Yummy Sparkling Wines at Various Prices

People say that sparkling wines are among the most versatile wines. They pair perfectly with basically any food, from delicate and gossamer smoked salmon slices to rich and saucy BBQ. I'll take any excuse to drink sparkling wine, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on its own. In fact, I feel more civilized when I have a glass of good Champagne before dinner.

But I can't afford to drink Champagne every time I want it. Sometimes I want to spend only a coupla bucks, but I want to drink good bubbly. Can that be done? Claro que si, bien sur, konyeshna, and of course. Good bargain bubbly is the subject of much writing, such as this recent piece by the good Dr. Vino.

So where should you look for good inexpensive sparkling wine? I like the French stuff. Yes, Champagne can be an expensive habit, but Champagne is not the only game in France. Many Loire Valley producers make excellent sparkling wine. One of my favorites is Chateau de Hureau's Saumur Brut, a delicious $10 bottle. Cremant de Bourgogne, the sparkling wine of Burgundy, is almost always a good bet, and you don't have to spend more than $10-15 a bottle. And if those don't work for you, how about an effervescent and crisp Vinho Verde from Portugal?

Here are a few more inexpensive sparkling wines I've been enjoying lately:

NV Charles de Fere Blanc de Blanc Reserve, $8 (Astor Wine and Spirits). Made from a blend of Chardonnay (some of the grapes actually do come from vineyards in Champagne, but not all) and Chenin Blanc, this is medium to light bodied and citrusy - refreshing stuff. It has a little more sweetness than I would ideally like, but certainly not too much. It goes great with food and it's less than 10 bucks!

2006 Espiral Vinho Verde, $4 (Trader Joes). That's right, $4!!! This Portuguese wine is more effervescent than sparkling. It's light and crisp and it goes great with seafood or summer salads. And yes, it's perfectly good on its own.

What if you're willing to spend more than $10, but not that much more?

2005 Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede Brut, $15 (Chambers Street Wines).
Yup, this is the same wine that Dr. Vino wrote about. Here is the Wine Doctor's producer profile that among other things, explains that this wine is actually 85% Prosecco and there is Pinot Bianco and Verdiso in there too. Maybe its the Verdiso that makes it soooo good.

And what if you feel like splurging for a bottle of the real stuff - Champagne? Are you ready to put down almost 40 clams for a wonderful bottle of bubbly? If you are, but you don't want the typical Veuve Cliquot/Perrier-Jouet/Taittinger/Duval-Leroy, how about grower Champagne? I like to stick with the smaller houses, myself. I cannot offer the level of detail that Monsieur McDuff did in this grower Champagne post, but here are two wines that I love along with some tasting notes:

NV Jean Lallement Champagne Brut Grand Cru, $36 (Chambers Street Wines).
This non vintage (NV) Champagne is made mostly from Pinot Noir. It is a medium bodied and fleshy style with clean ripe berry-like Pinot fruit and some yeast on the nose, flowers later on. There is a vivid palate of green apple and citrus with nice toast and a pleasant yeastiness, and a chalky minerality to the finish. This is just excellent wine, and worth the $$.

NV Margaine Champagne Demi sec Traditionelle, $34 (Chambers Street Wines).
I know - who buys demi sec Champagne? Most of us stick with Brut, a dry style, not the driest, but dry. Demi sec - isn't that kind of sweet? Yes, but if well made, the sweetness blends harmoniously with the other elements of the wine, and only adds complexity. This wine has bright aromas of citrus and yeast, some white chocolate comes though with air time. Well balanced with vanilla sweetness and floral flavors, all hanging on a backbone of tense acidity. Well done in that the wine is sweet but not at all cloying, in fact the sweet thing is almost in the background. This is a great aperitif wine (probably why I like it so much) but you could serve it with dessert and people will think you're some sort of wine God.

Happy bubbles!

The Beaujolais Challenge - Cote-de-Brouilly

Cote-de-Brouilly (Brew-yee) is one of the smaller Beaujolais Crus, high up in the hills of Brouilly. According to the Oxford Companion to Wine, many of the vineyards flank Mont Brouilly, a dormant volcano. Volcanos usually mean very fertile soils, if you know what I mean (wink-wink).

