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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 16, 2004 Off The Vine Sparkling wine for the holidays Lorn Razzano With the holiday season just a skip away, sparkling wines are going to be all the rage. These offerings are clean, fresh and palate cleaning with almost every kind of cuisine. Years ago it was thought that Champagne was simply for toasting or for after dinner treats. Over the last 20 years we have found that the combination of sparkling pinot noir and/or chardonnay makes a wonderful companion to a variety of fare from just about every ethnic kitchen as well as traditional or classic American holiday tables. Let's look at a few affordable as well as expensive sparklers: o Chandon - There are two offerings from this mighty French Champagne house in the north of France. I worked, as a young guy, at a small House in Champagne, which allowed me to roam the Champagne district at will. Being a winery worker I was able to go to different properties and taste, at no charge, the great variety of Champagne throughout the districts. Moet-Chandon was a special occasion. "Brut" is the more common designation for sparkling wines which indicates that the wine is dry. Moet Chandon as well as the second offering, California Chandon sparklers with the term "Brut" on the label, are both quite lovely and clean. Dom Perignon is the flagship of the Moet team and is quite stunning and, of course, quite expensive. o Joseph Perrier - The name "Perrier" is common enough to be seen on bottled water as well as Laurent Perrier, and Perrier Jouet for Champagne. Both are excellent choices, the Joseph Perrier being the more austere and tight of the two and the Laurent Perrier showing more fruit and creamy textures in the finish. We see Perrier Jouet in a variety of packages and levels including the famous "flower bottle" with the copper top. These are nice choices and worth the $50 for the holidays. o Proseco - I think this level of sparkling wine, from the Veneto area of Italy, offers lovely flavors, years of history and elegant, clean flavors. At less than half the price of French offerings and above many of the hum drum Cava of Spain, Proseco can be an exciting alternative to large bucks and big names. Most Proseco are dry, firm and rich in the finish which go well with a tremendous array of food choices and preparations. In Italy, Proseco is seen on a daily basis throughout the year at lunch as well as dinner. Proseco are very real bargains. o Cava-Spain - Spain is becoming the monster exporter of sparkling wines. The Spanish trade commission is doing a great job at flooding the market on ship loads of average sparking wine. Sadly, not all of the sparkling wines are of good to great quality, although the higher priced sparklers, starting at the twelve-dollar mark can be quite good. Some of the lower priced wines can be harsh and somewhat bitter. Stick with the more expensive items and you will do much better. The holiday times are a good time to splurge, why not with a good glass of bubbles? See you next time! Lorn Razzano is a commercial wine and spirits judge and is a co-founder of KSOR wine tasting. He was on winery staffs of various Italian and French wineries in the 1970s and has owned Ashland Wine Cellar since 1980. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams