4 Sparkling Trends for 2016

The old saying of having “Champagne tastes on a beer budget” is about to become dated.

Here are four of the latest trends we can all sip and savor.

Sustainable Sparklers

Now, it’s easier to drink “green!” Organic wine is defined by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) as a “wine made from organically grown grapes, without any added sulfites.” The grapes for these natural sparklers are grown using sustainable agricultural practices which include land conservation, and the reclamation and recycling of materials during the wine making process. That’s definitely something to raise your glass for.

Terroir-based Champagne

Terroir is a word that has a certain mystique in the minds of wine drinkers. While the earth in which the grapes are grown does indeed impart unique qualities to the finished product, most Champagnes are a blend of grapes; the single vineyard Champagne is not that common. But enter the “new” terroir-based sparkles, and you can enjoy a “taste of place” as they vividly express the elements of the soil and region in which they’re grown.

Flavored Bubblies

These are definitely not your mama’s sparkling wines! Millennials want exciting, new experiences and this tasty option brings a bit of variety to those standard bubbles. Sparkling wine flavors range from citrus, apple, pear, and strawberry, to almond and vanilla. Or add some fruit and veggies of your own to create a one-of-a-kind sparkling wine.

Forget the Flute

Toss those fragile flutes and try sipping your bubbly from a tulip shaped wineglass. The wider bowl allows more room for the aromas to mingle, and that can create a surprisingly complex bouquet.

Whether you’re planning a dinner party, outdoor picnic, or girl’s night out, grab a trendy bottle of sparkling wine because there's no time like the present to enjoy a little bubbly.

~ Joy

Celebrating National Champagne Day and New Year's Eve

Let us raise a glass of Champagne this New Year’s Eve, not just to ring in the New Year, but to also celebrate National Champagne Day! It's the perfect time to pop that cork and enjoy a cascade of bubbles.

Drinking Champagne at celebrations began in the royal courts of Europe during the late 18^th Century. In fact, Champagne has always been viewed as a drink of the rich; a type of vino status symbol.

Although Dom Perignon is usually credited with the invention of Champagne (and “drinking the stars”), it wasn’t until the 19^th Century that the traditional method of riddling Champagne was discovered and used reliably.

This is also when the sweetness levels of wine began to be selected. Champagne went from doux (sweet), to demi-sec (half dry), to sec (dry). Extra sec (extra dry) describes a wine with even less sugar, and brute (extra brute) is made without sugar. Extra sec is the style that the majority of Champagne is crafted in.

Vines Destroyed by Phylloxera

During the 1860’s, the Great French Wine Blight occurred. Caused by an aphid from North America, the phylloxera epidemic ravaged vineyards throughout France; over 40% of the grape vines were destroyed within a 15-year period, from the late 1850’s to the mid 1870’s. Only after grafting aphid-resistant American grape vines onto the French vines was the devastation stopped.

Champagne, as we know it, came close to disappearing during the 20th Century. Two world wars almost destroyed the Champagne vineyards, and the Russian Revolution, Prohibition, and the Great Depression closed off two of the most lucrative markets for Champagne sales in the world. But the world rebounded in 1950, and sales of Champagne has risen steadily ever since.  

Today, over 250 million bottles of Champagne are produced in France each year. The British alone enjoy over 30 million bottles of Champagne – more than anyone else in the world.

And keep in mind, Champagne is only produced in the Champagne region of France, all other bubbly wines must go by the name “Sparkling Wine.”

We pour Champagne to commemorate everything, from the launch of a ship, to the joining of two lives in marriage. We use it to celebrate life events, religious occasions, and joyous celebrations. Champagne not only imparts a feeling of joyousness and wonder to an occasion, it’s also a symbol of our approval and admiration for what we are celebrating.

So this New Year’s Eve when you raise that glass of dancing bubbles to toast the New Year, remember the words of the Wine Avenger, Willie Gluckstern;

“In a perfect world, everyone would have a glass of Champagne every evening.”

Indeed!

Here's to a perfect New Year!

