Disclaimer: Yes, I am using the word Champagne in place of Sparkling Wine in this article. I’m not snubbing my nose to the French, in fact I prefer starting with French Champagne. However, when tasting in most parts of the country, you’ll be drinking Sparkling Wine (with one of the exceptions being Korbel), which is in essence the same, minus the naming rules. Much like Kleenex and Xerox are half-generic terms (their lawyers would like to think otherwise), such is the case with Champagne in this article. If you do have any peeves with my usage, please feel free to e-mail me at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com. Thank you, Haydn.

If you’ve read any of my privous articles along with my Do’s and Don’t when wine tasting, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve told you what not to do before you start wine tasting more times than what to do. Well, I’m trying to tip the scales back—here’s a new one.

Reason #1: Everyone likes Champagne

Let’s face it, wine tasting is romantic. It’s an affordable luxury. When one mentions wine tasting, you can’t help but conjure up images of a Chateau of France or a villa in Tuscany. And who hasn’t turned down a glass of the bubbles when celebrating some special occasion; whether it be an engagement or the adoption of a pet rock. The look of the flutes with the small (hopefully small) bubbles running up the sides along with the crispness of the cool liquid can easily make a bad day turn great. I’ve yet to finish a glass of Champagne and frown.

Reason #2: It cleanses the palate

Aside from the feeling it brings you, Champagne cleanses the palate and gets those taste buds in order. Have you ever noticed that the first wine seems to be the strongest? By the time you’ve had your fifteenth glass, assuming you’ve been spitting on and off, wines start to run together. While one might think water would neutralize the palate, it is more of a dilution tool than a strengthener (though a great resource to help reduce the eventual hangover).

Recently I had the pleasure to taste 8 exquisite wines with Joel Peterson of Ravenswood. Immediately following introducing himself and a bit of a chit chat, he proceeded to order a bottle of the bubbly. He was quick to add that the Diet Coke I was drinking was not that great for wine tasting, as he mentioned the extra sugar didn’t do wonders for the taste buds. I agreed, but added that the Diet Coke did have something the Champagne didn’t—caffeine. I tried to keep the flute filled throughout the tasting so I could go back and forth and clear my palate, to help myself distinguish between the Zins.

Reason #3: Relaxation

I’ve never seen someone rush through a glass of Champagne. Even when I’m in a hurry to get in and out of a winery, the bubbly just seems to slow life down. I was recently at J Winery, with a little bit of time to kill up in the wine country before meeting a colleague, and decided to go through the tasting menu. However, instead of rushing through the list of five or six wines, I simply sipped their Cuvée 20, and, after realizing I had spent a bit longer than I was originally anticipated on one wine, let the person pouring know that I was done and I had to get going.

The wineries pouring Champagne are out in most wine tasting regions. For Carneros, there is Gloria Ferrer. If you are in the Russian River or Dry Creek, there is J Vineyards or Iron Horse (or if you must, Korbel). And For Napa, there is Chandon and Mumm to name a few. Even in Temmecula, there are a few wineries producing Champagne.

If you are planning a wine tasting outing, spend a little time locating the wineries that are producing the bubbly. It will be a great start to your wine tasting day and is sure to put a smile on your face faster than you can say Sparkling Wine.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

3 Facts about Champagne
by Haydn Adams | Beyond Napa Wine Blog

I have been having a hankering to do a write-up about a few facts and myths about Sparkling Wines / Champagne. So here are 3 mythbusting facts about the bubbly.

1. Can you call a sparkling wine Champagne in the US?

Yes. You can, if it was produced before 2006. Officially the Treaty of Madrid from 1891 designates that only wine from Champagne, France can be called Champagne. Unfortunately the U.S. didn’t get that memo. The United States recognizes the exclusive nature of the name, yet still maintains a legal structure in which longtime U.S. producers can continue to use the term “Champagne”. And you have to wonder why the French don’t like us?

So legally you can call Sparkling Wine Champagne in America. But, out of courtesy to the French, try to use Sparkling Wine.

2. Why doesn’t Champagne have a vintage date? Does having a vintage date on the bottle make it better?

Generally a wine maker will blend various vintages together to make a Champagne. There is nothing special about it. Much like a wine maker might make a Zinfandel with 98% Zin and 3% Merlot. It is just in trying to decipher the right blend to make it work. You’ll know it doesn’t have a vintage date by the indication “NV” on a wine list.

Vintage dates on Champagne bottles are treated as highly as the word “reserve”. Both mean absolutely nothing about the wine. Just like “reserve” (I really don’t like that word) has no set definite meaning, the same applies to a “vintage” sparkling wine. Now that year might be extraordinary and yes, in rare cases, a vintage date might hold, well, bubbles (yes, pun intended), but 98% it is just because they didn’t blend vintages, plain and simple. Sadly I’ve seen people pay a good sum of money for a vintage Champagne.

I can say I’ve had some of the most expensive non-vintage Champagne (yes, from France) and it didn’t have a vintage date and still my knees were about to give out from the exquisite taste.

3. Should I care what the bubbles look like in the Champagne?

Yes. Ladies, listen up. If your date comes over and brings Champagne, err Sparkling Wine, that has bubbles larger than you’d find in a Coke, chances are good to great that he paid about $5 for the bottle. The bubbles are from the yeast cells expiring (blowing up turning to bubbles). Well-made sparkling wines have bubbles the size of grains of sand. As well, small bubbles look so much sexier than big bubbles. And so, in this occasion, size does matter, though in this case, smaller is better.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com