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Sandy Springs

December 15th, 2005 Fizz Fantasies

Holiday celebrations bring out the bubbles in everybody. As a matter of habit, we tend to refer to all wines with bubbles as "Champagne," when in truth that term should only apply to wines made in the Champagne region of France, just a couple hours' drive east of Paris. Elsewhere in France, traditional-method-made sparkling wines are called "Cremant," not to be confused with Cramant, which is one of Champagne's Grand Cru villages.

Sparkling wine these days uses a variety of terms to steer clear of French wrath on the subject of appropriating their proprietary interests in the term. One can't blame them, as a great deal of ghastly stuff has been marketed under the name. How many times have people said to me "I don't like Champagne," until I suggested they taste a real one? I can't count them. I just remember my mother-in-law's face when she tasted her first Taittinger, after telling me she didn't like Champagne. I knew what sort of chimney drippings she had assigned to the term, and why she felt that way. The problem wasn't her palate. Once she tasted the real thing, she was off to the races.

Bubbles in wine weren't always popular. Thomas Jefferson, America's chief presidential oenophile, detested sparkling wines, and while he ordered wines from Champagne, he always specified "non-mousseux," meaning not sparkling. Champagne still makes a bit of still wine, but after tasting one of the Champagne reds, hard and acidic, I think the Champenois did a great thing when they developed the wines we associate today with the region.

When Spain entered the European Union, it had to cook up a different term for its sparklers, and decided to call them "cavas." The Denominacion de Origen Cava is the only D.O. in Spain that occurs in several areas. In South Africa, the term is "Cap Classique." Italy has gone with Metodo Tradizionale or sometimes Metodo Classico, to denote wines that have undergone a second fermentation in the bottle. German sparkling wine is called "sekt," prounounced "zek-t" and is usually made from Riesling.
But Italy also has Prosecco, which gets its bubbles not from being fermented in the bottle, but in what is called the "charmat" method. In this instance, the fermentation occurs in a pressure tank, or closed cuvee.

What to know about Champagne? Or sparkling wine?
For one thing, how dry do you want it? For appetizers, and certainly for caviar, the drier the better. Dryness is adjusted by adding to the bottle a "dosage" of sweet liqueur. A brut must have 15 grams per liter of sugar or less to be labeled "brut." Brut Nature or Extra Brut has less than 6 grams per liter, and often no dosage at all, so it's bone dry. But look out! "Extra Dry" actually denotes sweeter styles. Go figure!
Often one sees Champagne or sparkling wines indicated as able to go with all foods. Not so fast. Champagne and caviar is an iffy proposition, heavenly when it works, and perfectly dreadful when it doesn't. When in doubt, do chilled vodka with caviar. Steely, crisp, bone dry, austere, elegant Champagne is what you need with caviar. Dom Perignon Brut can do caviar, but its price is high, about $150 a bottle. Otherwise, the result is a metallic taste that takes forever to leave the palate.

On the other hand, I have a friend who's favorite pairing with tete de cuvee Champagne is boiled peanuts. Haven't done this one yet myself, but I can vouch for pistachios with Grosset or with the Argyle brut. So experiment to see what works for you.

Sparkling wines can act as a palate cleanser against very acidic foods. I remember a dinner many years ago for herring in white wine sauce was the opening gambit, with a Roederer sparkling wine from California. We all looked at each other, expecting to give this pairing a polite nod, but no, it was perfect. Spicy fare, if not mouth-searing hot, can work very well with sparkling wine, allowing the wine to refresh the palate. But the heat must be just a nuance, so be careful with such sharp flavors as horseradish, chipotle or wasabe. Asian fare and sparkling wine, including Champagne, can be magic.

