find more pleasure in every sip. >>>> More Info

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The Big FOUR
Tuesday, June 2nd (AWS Wine Room, Roswell)
Instructor: Michael Bryan

The Big Four account for over 3/4 of the world's wine. You may like an Australian Shiraz, or a Chilean Cabernet once in awhile, but what the world is drinking most of the time is Italian, French, Spanish or American (Californian).
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Introduction to Wine, Level I Graduates When one decides to get serious about wine, enrolling in an eight-week tasting course qualifies! Shown right, our March 9th students completed their eight-week session on April 27th. The final class is always fun, as students bring something to share with the other classmates. Click on photo for fuller hi-rez image.
Mark & Sarah Weeber Wedding What happens when a "wine guy" gets married? He has AWESOME wines at his reception! He starts off the reception by having his friend SABOR the top off of a 9-liter (Salmanazar) bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. Then, here come the big hitters, in endless quantities: 2000 Quintessa, 1993 Mt Veeder Reserve, 1997 Magnificat, 1997 & 2000 Estancia Meritage, 2002 Mondavi Reserve Cab, 1996 & 1997 Simi Reserve. Good show chap!
We met Matt Simpson a couple of years ago and he continues to dazzle beer lovers everywhere. Says Matt: "What your event-goers, clientele or staff are starving for, is the knowledge that there’s more to life than watery, light American macro beers. What they really need to know is what beers pair best with the Szechwan chicken, braised lamb chops or flourless chocolate tort they’ll be ordering or serving some night. Perhaps they want to know the best choices for a burger…or what suits their personal tastes. I have those answers and much more."

• Tybee Island, Georgia Wine Festival, May 9th (this weekend!)
  Off Georgia’s coast, residents of Tybee Island, just outside of Savannah, will launch their first annual wine festival on 5/9/09, from 2 - 5 p.m. Guests will enjoy 100 wines, and foods from Tybee's finest restaurants will be offered. The event is a benefit for the Tybee Post Theater, and takes place at the Tybee Lighthouse. Tickets $45; >> Info/Purchase Here
• Wine & Kissing (which only rivals wine & chocolate)
  Elisabet Alhambra (her pen name), has became very interested in the connection between wine and romance---the connection between the touch of a glass to the lips, and the touching of two pairs of lips together. She thinks there is a possible book to create of this theme. If you could find time to offer a brief story of something that happened in your life where these elements were connected…or just a few thoughts on how they ARE connected, she might include that in her project. share@wineandkissing.com
• Food & Wine Magazine Ranks Tokyo #1 Hottest City for Foodlovers (2nd year in a row!)
  Barcelona came in second, followed by Copenhagen, London and New York in Food & Wine Magazine's fourth annual list of top cities to go for cutting-edge cuisine and vibrant food scenes. "Tokyo is the best food city hands down," Jen Murphy, the magazine's travel editor, said. "That's where chefs are going for innovations. There's also a history of food traditions. They are so far ahead of us." >> More
• Silicon Valley Bank Releases Annual "State of the Wine Industry Report"
  Based on in-house expertise and primary research among West Coast wineries, the report forecasts flat growth in the fine wine segment and modest growth in higher volume segments in 2009. SVB's research also finds that the distribution channel for modest wine producers and many smaller brands is "effectively closed," suggesting lasting changes in sales strategies. >> More
• The Brits Worry About Claret and Parker's Grip on It!
  Fear is spreading among the UK's biggest wine sellers after Robert Parker, the American critic whose ratings have dictated the market in wine futures for 20 years, declared the much-maligned 2008 Bordeaux vintage to be "excellent". Some wine merchants are concerned that Mr Parker is overrating some wines and that this will encourage the winemakers to increase their prices. Many winemakers will release their 2008 wines to the market today. Overnight, Ch. Lafite DOUBLED in price/case from the news. >> More
• Vinfolio Launches WinePrices.com Fine Wine Indexes
  Vinfolio announced today the launch of WinePrices.com Fine Wine Indexes, a comprehensive set of performance indicators for some of the most actively traded wines on the global wine auction market. The indexes currently track nine different portfolios of fine wines starting in 2005, with two universal and seven region-specific indexes. >> More

Jane's Monthly Dozen: Sparkling Wines
by Jane Garvey

As we move into spring, get past the pollen season, and welcome Mother’s Day, bridesmaids luncheons, weddings, Father’s Day and celebrate the birthday of the country, lots of celebrations call for breaking out the sparkling. I recommend doing so on Wednesday even if you’re all by yourself and don’t have a thing in the world to celebrate. Do it with Chinese take-out. Do it with fajitas. No caviar handy? Who cares? Have it with some boiled peanuts, as a South Carolina friend of mine does.

