Champagne Wishes..Caviar Dreams…Wine Selections for New Years 2012

Yes that was a moniker for “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and this article will focus on Sparkling wines and Champagne and less so on caviar–though I do enjoy it and think it nicely paired with Champagne.

But you don’t need to be ‘rich or famous’ to enjoy very well made sparkling wines. In many and most instances it is understandable if sparkling wines are more expensive on average as when compared to still wines. I understand….the process certainly adds to the overall cost. And Champagne stands alone in terms of high demand, the Euro (at least those using the US dollar) and a very finite growing region. There are other sparkling wine on a per litre basis are less expensive (but not always) Cava, sparkling wine, and Prosecco. I enjoy my New Year’s eve with wonderful hand foods and many Champagnes and sparkling wines.

Here are my Champagne and sparkling wishes to ring in the New Year:

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs – 1999
Gramona Cava Brut Imperial Gran Reserva 2006
Ruinart Brut Rosé – NV
Törley Grand Cuvee – NV
Ruggeri Prosecco di Valdobbiandene Guistini Bisol 2008
Sergio Mottura Brut 2005
Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002
Canard-Duchene Grande Cuvée Charles VII NV
Bollinger Grande Annee Brut 1999
Chartogne-Taillet Brut 2002
Jacquesson Millesime Brut 2002
Chartogne-Taillet Blanc de Blanc Brut Champagne NV
Recaredo Brut Nature Cava 2006
Gosset Celebris 1998
J Brut Late-Disgorged 2001
Mumm Napa DVX Rosé 2006
Iron Horse Winter’s Cuvée 2007
Schramsberg J Schram Rosé 2004
De Cazanove Stradivarius 1998
Charles Ellner Brut NV
Lanson Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 1998
Bruno Paillard Rosé Brut Première Cuvée NV
Ayala Brut Millesime 1999
Jean Lallemont Brut NV
Vranken Diamont Brut
Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée 2002
Deutz Deutz Cuvée William Brut 1998
Bollinger R.D. 1997
Aneri Prosecco
Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2002

¡Salud!

***

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Ruggeri Prosecco di Valdobbiandene Santo Stefano – 9.0 – James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

Passion fruit, star fruit, slight hint of nutmeg and delightful minerality and scent from a green apple orchard.

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¡Salud!

James Meléndez

James the Wine Guy

http://jamesthewineguy.com/

***

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Ruggeri Gold Label Valdobbianedene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry – 8.9 – James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

Honeyed Forelle pear, slight anise and white pepper notes and scent of freshly baked bread and honeysuckle.

**

¡Salud!

James Meléndez

James the Wine Guy

http://jamesthewineguy.com/

***

A plethora of wine reviews from wines regions around the world.

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jamesthewineguy.wordpress.com © 2010 James Meléndez / Jaime Patricio Meléndez – All Rights Reserved.  James the Wine Guy also on Facebook, Twitter and most major social medias.

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Ruggeri Prosecco di Valdobbiandene Guistini Bisol – 2008 – 9.1 – James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

Superbly dry; notes of tropical fruit—passion fruit and star fruit, anise, and biscuit.

***

¡Salud!

James the Wine Guy

http://jamesthewineguy.com/

***

A plethora of wine reviews from wines regions around the world.

Read more of my wine reviews:

jamesthewineguy.wordpress.com © 2010 James Meléndez / Jaime Patricio Meléndez – All Rights Reserved.  James the Wine Guy also on Facebook, Twitter and most major social medias.

James the Wine Guy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JamesTheWineGuy

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Champagne & Sparkling; Tis the Season and Each Season is the Right Time – James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

Champagne and Sparkling is thought of as only a very special occasion wine–maybe a once possibly twice a year wine to celebrate.  But you should think of Champagne or sparkling once a week wine to imbibe.  It is a wine that deserves your attention and for good reason: it is a celebratory wine but also a wine that marks your milestone: the milestone of living each and every day.  Our challenges in life are often great and exhausting. And it is something we owe to ourselves a reward that is un-paralleled.

I don’t think most people understand what Champagne and sparkling wine truly represent–it is something more than a fizzy wine.  Instead there are many great traditions and styles and experiences to partake.  There is no such thing as one kind of Champagne.  Sometimes Champagne is called Champagne when in fact it is wine from outside of the Champagne region. All sparkling wines pay homage to Champagne.  Some people think that Champagne is a grape or anything that fizzes.  Champagne and sparkling wines have improved greatly in the past one hundred years.  If someone were to transport to the future from France… someone who was a Champagne drinker would find our styles quite dry.  I would like to think that they would find our styles vastly improved; more dynamic and quality improved. I am not a big white wine fan but I always find the possibility of a glass of Blanc de Blanc Champagne sheer delight.
Champagne and sparkling are one of the two most difficult wines to make (the other–Sherry or vino de Jerez or Xeres). Most people know and enjoy Brut – a prototypical sparkling wine that is often associated with Champagne but others have adopted that name as well – Cavas and California sparkling wines. Brut is composed of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier and all vintners’ style their wines to what they believe will optimize the wine that will be consumed.  Brut is dry but not the driest. The driest style is Extra Brut which should not be confused with Extra Dry; Extra Dry is a bit sweeter than Brut. Then there is a Demi-sec style which is sometimes called Cremant which should not be confused with other sparkling wines in France outside of Champagne called Cramant. Then there is Rose Champagnes easily the most difficult of all Champagnes to produce and one of the most highly regarded. The sparkling wines in Spain are referred to Cava but utilize different grapes; and sparkling wines in Italy are referred to Prosecco. California has a number of French wine houses that have taken on a California wine persona: Domaine Chandon, Domaine Carneros, Iron Horse, Piper Sonoma, Roeder Estates, Mumm Napa. There are a few homespun sparkling wineries in California of note: Schramsberg is one of the standouts.
Australia produces a few white sparklers but is more famous for their red sparkling wines: sparklng Merlot, Shiraz, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir (not to be confused with a Rose); Australians produce a large number of cases of which a few come to the US. It is an impressive wine that pairs so well with fall and winter foods but also year round when you want an extra special wine experience.
For the more adventurous try a sparkling Riesling or Pinot Meunier – they are good wines in their own right.
And for those truly milestone occasions be sure to have a vintage Champagne ready to celebrate; a vintage Champagne is a true nectar of the Gods; more on Champagne and sparkling wines later.

¡Salud!

***

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