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Sparkle Beyond Champagne
The
effervescence of sparkling wines complements strong flavours Indians
prefer. That they are served cold only enhances the appeal in warm climes
What do
Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela have in common — apart from the obvious?
Their choice of bubbly libation after their historic election victories, of
course. It was not champagne but a non-vintage sparkler from South Africa’s
Western Cape region, called Graham Beck Brut NV. Naturally, its US sales
zoomed soon after.
Last month, Sommelier India decided to launch the
Women’s Wine Circle in New Delhi with organic Ti Amo Prosecco rather than a
champagne. It turned out to be an inspired choice. The ladies — as is their
wont — loved the light lusciousness of the flavour as much as the light
lure of the price tag. And there was no lightheadedness even after several
glasses!
When in Doubt...
When it comes to value for money, there is indeed nothing to beat a
carefully selected sparkling wine, even if sheer familiarity with names
prompts people to veer towards Moët et Chandon or Louis Roederer. The
latter are great choices, but since I believe in the axiom, ‘When in doubt,
go for sparkling’, only grande marques can prove to be an expensive habit!
Even the most diehard champagne evangelists (and I
do know
several!) agree it is better to choose a good sparkling wine than bad
champagne, in case the best-known labels are unavailable. Getting them to
admit that there is such a thing as bad champagne at all is tough, but they
do exist and cause that inevitable headache or acidity après coup….
Though standard non-vintage grand marque labels are safe bets, there is
sparkle beyond champagne, even in France. The very existence of cremant or
mousseux sparkling wines, in fact, points to the popularity of this style,
though production methods may differ. There is clearly something
irresistible about fizzy drinks — alcoholic or otherwise.
Attention to Detail
The effervescence of good sparkling wines complements most of the
strong flavours we Indians prefer, regardless of cuisine. That they are
served cold only enhances their appeal in our predominantly warm climes.
Perfectly chilled bubbly is a far better idea than ice cubes in tepid white
or red wine — an unfortunate ‘trend’ that has vocal supporters in the west
and India.
Being something of a purist, I baulk at the idea of quaffing copious
amounts of say, a Salon Le Mesnil or even Dom Perignon, with a slap-up
Indian or Chinese meal even if I could afford it. Their complexities
deserve greater attention. If the idea were to drink something with food
from these culinary regions, I would always go for a good sparkling wine.
And there are a
whole lot of reasonably priced bubblies out there; enough of them, in fact,
to bolster the idea that they are not only for “occasions”. There’s
Prosecco, Asti, Franciacorta and red Lambrusco from Italy, Sekt from
Germany and Cava from Spain, the last of which I was reintroduced to
recently at the Spanish embassy in New Delhi.
The major New World wine producing areas also have
their versions, from ‘California Champagne’ to South Africa’s Methode Cap
Classique sparklers, besides Australia’s fizzies from Tasmania and the
Yarra Valley, and South American bubblies. Interest in them is somewhat
academic here in India due to availability, but keep them in mind when
travelling abroad.
The charm of going beyond the classic Champenois
combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a dash of Pinot Meunier lies
in the fact that other grapes form the backbone of sparkling wines, which
means a more diverse flavour profile. Also, the all-important second
fermentation for the bubbles is often done in the vats rather than in
bottles.
Sweetness Test
Prosecco is made from a grape of the same name (also called Glera),
Asti from the Moscato Bianco, Sekt from Riesling and other varietals and
Spanish Cava from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello grapes. Interestingly,
Franciacorta from Italy uses the same three grapes as champagne but soil
and climate variations ensure a very different sparkling wine!
That said, all sparkling wines are graded according
to an ascending order of sweetness: Brut Natural, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec,
Demi-Sec and Doux. Natural is the driest — which means no sugar or dosage
was added after the yeast sediment was disgorged from the bottle. At the
other end of the scale, Doux can have more than 50 gm of residual sugar per
litre!
Sparkling wine, including champagne, used to be
mostly sweet in the early days to mask acidic undertones. The current reign
of the dry ‘Brut’ bubbly, however, can be ascribed to the preference of the
British market for that less sugary style and ultimately the world has
followed suit.
At about 94,000 cases, the sparkling wines market
in India is still minuscule, and we have our Omar Khayyam, Sula Brut and
more. But what more endorsement of the growing popularity of sparkling wine
can there be than the fact that champagne biggie Moet-Hennessy will launch
its ‘Indian’ bubbly Chandon from Nashik this year?
• Bubbly-quette
Wash well and wipe glasses dry. Any residue on the insides of the glass
will result in the bubbles dissipating faster, making it go flat. Store
sparkling wine in a wine cellar. For that optimum serving chill, put the
bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes & then immerse in a bucket of water
& ice in a 50:50 ratio. Don’t pour bubbly like beer, i.e. holding the
glass and bottle at angles to each other. The glass should be upright, and
the bubbly poured gently and in stages Don’t pour only half a glass — this
is a sparkling wine, not a still wine. Flutes should be 3/4 full and cups
2/3 full at least Never hold a champagne glass by the bowl – the stem is
there for a reason Don’t ‘nurse’ a single glass for a prolonged time — it
will become flat and warm, two singularly bubblyunfriendly states
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