My own Champagne/sparkling wine thing is French onion dip and lightly salted potato chips. People find it so surprising, but have to admit the taste is sensational. My favorite brunch dish is what I call a “redneck Benedict,” poached eggs on stone-ground grits with sausage cream gravy sprinkled with chives. It’s fabulous with the Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blanc (North Carolina).

Sparklers from unexpected places can be loads of fun. I adore the sparkler produced on Long Island at Wцlffer, and those made in Ohio at Markham. Bring the latter along to the lake for enjoying with Great Lakes white fish, either baked or smoked. Now there’s a regional culinary moment. Oregon’s Argyle does another favorite.
When it comes to pairing Champagne and sparkling wine with fancy fare, the assumption that Champagne will “go with everything” can lead one down the garden path. Caviar, for example, is tricky with Champagne, and absolutely requires a lean rather than rich Champagne or sparkling wine. And it depends on the caviar. Dom Pйrignon is a good caviar pairing if the caviar is osetra, for instance. Salmon caviar, or ikura, is more successfully paired with California sparkling wine than is osetra. (Enjoy it atop Kettle brand lightly salted baked potato chips; they lay flat making them a good base for caviar.) When in doubt, serve chilled unflavored, good quality vodka with caviar—a classic pairing.

I remember with fondness my enjoyment of a Dom Pйrignon brut rosй with lobster, a match that we can only hope they serve in heaven. If not, I’ll have to go wherever they do serve it. But I’m not able to afford that kind of bubble pricing at every moment of the day, so I look for values even in Champagne. I’m delighted to learn that the lovely Champagnes of Bruno Paillard have returned to the market, as I think they’re a terrific value. While Champagnes clearly are the most expensive of the bubbles, one can still find good choices at reasonable prices, such as the Heidsieck Monopole for about $30.

There are many ways to make sparkling wines and many different grapes to use to make them. The classics are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, but you’ll find many others used to produce sparkling wines. Cava, for instance, in Spain, uses Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel.lo, and for rosй, you’ll find Trapat and Pinot Noir. But even if you can’t remember those, you can indulge in the result. For both of these, and for South Afirca’s Cap Classique, the second fermentation takes place in the bottle you hold in your hand. Look for the phrase “Fermented in THIS bottle” to be sure you’ve got a wine produced in the classic method. Bulk or tank (Charmat) methods are traditionally used for other types of sparklers, such as Prosecco, which is traditionally made that way. And that’s just one example. Sparkling Moscato, delicious with summer fruits, is made in the Charmat method as well.

The sweetness of Champagne and sparkling wine can run from very little residual sugar through a good bit of residual sugar in the demi-sec and doux. For a wedding cake, you want something in the latter category, not a brut, which runs from 6-15 grams of sugar per liter. A brut is too dry for a wedding cake, but some folks are intellectually afraid of being seen with the demi-sec or doux. Silly. In fact, as I was buying the wines for a friend’s wedding a few years ago, a fellow customer in the store belabored me severely for buying the semi-seco Cava that I was about to choose (Cristalino—perfect for a crowd and a wedding cake both in price and in quality). The too-dry brut can’t get ahead of the sugar in the cake, and it makes everything taste odd.
While I’ll indulge in sparkling wine with just about any food, even breakfast egg dishes for brunch, I do want proper glassware and serving temperature to support their wonderful flavors. The glass should be tulip-shaped, and slightly closed at the top. The temperature should be between 45-47єF/4-6єC, but be aware that as the wine warms up, it will open up in the glass.

So pop the corks and fill the glasses. Have sparkling rosй with barbecue (see suggestions below), and throw out all too-restrictive conventions. It’s time to enjoy these wines full throttle.