For desserts, go with sweeter sparkling wines. Some people, pursuing what to my mind is an intellectual fiction, insist on serving brut with a wedding cake. Yuck. C"mon, Folks. Don't be afraid of sweet wines. For spicy fare and desserts, you'll need them. So on sweeter sparkling wines, look for terms such as Demi-Sec, Moelleux (meaning mellow and indicating medium sweet), and Doux (sweet) in ascending order of sweetness.
And then there's brut rose, to my mind the best of the lot. In a wine store in Astor Place in New York City, I suggested to a woman that she consider a brut cava rose."It's pink," she gasped in horror, and added "That's SWEET!" I tried to point out the term "brut" on the label, but she huffed off in disgust. Some people are a tad hard to teach, bless their hearts. If any sparkling wine goes with most foods, this is it, caviar being an exception if the wine is very fruit-forward, and desserts being another if the wine is labeled "brut." While there are exceptions, in general brut rose is made by blending a bit of red wine into a base of white wine.

How to serve sparkling wines: Chilled to about 50 degrees (some people like them at a colder 45, but that's personal.) And use a tulip-shaped glass. Not the saucer glass. That might have been effective for measuring Marie Antoinette's mammary members (the story is that's how the shape was developed), but they're not really worthwhile for sparkling wines.

One last thing: While we celebrate with Champagne and sparkling wines, don't hold back. Enjoy them on Wednesdays, if the mood and the food merit the effort. They run all kinds of price ranges, and all kinds of styles. So have fun!


Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Very good with ikura (salmon roe caviar) with Mexican crema agria on water cracker; squash bisque and corn chowder; dill and smoked salmon mousse (Summersweet at DeKalb Farmers Market); shrimp with lemon and Pommery mustard; smoked mozzarella pasta salad (Whole Foods); substantial creamy pasta dishes; roast chicken, creamy mild bleu cheese (such as Rogue Valley Creamery). Didn't particularly care for it with raw oysters or Asian fare.

Price: $12
Wholesaler: New World Wines

Where to Get: Wine Gallery & Market. Restaurant: Woodfire Grill.

Food Pairings: Light appetizers and hors d'oeuvres. Taramosalata; tiny crab cakes; smoked salmon dill mousse (Summersweet--DeKalb Farmers Market); grilled scallops with garlic mayonnaise; California rolls; shumai; dim sum with seafood; cocktail potatoes stuffed with sour cream and chives; chicken croquetas. Avoid anything with overt lemon.

Price: $15
Wholesaler: Vinifera Distributing

Food Pairings: Wide variety or tapas: Barbecued or teriyaki wings; ham or chicken croquetas; chorizo; lobster/shrimp mousse; Creole barbecue shrimp; Asisan barbecued pork ribs; fajitas with shrimp, veggies or chicken; crumbed baked chicken breast or grilled chicken breast with sun-dried tomatoes and capers; grilled ham steak; roast pork loin; grilled salmon; well-seasoned legume dishes.

Price: $17
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits

Food Pairings: Very good with gourmet-type lightly salted potato chips. Dishes with a hint of lemon, such as shrimp with lemon and Pommery mustard or chicken nuggets with lemon and black sesame seeds (both from Whole Foods). Dishes with assertive flavors, such as chicken with Thai coconut sauce (but not too spicy hot, please), mild curried dishes, teriyaki, soy-glazed squab (Eurasia Bistro) or Cornish hen. Also try Reblochonade, a dish of Reblochon cheese, sans rind, layered with sautйed potato slices and onions, and baked until cheese melts, or Alsace onion tarte.

Price: $20
Wholesaler: Lynda Allison Cellar Selections
678-290-5552

Price: $22
Wholesaler: Empire Distributors

Food Pairings: Mousse of goose liver or shellfish; shrimp with lemon and whole-grain mustard, classic Southern pickled shrimp; ikura (salmon caviar) with Mexican sour cream (cream agria) on water crackers; baked mild fish, crab cakes or seafood sausages with beurre blanc; chicken nuggets with lemon and black sesame seeds; creamy mild rind cheeses.

Price: $40
Wholesaler: Ultimate Distributing