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SPARKLING WINE PRIMER

• Sparkling wines are made by adding sugar and yeast to a still (non-sparkling) wine and then sealing the wine in a tank or bottle. The fermentation that occurs creates carbon dioxide gas that remains trapped in the sealed bottle.
• All wines that contain bubbles are considered sparkling wines regardless of quality or provenance. Those sparkling wines that come from the Champagne region in France are technically the only ones with the right to that name.
• A bottle of sparkling wine holds 25 ounces and yields four to six servings.
• The term brut refers to the driest (least sweet) wines while extra dry wines will have some sweetness.
• Serve sparkling wines chilled but not too cold (about 45 degrees). Like any wine, freezing can kill flavor.
• You may be surprised at how well sparkling wines pair with food. Match them with salty foods, cheeses, poultry, fish, even pork and veal. Rosés work very well with salmon, ham and red meat. Unless the wine is quite sweet, steer away from serving sparkling wines with dessert.
• Flutes are fine for good sparkling wines, but try drinking the really good stuff from a large pinot noir style glass. You’ll be amazed at the difference. No need to swirl the glass.
• Don’t chill the glassware — the condensation created will kill the bubbles.
• If you’re going to mix a cocktail, don’t use your best bubbles. The nuances that make Dom Perignon Dom Perignon will be lost.
• Blanc de blanc means the wine was made from all white grapes; the wine likely will be lighter and more elegant than a blanc de noir, which was made from all black or red grapes.
• For leftovers, buy one of those sparkling wine bottle stoppers at a wine shop. It will prevent the carbon dioxide from escaping the bottle. The wine, however, will remain sound for only a few days at most. Flat sparkling wines are great to cook with.
• Store sparkling wines as you would any wine, on its side in a consistently cool dark place. The better sparkling wines will improve with age but most need to be drunk within a year or so from purchase.
• Buy now. Up to a third of all sparkling wines are sold in November and December so this is when the best deals are to be had. Buy by the case and get an even better deal.