By Steve Hicks
This will be my sixth Holiday champagne column and I still like Art Buchwald’s quote from my original article. He said he “drank champagne, because it always tastes like my foot is asleep.” I also referred to the originator of champagne as the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon. Back in the 17th century, winemakers always had trouble with secondary fermentation (they still do) that would either blow up the bottle or expel the cork. Dom liked the re-fermented taste and started using stronger bottles and wires to hold the corks in. His efforts still warrant the world’s most famous champagne to be named after him, Moet’s Dom Perignon.
I came across a recent paper, presented in October in Rome, questioning Dom’s being the champagne creator. Mario Fregoni, an Italian viticultural professor, found Vatican records that lead one to believe that Montepulciano was the birthplace of sparkling wine. He claims a Jesuit, Rudolfo Acquavita, described the method and called it the “wine for politicians.” He also has records describing a spumante (Italian sparkling wine) from Montepulciano that was served to Caesar and Cleopatra. I think if we wait a few years, we may find that the Portuguese actually made the first sparkling wine and called it Lancers!
There are so many champagnes (French) and sparkling (everything else) wines to try that I again used the Internet and accessed the “Wine Spectator’s” vast tasting and scoring notes to make my selections. I chose eight high scoring, recently released wines that could be bought in Los Altos or Mountain View. The scores ranged from 88 to 93 and it didn’t matter if they were rosés, bruts or blanc de blancs. The prices ranged from $15.99 to $36.99.
The Hicks and Smith families tasted them blind from brown bags. The first three were very close but the winner was Laurent Perrier Non Vintage (NV) Brut that sells for $29.99. We all liked its creamy texture and its refined finish. A very close second was a 1998 Brut from Taittinger’s California winery Domaine Caneros.
This was an easy to drink, pleasing, user-friendly wine that was purchased at Draegers for a reasonable $18.99. Prior to Y2K, this wine was selling in the mid $20s! Always a favorite of mine is the Reserve Brut from Chandon, crisp and clean with good citrus flavors, another bargain for $19.99 at Beverages & More.
The rosés, the 1997 from Schramsberg for $30.99 and the $24.99 Roederer NV, were both fruity and well balanced with some yeast on the palate.
Both of these classy sparklers were purchased at Draegers. Gloria Ferrer’s Royal Cuvee from Caneros at $19.99 was a little acidic for me, but still very drinkable. I liked the less expensive Gloria Ferrer Blanc Noir better than the Royal Cuvee. A little bitter on the finish, but a good buy for $15.99 at Safeway.
Last was the Wine Spectator’s highest scoring wine of the group. Maison Deutz Brut Classic priced at $36.99 at Safeway was also the most expensive. It was almost unanimously last. This champagne had excessive heavy toast flavors that overwhelmed everything else that might have been in the bottle.
A good gift item for the wine and history buff is “Wine and War” by Don and Petie Kladstrup. The book traces the activities of five French wine families during World War II.
It makes for fast reading as you follow the efforts of the families to trick the Germans. The idea was to hide the good stuff and send the lesser wine to Germany.
The Germans in return sent “Weinfuhrers” to the various regions to control the quality and flow of wine and the game was on!
Steve Hicks is currently a wine advisor and consultant. He is a partner in a winery and has owned a wine shop. He is active in local, national and international food and wine societies. You can reach him at: shicksvine@aol.com