You know I was thinking the other night that there might not be too much point in over-thinking Beaujolais. The wines are delicious and easy to drink, low in alcohol, and they're a great combination of fruity, snappy acidity, and refreshment. They go great with food but are also light enough to be enjoyed on their own. Yes, it would definitely be interesting to lineup a few examples of wine from each of the Crus and taste them side by side in order to learn about their individual terroir...but why go through the effort? I would happily do that with any wines from anywhere, and it would probably be more rewarding with red Burgundies, for example.

Beaujolais is meant for drinking and enjoyment, not for contemplation. Yes, there are a few Crus that age well, according to some folks, although those folks go on to say that the wines take on a Pinot-like character. If I wanted that I would open a Pinot. What about when I want a delicious accompaniment to my meal for about $15?

So that, as simple as it may be, is my main realization so far with Beaujolais. Sometimes I get carried away by the compartmentalization of things. Each Cru is a different thing and the wines must be different, I reason. And they probably are. But that doesn't necessarily mean that things must be taken so seriously, especially in the case of Beaujolais. Go ahead if you want to, but I'm going to drink and enjoy mine.

In that spirit, I opened a bottle of Cote-de-Brouilly with spicy tofu and scallions, and baby bok choy the other night. I gave it about 20 minutes in the fridge first and the wine was nicely chilled, but not at all cold. I like Beaujolais with spicy food - it resembles a nice lager in that way, to me. Goes down easily, puts out the fire, refreshes the palate.

2005 Domaine de la Voute des Crozes (Nicole Chanrion) Cote-de-Brouilly, $18 (Chambers Street Wines). Lovely rose petal with some purple. Nose of strawberries and wet rust that follows up on the palate, with some floral smells coming through the next day. This wine was great with our spicy dinner and lovely to sip on its own the next day. But in the context of the past few bottles, both the Chiroubles at $16 and even the Regnie at $20 are a better value in my opinion. They offered a more rewarding contrast between silky texture and aroma, and back-slappin' grapes and red berries.

One of the Best Blogs You're Probably not Reading!

The esteemed Dr. Vino, aka Tyler Coleman, included this blog in his list of the "5 Best Wine Blogs You're Probably not Reading" in the 25th Anniversary issue of Wine & Spirits magazine, the current issue.

This is quite an honor, especially coming from the good Dr. - a seasoned and respected blogger and wine person. Thanks Doc!!! And if you've come by to check it out based on Tyler's advice in Wine & Spirits, welcome to you.

Only thing is, Tyler said that my wine picks are "somewhat esoteric." Is that true? I guess I tend to focus on 3 regions: Burgundy, the Loire Valley, and Oregon. Are my picks esoteric within those regions? If they are, should I take it mainstream? I don't even know how I would do that. I write about the wines I love to drink.

Believe me, when I see Dr. Vino tonight at his meetup at the Stonehome Wine Bar in Fort Greene I'm gonna grill him good about that "esoteric" comment. I wonder if he'll think it "esoteric" if I were to step on his foot, or kick him in the shin by mistake?

Seriously, I'm curious to know - to those of you who have been reading this blog, are my wine picks too esoteric? Let me know your opinion by taking the poll on the left column under the Beaujolais map.

A Fantastic 2005 Bourgogne

2005 Burgundy is nuts. Prices for the top bottles are truly insane, and you're going to spend $50 just for village level wine from the Cote de Nuits. I've basically accepted the fact that the bulk of my 05 Burgundy will be from the Cote de Beaune. Even there, Volnay and Pommard from Voillot, Marechal, and others costs about $50. And that is not 1er Cru folks, we're talking about humble village wine.

I refuse to sit this out though, this 05 Burgundy craze. I will not go quietly into the night, as Bill Pullman said in the movie Independence Day. I want my share of "vintage of the century" wine, "the benchmark for a generation" wine. But I don't have 50 clams to spend on wine unless I already know I love it, and even then I don't really have the $. But I want to get a couple of good bottles. How to know which ones?

