By: Laurie Wallin
Capital Cooking Contributor
The holidays are a time for
celebrating, and what says celebration more than a nice glass of bubbly?
However, there are a number of options out there, and it can get confusing.
Certified Sommelier Giuseppe (Joe) Ricciardi of Dolce Vita restaurant and Dolce
Veloce wine bar in Fairfax, VA, lent his expertise to provide Capital Cooking
with some tips on choosing the right bubbly that fits your taste buds and your
budget.
There are several ways in which
sparkling wines are made. The first is Methode
Champenoise, where the second fermentation of the wine occurs in the
bottle. Another is the Charmat/Martinotti
process, where the sparkling wine’s second formation occurs in large, stainless
steel tanks. In addition, some sparkling wine is simply made by adding carbon
dioxide to the bottle of wine. As you can imagine, the final method is the most
cost-effective, but also produces a lesser-quality sparkling wine.
There are
also a number of specific sparkling wines. Prosecco is mostly made from Glera
grapes – grapes which have been in existence since the Roman times.
Franciacorta is a sparkling wine made in the Lombardi region of Italy using the
Champenoise method, using Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay grapes. If
you see the term “Blanc de Blanc,” that means the wine is exclusively
Chardonnay grapes. Champagne, of the famous French region of Champagne, is a
sparkling wine made of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay Grapes. In
addition to the Blanc de Blanc term also associated with Champagne, the use of
the term “Rose” refers to the use of Pinot Noir grapes. Cava is produced in
Cataluna, Spain, and is an excellent alternative to Champagne – this sparkling
wine is made with Macabeu, Parillada, and Xarel grapes.
While having the opportunity to
try several sparkling wines, I asked Joe what the
most important things a consumer should look for in a sparkling wine. His response?
Clarity, consistency, and color. The clarity of the sparkling wine should be
crystal clear – anything less suggests a lesser-quality wine. For consistency,
the bubbles should be on the small side (the smaller, the better) and their
persistence and consistency as they rise in the glass signals a good quality
sparkler. Lastly, color – the wine ideally would be a faint yellow, the color
of straw – a darker color could signal an aging or bad wine, and a lighter
color could be due to the blend of grapes used.
In addition, I asked Joe for some
recommendations on his favorite sparklers for the holidays. He steered me to
the Mille Millesimato Prosecco. This prosecco had a smooth, crisp flavor, and
at a price point of around $20, can’t be beat. Joe recommends paring this wine
with soft cheeses, lobster, tuna carpaccio, and shellfish.
For those looking for something a
bit more indulgent, Joe highly recommends the Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvee
Brut. Out of the Franciacorta region of Italy, the Bellavista vineyard
showcases the best of the Franciacorta region.
The wonderful thing about sparkling
fine is that there’s bound to be a bottle that will be a perfect fit for your
occasion, palette, and price range. These wines, among others, can be found (and
purchased) at Dolce Veloce (http://www.dolceveloce.com/).
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