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The Basics of Bubbly
By Bev Bennett
Bridal Guide
From the gentle sigh as you pull out the cork to the tickle at the back of
your throat as you sip, sparkling wine is an exquisitely romantic drink.
No wonder this effervescent bit of heaven is an essential part of so many wedding festivities. But
if you find sparking wine intimidating – perhaps because you attach so much importance to it – here's help in demystifying the bubbly.
Knowing your taste preferences will
help you make a selection. Sparkling wines range from sweet to very dry. Extra-brut is very dry; brut is dry; extra-dry is slightly sweet and demi-sec is a sweet sparkling wine.
Most experts recommend a brut sparkling wine because it goes with everything, and is usually a better-made wine than the semi-dry. Sparkling wines that sell for more than
$12 a bottle are usually brut, according to Eileen Crane, president and winemaker for Domaine Carneros in Napa, Calif.
You also may wonder whether you should buy imported
French Champagne or one of the many excellent brands made in the United States. That choice also depends on your taste.
"If you like toasty and yeasty, it's French; if you
like something light and bubbly, it's California," says Gary Heck, president of Korbel Champagne Cellars in Western Sonoma County.
Although sparkling wines seem expensive
at $10 to $25 a bottle, depending on the brand and style, the versatility of the product can ultimately make it a bargain.
"You can get away with serving only sparkling
wine for a wedding reception, so you don't need extra glasses for various mixed drinks," says Crane, who oversees production of the elegant Domaine Carneros sparkling wines.
"And you can have a sparkling wine bar so you don't have to worry about stocking whiskey, scotch and other distilled spirits," she says.
Crane recommends kir royale
instead of cocktails, or to accommodate guests who don't enjoy very dry sparkling wine. To make a kir royale, pour a teaspoon of cassis syrup or crème de cassis into a glass and
top with 4 ounces of chilled sparkling wine.
If you're reserving sparkling wine for the toasts, gather everyone for the ritual at the start of the reception, not during the
cake cutting, when everyone has already been drinking.
"The toast serves as an official welcome and gets people in the mood," Crane says. §
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