I'm going to read a load of tasting notes, sure, and have faith in a producer's reputation, but my main plan is to taste Bourgogne wines from producers I'm interested in. If I like them, maybe I'll spring for the more expensive stuff. Foolproof strategy? Nope. Liking a Bourgogne does not necessarily mean that you will like the same winemaker's Gevrey-Chambertin or the Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques. Different vinification and different grapes (although grapes used for Bourgogne can legally come from village or 1er Cru vineyards - discretion of the producer). Best strategy I've got though.

Following this plan, the other night I tasted an 05 Bourgogne by Domaine Lignier-Michelot, a producer based in Morey St Denis in the Cote de Nuits. It absolutely blew me away - I would happily buy a half case of this wine and drink it over the next two or three years. Made me quite curious about this producer's village and 1er Cru wines...but this wine stands on its own. Honestly, if you see this wine and you're interested in dipping a toe into the 05 Burgundy pool, you should just buy a few bottles.

Since there are several Ligniers out there making red wine in Burgundy, here is Lignier-Michelot's label, albeit from a different wine, but it's the same yellow label and red text that you're looking for.

2005 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne, $24 (Chambers Street Wines). Beautiful blood red color. Hit full stride after 30 minutes in the glass, with aromas of fresh red cherries and baking spices. Lush and full on the palate with juicy deep red and black fruit and nice acidity, all wrapped around an earthy mineral core. This is indulgent wine, pure pleasure, and an entirely different style from the leaner and more underbrushy (is that a word?) Pernot and Lafouge wines I have been drinking lately. More dense and fruit driven, but still complex and spicy. A great value at under $25.

Now, should I buy their Morey St Denis Vieille Vignes for about $50, and tuck it away for a few years until some special meal warrants it? Tough call. One thing I am certain of: I will, sadly, not be able to spring for a bottle of Lignier-Michelot's top wine, the Grand Cru Clos de la Roche, at about $175. Maybe another taste of the Bourgogne is in order.

The Beaujolais Challenge - Regnie

Look for yourself - do a search using "Regnie" as the keyword, try "Regnie Wine," "Beaujolais Regnie," whatever you like. There isn't much out there that I could find. Here is what we know: Regnie is the most recent addition to the group of Cru Beaujolais appellations, gaining its status in 1988. Regnie is sandwiched between Morgon to the north and Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly to the south, and its vineyards are high in the hills surrounding Regnie-Durette church. I am guessing that this is a lovely spot, and BrooklynLady is already lobbying me to go there with her one day.

Why is there so little to read about Regnie, or Chiroubles, or Saint Amour for that matter? Are Morgon, Julienas, Fleurie, and Moulin-a-Vent so much more impressive? Is there a place where people know and love little Regnie? I bet there is, and probably not just the cafes of nearby Macon, or Paris. Not sure where else, but there is now an apartment in Brooklyn where people love Regnie.

BrooklynLady and I made a yummy weekend lunch of poached eggs served on top of arugula and cherry tomatoes (thanks to Maxwell's farm) with a little finely grated Parmesan and some crusty bread. I was thinking of a Gruner Veltliner, as its lithe body and peppery flavors might go nicely with the arugula. But then I remembered that it was almost Sunday and I had not yet opened the Cru Beaujolais of the week. Oh, the things we do in the name of blogging, eh?

2006 Georges Descombes Regnie, $20 (Chambers Street Wines).
Transparent violet purple color with immediate fresh sweet raspberry smells. There are also interesting tomato leaf and potting soil smells darting in and out, along with some dark flowers and a dried banana smell that I am starting to recognize as classic Beaujolais, probably a result of carbonic maceration. This wine is all fresh fruit on the palate, and a little spicy. It's light textured and elegant, the most pretty of the Beaujolais wines I have tasted in recent memory.

Georges Descombes makes wine without sulphur or filtration and is known for Morgon. This is the first year that he bottled a Regnie and it is released earlier than the Morgon, made for early drinking.

The wine went perfectly with our lunch. As it warmed a bit from cellar temperature the floral smells became more prominent and the juiciness of the raspberries was more pronounced. There was also a fresh grapey-ness, for lack of a better word. I will confess, we drank the whole bottle and it was barely 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon. Just impossible to stop, the wine was so pretty, and it was beautiful outside on the deck. Thank goodness the wine was not more than 13% alcohol, although we did need a nap before dinner.