~ Joy

Ring in the New Year “Drinking the Stars”

Next Monday is New Year’s Eve.  It’s a time to look back fondly over the past year, and anticipate the coming of the new.  And what better way to mark the celebration than with the pop of the cork and a cascade of bubbles – a glass of Champagne in hand.

But why do we choose this bubbly wine for our special moments?  It seems that drinking Champagne at celebrations began in the royal courts of Europe during the late 18^th Century.  Champagne has always been viewed as a drink of the rich, a luxury, a status symbol.

In 987, when Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, he had the local wine served at the coronation banquets. This wine, made from Pinot Noir, was a pale pink without bubbles. But it began a local tradition of serving the Champagne region’s wines for celebrations. 

During the mid-17^th century, Charles de Saint Evremond decreed to serve only the wines of the Champagne region at his London parties and banquets.  His taste influenced some of the most fashionable men of London.  Soon, Champagne was being ordered from France and shipped throughout England.  It was during the shipping, that the wine could restart the fermentation process. If it did, when the wine was opened, it was bubbly.  The English loved it, and began seeking out those “sparkling Champagnes.”  But the French winemakers were at a loss on how to control the process of making the wine sparkle.

In 1715, Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, enjoyed a sparkling version of Champagne nightly. Paris’s fashionable society followed the Duke’s example and sought out the bubbly version of the wine, making it a favorite among the French nobility.  It was during the 18^th century that Champagne houses began to dominate over the vineyard owners.  The houses of Louis Roederer, Piper-Heidsieck, Taittinger and Moet & Chandon were founded during this time, creating a new type of business.  But at the end of the 18^th century, over 90% of the Champagne region’s wine production was still the non-sparkling wines.

Although Dom Perignon is usually credited with the invention of sparkling Champagne, it wasn’t until the 19^th Century that the methode champenoise, the traditional method of making Champagne, involving riddling, was used reliably.

It was also during this time that the sweetness level of the wine could be selected. Champagne went from doux or sweet, to demi-sec or half dry, to sec or dry.  Extra sec or extra dry described a wine with even less sugar, and brute or extra brute was made without sugar. Extra dry is now the style that the majority of Champagne is made in.

Then during the 1860’s, the Great French Wine Blight occurred. Caused by an aphid from North America, the phylloxera epidemic ravaged vineyards throughout France. Over 40% of grape vines were destroyed in a 15-year period, from the late 1850’s to the mid 1870’s.  Only after grafting the French vines with the aphid-resistant American grape vines, was the devastation stopped.

With the Twentieth Century came more misfortune, and could have brought about the demise of Champagne. Two world wars almost destroyed Champagne production; vineyards were devastated by war. The Russian Revolution, Prohibition, and the Great Depression closed two of the most lucrative markets for Champagne sales in the world.  But since 1950, sales of Champagne have risen steadily. 

Today, over 250 million bottles of Champagne are produced in France each year.  The British alone enjoy over 30 million bottles of Champagne – more than anyone else in the world.

Champagne is, indeed, a celebratory wine.  It is used to commemorate everything, from the launch of a ship, to the joining of two lives in marriage.  We use it to celebrate life events, religious occasions, and joyous celebrations.  Champagne not only imparts a feeling of joyousness and wonder to an occasion, it’s also a symbol of our approval and admiration for what we are celebrating.

So this New Year’s Eve, when you raise that glass of dancing bubbles to toast the New Year, remember the words of the Wine Avenger, Willie Gluckstern;

“In a perfect world, everyone would have a glass of Champagne every evening.”

Hmmm…..What an enjoyable resolution for 2013!

A safe and Happy New Year to you and yours!

~ Joy

The Wines of the Titanic

This Saturday, April 14^th will mark the 100^th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the largest vessel afloat in 1912. Registered under the British White Star Line, R.M.S. Titanic set sail from Southampton, England on April 10 with 2,207 passengers, including 885 crew members.  The ship struck an iceberg around 11:40 P.M. April 14^th and sank just before 2:30 AM, April 15^th in the North Atlantic.  Over 1,500 people were lost.  Only seven hundred people survived, mainly first class passengers.

