Sparkler types

[Thomas]

Quite a question Andy.

First, the thing that sets Champagne from the rest is that it is the name of a place, not really of a wine. The topography of the place is uniquely chalky and mineral like. Also, in that place sparkling wine was developed by way of a certain method, using particular grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot grapes), that has come to be known as the Champagne Method. (Another French place named Limoux claims to have produced sparkling wine well before Champagne, but with neither the same grapes nor method.) Champagne was much better situated--marketing wise--and so it excelled.

The same grapes and the same method can be used to produce sparkling wine outside of Champagne, but the earth will always be unique to the place and hence, the resulting wines will be different from Champagne.

Also, the grapes and the process used to produce sparkling wine in some places outside Champagne aren't always the same as in Champagne, and so the difference in those wines is inherent.

A good Champagne (in my view) should have a slight yeasty--bread like--aroma, tiny bubbles that seem to have no end that explode and foam across the tongue, a clean snappiness, and be no more than 12% in alcohol.

Sparkling wines from other places sometimes duplicate these traits, but more often they have their own appeal. Lower priced Cava, for instance, often has a slight oxidized quality to it; Prosecco is usually lighter and fruitier than other sparkelrs; German sparkling Riesling can be quite interesting, but hardly ever yeasty; and the list goes on.

In the U.S., while there are some decent California sparkling wines, New York's Finger Lakes region (where I am) has a near perfect climate for growing grapes with the kind of acidity that makes sparkling wine a winner. Some of the best American sparklers I have tasted have been produced here.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 12-26-2005).]