Okay, so what about the $20 price tag? In my view this is easily worth $20 - it is beautiful and serious wine, the finest Beaujolais I've had in this exercise without question. Better than the Desvignes Morgon Javernieres? The Tete Julienas Cuvee Prestige? I didn't taste them head-to-head so it's hard to say, and clearly we will need to have a Big Blind Beaujolais Tasting...

Brooklyn Meet-up with Dr. Vino !!!

Calling all NYC area wine folk-----Dr. Vino's latest meet-up is next Thursday July 26th, and it's gonna be right here in Brooklyn! I haven't yet made it to Stonehome so I am excited to check it out. Also, I can tell you from experience that Dr. Vino is a righteous dude, so go if for no other reason then simply to bask in the glow of his presence.

Did You See That?

In Did You See That? I try to highlight a few posts that moved me for some reason, because I want to share them with you. It's sort of like when you were in college and you went to a friend's house and they made you listen to their new tunes. Just think of it as 1991 on my somewhat ratty couch drinking a beer, and I'm making you to listen to Pavement's Perfect Sound Forever, or something. And you like it because it totally rocks!


Dan Berger, an Editor-at-large at Appellation America wrote an interesting piece recently called Is Pinot Dead? Clearly his arguments must be taken with a dash of salt, as he has California leanings. Even so, he asks good questions about Burgundy price and quality and compares this with price and quality in the Russian River Valley. Sadly he does not offer specific comparisons (as is noted by one somewhat agitated commenter), but that is almost beside the point. Have things gone too far in Burgundy? Is it reasonable for a top Grand Cru wine to sell for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, and for that wine to be snapped up in its entirety by the industry and several filthy rich buyers? Can us normal folk like us ever hope to actually taste a Mugnier Musigny, or are we relegated to village wines and the occasional 1er Cru? Berger recommends looking to the Russian River Valley as an alternative to playing the Burgundy game, and he makes an interesting, if not water-tight case. I re-read the post a few times because it made me think about wine buying strategy in general. See what you think...

On a more romantic note, check out this lovely post on Lenndevours by Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner. I admire the way Lenn consistently reaches out to people and enlists them in his work, using his position as a highly read and respected blogger to showcase other people's talents. Some people hold on tight when they have that type of power, like Michael Jackson or Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, for example. But not Lenn. He shares the wealth and uses his site to promote other folks. He's got a wine poet, beer podcaster, a photographer, a new website devoted to Wine Blogging Wednesday, and he has a Finger Lakes Correspondent who wrote this piece. It describes a farmer who makes tiny quantities of wine for his own personal pleasure, using old equipment and even older family techniques from back in Italy. If you missed this, take a peek - it will brighten up your day and remind you of the romance of wine.

Finally, there is this provocative piece by Dr. Debs from Good Wine Under $20. Debs laments the lack of women (people of color too, and men without ties) at Wine Spadvocator. Her post generated over 20 c0mments, including a response from an editor at Wine Spadvocator. I highlight this piece because I think it's great that Debs raised the question regarding women working at the Spad. It is not easy to raise this kind of question, as it can trigger an emotional response from people and things can get out of hand. Everything Debs wrote and all of the comments too seem to be thoughtful and well considered.

I cannot resist adding my .02 cents though: I think the piece does more than simply raise a question, it makes a claim that cannot be supported.

Debs never outrightly calls Spadvocator a sexist organization, but it is clear from the piece that she feels that the Spad is ignoring or discriminating against the female gender as potential hires. I disagree with the logic that says if there are no women (or Latinos, Jews, people over 65, people in wheelchairs, and so on) in prominent positions at Wine Spadvocator, then the Spad must be discriminating against women.

I am wary of jumping to conclusions like that because it's just too simple. We don't know how and why Spad hires writers, what their applicant pool looks like, and what work is required in order to get promotions, etc. The sexism claim is possible, but it is one of a dozen factors that might or might not explain the situation. Is it possible that the Spad is purposefully discriminating against women in hiring and promotional practices? Yes. Whether or not it is true cannot be gleaned from the arguments my pal Debs presents in her piece.

Read the thought provoking piece and the comments and see what you think...