The happiest time of year has arrived! What could be better? Time to break out the bubbles and have some fun. This year, don’t agonize over what the proper wine pairing might be for each dish on your holiday table. In every case, the answer is sparkling wine, of course. Nothing screams “Celebration” louder than the pop of a cork. Great bubbles come from all over the world so you’ll enjoy seeking out just the right bottles to complement your favorite holiday foods.
Everyone loves Prosecco. A fresh, light sparkler from the Veneto region of Italy, Prosecco is refreshing and easy. Made from the Glera grape, it’s the perfect wine with which to greet your guests at the door. The very best quality Prosecco will bear the monikers “Conegliano-Valdobbiadene” or “Cartizze.” Look for these names on the label and you’ll know you are buying a top of the line Prosecco. A glass in the hand puts a smile on the face.
A wonderful, budget-conscious holiday choice is Spanish Cava. Cava is a lovely, sparkling wine produced primarily in Catalonia in Eastern Spain. Made from a variety of traditional grapes, with a healthy dose of Chardonnay thrown in for good measure, Cava is the Spanish answer to Champagne with light to medium body and crisp acid. Two respected producers are Freixenet and Codornieu. Cava is a welcome addition to any table.
California produces some of the best wines in the world and the sparkling wines are no exception. Beautiful, dry sparkling wines from California will add finesse to your holiday celebration. Look for names like Gloria Ferrer, Roederer Estate, and Chandon. Made from Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir, California sparklers offer impressive quality that will make your table shine.
For a little fun and intrigue, why not try a red sparkler? Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine from Central Italy. Made from the grape, Vitis Labrusca, from which it takes its name, Lambrusco comes in slightly sweet and dry styles with low alcohol and crisp, high acidity. The wine is fruity on the nose with flavors of wild strawberries and rose petals on the palate and a soft, bubbly mousse. Lambrusco is the perfect wine to accompany appetizers, charcuterie, and cheeses.
Heading “Down Under” to Australia, you’ll find delicious red bubbles in the form of sparkling Shiraz. Sparkling Shiraz is a richly flavored, robust wine with aromas of warm vanilla, dried flowers, and smoke, and a palate of intense forest berries with a whisper of cinnamon. Perfect for any celebration, sparkling Shiraz pairs beautifully with roasted meats and game. The unexpected bubbles in the Shiraz only add to the fun of the occasion.
Every champagne is a sparkling wine but not every sparkling wine is champagne. Champagne is a sparkling wine produced within the borders of France’s Champagne region in the northeast of the country. By French law, a bottle may be labeled “champagne” only if it was produced within the borders of Champagne itself. Everything else is simply called sparkling wine, or in French, “Cremant” or “Mousseux.”
There is incredible prestige in champagne. People have been drinking champagne for centuries. Kings and queens, politicians, celebrities, and the common man have all celebrated special occasions with a bottle of good Champagne. Many of the venerated champagne houses are hundreds of years old and the house-style produced in each is unique.
While the aromas and flavors of some finely crafted, sparkling wines may rival champagne, champagne stands alone as the best of the best, the benchmark to which all others are compared. Pour yourselves a glass of Champagne and hold it up to the light. Observe the fine bubbles which aficionados call “Strings of Pearls.” Sniff the fine toasty aromas, and savor the rich flavors. Indeed, ‘tis the season to indulge.
This holiday season, show your guests you know a thing or two about bubbles with these lively, sparkling wines. May all your joys be pure joys, and all your pain, champagne. Cheers!
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