Girlfriends Wine Club: Champagne - January 2012 Tasting Notes

What this is all about...

It all started with a "little" book called 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die. I asked a few girlfriends if they would be interested in working through the book with me. I mean, 1001 wines, by myself? Thought that would seem a little selfish. Fortunately, I have some of the greatest friends in the world and they have willingly agreed to take the plunge with me. We have gone a little "off book" but I haven't heard a complaint yet.

As we continue with these tastings, I hope to share not only the wines and what we thought of them, but also the food we paired with the wine and recipes as needed. Food can make or break a wine and our tastings have borne that out. I want to share that information and help break the "mystique" of wine.

We are expanding our wine knowledge and narrowing our choices at the same time. The real time goal is for all of us to find a few varietals (that is what the different grapes are called) that we like and then find the lowest, consistently good price point for those varietals. You do NOT have to spend a lot of money to drink really good wine!!!

13 tastings down, 100s still to go. So grab a glass, pop a cork, and join us!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Champagne - January 2012 Tasting Notes

Champagne

In celebration of the New Year, we tasted champagne, sparkling wine, prosecco, and cava. For a sparkling wine to be called champagne, it must, by French law, come from the Champagne region of France. Sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy is called Prosecco. Sparkling wine from Spain is called Cava.

Champagne (and most sparklings) are made from 3 grapes; 1 white and 2 reds. Chardonnay is the white and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the reds.

Champagne and sparkling wines range in price from under $10 to well over $1000. While price can make the difference with true French Champagne, there are many great sparklings for under $40 and some good ones for under $15.

In order to even begin trying to find a sparkling wine that one likes, you have to learn the language of the label first:
Extra Brut = very, very dry
Brut = very dry
Extra Dry = off dry
Sec = lightly sweet
Demi-sec = sweet
Doux = quite sweet

Just as wine can range from light to full bodied, so sparkling wines. Personal preference is just as important with sparkling as with any wine. I truly believe there is a sparkling for everyone!

A quick word about the "punt" - that indent at the bottom of the bottle. It is NOT for jamming your thumb into to hold the bottle! The punt actually helps the pressure that builds in the bottle be evenly distributed which prevents explosions.

Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava - Spain - $6.99 @ Wegman's (least popular of the night - wouldn't even blend it with OJ for mimosas)