My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way.








New Year's is fast approaching so it seems a good time to discuss CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is a sparkling wine that comes ONLY from the Champagne region of France.  The primary grapes include; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.  The typical method used to create the fizz is a secondary fermentation process.  This is done either in the bottle or in the barrel and typically a mixture of sugar and yeast are added to the wine.  There are specific rules which govern the length of time to produce the champagne, grapes used etc.  Sparkling wine is the term used to describe champagne like wine produced outside of the Champagne region.  Sparkling wine is produced either in the traditional manner described above or via an injection of carbon dioxide to create the fizz.  Typically, champagne is either white or rose.  Brut is a term used to describe dry sparkling wine and Demi-Sec, Dolce or Doux is a term used to describe a sweeter sparkling wine.

Popular areas for sparkling wine are:
Spain, Cava
Portugal, Espumante
Italy, Asti and Prosecco
US, Sonoma was the area where sparkling wine production first began

Champagne Cocktails seem a good way to ring in the new year and I have a two recipes below:


Traditional Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters or soak in fresh lemon juice
5 ounces chilled Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
1 lemon slice

1. Soak sugar cube with Angostura bitters or fresh lemon juice
2. Fill flute with Champagne
3. Add soaked sugar cube
4. Garnish with lemon slice


Champagne Cocktail Margarita Style

Ingredients:
1 ounce blanco tequila
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar
3 ounce chilled Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
Lime Twist or Wheel

1. Fill cocktail shaker with ice
2. Add tequila, lime juice, agave nectar and shake well.
3. Strain into flute and top with sparkling wine
                                             4. Garnish with lime twist or wheel


Champagne Picks:

Chandon Brut California
90 Points Wine Enthusiast $12.99

Gloria Ferrer Brut California
90 Points Wine Enthusiast $13.99 

Mumm Napa Brut Prestiga California
90 Points Wine Spectator $14.99

Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley
91 Points Wine Spectator $18.99

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut France
93 Points Wine Spectator $29.99

Cheers!  



   

My mission is to inspire you to make wine a part of your daily life.  To accomplish this I want to expose you to new wines and deconstruct the complexity of wine.  I hope you learn something new along the way. 






Tips for Giving Wine as a Gift

You may be planning to buy wine as a gift this holiday season for your boss, friends, family or the host of a holiday party.  Since there are many types of wine and personal wine preferences, I would recommend employing the following strategies to make sure your gift is a success.

1. Figure out whether your recipient is a wine novice, expert or somewhere in between.
2. Get information from them regarding their taste in wine.  Some basic questions would be:
preference for red/white wine, favorite wine region or winery, recent travel to a wine region.
3. Identify your budget and stick to it.  There are good wines out there at every price point.
4. If you are bringing a bottle of wine to a holiday party that will be consumed that evening make it a good bottle of wine but don't break that bank as chances are you it will be gone before you get any.
5. If this will be consumed with a special meal, select a bottle that will pair well with the menu. 
For example, Cabernet Sauvingen pairs well with steak, red Zinfendel pairs well with barbeque.  Go online to find out a good pairing for the menu that will be served.


Suggestions for the Wine Novice

I would recommend any of my everyday suggestions for this category of wine drinker.  Simply identify their preference for red or white wine.  Some recent standouts include:

Paringa Shiraz '10

Shoofly Shiraz- 90 Points Wine Spectator
Paringa Shiraz '10 - #52 Top 100 List for Wine Specator 2013

These would also be a great choice for a holiday party if they would be consumed that evening.

Shoofly Shiraz

Suggestions for the Intermediate Wine Drinker

I would recommend going to a wine shop (not a grocery store because they do not have an expert staff available to assist with your wine selection) with information you have gathered on wine preference (red/white), favorite wine region, winery, grape, recent travel.  Give the expert staff this information along with your budget and have them give you several selections to chose from.

A to Z 2011

A to Z 2011 Oregon Pinot Noir #55 Top 100 List for Wine Spectator 2013

Suggestions for the Wine Expert

I would recommend setting a higher price point and following the steps from intermediate wine drinker.  The higher price point will allow you to select a special bottle of wine from their favorite wine region, winery, or recent travels.





No Fail Selection

Champagne or sparkling wine is a festive holiday choice.  True champagne comes from the champagne region of France but there are many other great options including cava from Spain, Processo from Italy and sparkling wine from the US.  Please check back in about 2 weeks for further information on Champagne for my next installment.

Cheers!