“Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life.” –Charles Dickens
The holidays are a time to celebrate things that sparkle and shine, with tinsel, ornaments and twinkling lights illuminating almost every occasion. So, why not add your favourite sparkling wine to that list? A glass of bubbly goes beautifully with hors d’oeuvres and deserts but it can also be a perfect complement to an elegant main course.
But with a multitude of bubbly beverages available, how does one choose? Here’s a simple guide to selecting – and storing – your beloved bottles, from cava to champagne and everything in between.
Sparkling vs. Champagne – While all effervescent wine may be considered sparkling, not all sparkling wine is actually Champagne. If a bottle is labeled as Champagne, it has most likely been made in the region of Champagne, France using the “method champenoise,” which is also known as the “traditional method.” This process requires a secondary fermentation to take place inside the bottle in which the wine will be sold, which is temporarily capped after the liqueur de tirage (a liquid solution of yeast, wine and sugar) is added to the base wine. The last phase (“dosage”) is where the Champagne is quickly adjusted for sweetness before receiving its final cork.
Some higher-quality sparkling wines are crafted via the traditional method, while other less pricey varieties may be made by the Charmat (Tank) method. This technique puts the base wine into a pressurized tank and adds yeast and sugar so that the secondary fermentation takes place in the pressurized tank and is later bottled using a counter pressure filler.
Selecting Sweet or Dry – Everything from the food being served to simple personal preference can dictate which type of bubbly you might find yourself – and your guests – gravitating towards. Here’s a brief sampling of the varieties available (from driest to sweetest):
- Extra Brut: Bone dry
- Brut: Up to 1.5% sugar
- Extra Dry: 1.2 – 2% sugar
- Dry (Sec): 2 – 4 % sugar
- Semi-Dry (Demi-Sec): 3 – 5% sugar
- Sweet (Doux): > 5% sugar
Sparkling Storage – Proper storage of your sparkling wine comes down to three key points: temperature, light and the angle of the bottles. Keeping the wine consistently between 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit allows the sparkling wine to age slowly and bring out the full bouquet. And the best way to ensure that the temperature stays steady is with a perfectly calibrated cooling system. Light exposure should be kept to a minimum, due to the fact that absorbing too many UV rays for an extended period of time can trigger chemical reactions which affect the wine’s taste. Lastly, horizontal storage is best, if possible, to keep the cork moist (especially if the bottles are to be aged for three years or more).
Now that you’re prepared for a bounty of bubbly this holiday season, why not think ahead to future celebrations in 2023? Team EWC would love to chat about wine storage scenarios specially crafted just for you. We’re just a call, text or email away!