The Titanic was launched in 1911, but a formal naming ceremony was never held.  Nor was she christened with a bottle of Champagne, although that was the wine of prevalent choice for passengers.  When the Titanic pulled out on her maiden voyage, she was carrying over 1,500 bottles of wine, 20,0000 Champagne glasses, 20,000 bottles of beer and stout, and over 850 bottles of liquor.

The White Star Line preferred to offer passengers white wines like Champagne and Moselle, wines that could be served chilled.  Red wines presented a problem since the vibration of the steam engines could dislodge sediment in the older wines and make them unappealing to guests.  According to a 1910 White Star Line Wine List for first class passengers, included on a trip were ten different Champagnes, along with Sauternes, Moselle, Claret, Port, Sherry, Burgundy, and Vermouth.  This is probably similar to the types of wine the Titanic was carrying.

The one wine we do know that was on board was   Heidsieck Gout Americain (Ameican Taste) Champagne.  The R.M.S. Titanic, Inc. salvaged unopened bottles of Heidsieck Champagne from the wreckage. Corks were also discovered in the wreckage from Moet Champagne.  Rumor has it that 6 bottles of the Titanic Champagne were sold to a private Asian buyer in 2004 at an undisclosed price. 

Interestingly enough, this is the same Champagne that was on board the Swedish ship, Jonkoping, when she sank in 1916.  Unopened bottles were discovered in the wreckage, off the coast of Finland, in 1997.  When bottles of this rare Champagne were opened, tasters said that the sweet flavors of the wine took time to develop in the mouth, but the light-bodied wine had a nice, mellow character.  One bottle sold for almost $300,000.

Last month, a Nova Scotia resident reported that she has a bottle of wine that supposedly came from the Titanic.  Betty Thomas of Halifax told reporters that the bottle of Jeanne d’Arc Vin Mousseux, Cuvee Reserve, was rescued by one of her ancestors, floating in the wreckage from the Titanic.  Although this wine was never shown on wine lists for the ship, it could have come from a passenger’s luggage.

Wine was served with each course of the first class passenger’s ten-course banquet dinner that fateful night and included Champagne, white wines, red wines, Madeira, and Cognac.  Most of the wines served were European.

What follows is the first-class menu as served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912:

First Course: Hors D'Oeuvres or Oysters

Second Course: Consommé Olga or Cream of Barley Soup

Third Course: Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce and Cucumbers

Fourth Course:   Filet Mignons Lilly, Sauté of Chicken Lyonnaise, or Vegetable Marrow Farci

Fifth Course: Lamb with mint sauce, Roast Duckling with apple sauce, or Sirloin of Beef; green peas, creamed carrots, boiled rice and Parementier & boiled new                                              potatoes.

Sixth Course:        Punch Romaine

Seventh Course:    Roast squab and cress.

Eighth Course:      Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Ninth Course:       Pate de Foie Gras, celery.

Tenth Course:      Waldorf pudding, Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly, Chocolate and Vanilla Éclairs, and French ice cream.

Actual wine bottles from the ship, along with other items are being auctioned today in Manhattan by Guernsey’s Auctioneers & Brokers. 

Over 5,000 salvaged items are to be sold as one lot. The artifacts are owned by the American company, RMS Titanic, Inc., which has the salvaging rights to the site.  The collection was appraised in 2007 at $189-million.

Other items included in the auction are a bronze cherub that once adorned the Grand Staircase, table settings, jewelry and watches, clothing, and money.

The items cannot be sold individually by order of the court.  The court issued 19 pages of rules the buyer must agree to before the collection can change hands.  The buyer must also agree to properly maintain the collection and keep a portion of the artifacts on display for public viewing.  The final sale is subject to court approval.

So tonight, I believe I will pour a glass of Champagne and toast the memory of the Titanic, her passengers and crew.  After one hundred years, we are still captivated by this ship.

~ Joy