SPARKLING WINES

When selecting a bottle of the bubbly, don't be overwhelmed by the choices. The different types reflect the land, climate, and method by which the wines are made. Here are some tips to help you choose and serve sparkling wines with panache.

 

The Basics

• All wines with bubbles are called sparkling, but the most popular is champagne. Other effervescent wines include cold duck, sparkling burgundy, and sparkling rosé. There are even some nonalcoholic sparkling wines available.
• Bubbles are what make the flavors of sparkling wines assertive, intensifying both the sweet and alcohol flavors. Smaller bubbles, found in better champagnes, live longer than larger ones, extending the pleasure derived from each glassful.
• Champagne is labeled by its level of sweetness. Brut is the driest champagne; extra-dry is slightly sweeter than brut, but still fairly dry. Sec or dry is of medium sweetness, and demi-sec is quite sweet. 

Pairing Sparkling Wines with Food

 Sparkling wines can be served before, during, or after a meal. Usually not as lean and sophisticated in taste as champagne, the softer sparkling wines are more versatile with food. In most instances, a sparkling wine can be substituted for a white wine.

• Since the delicacy of most bottles of bubbly can be overpowered by foods with sharp flavors, and sweeter bottlings make most foods taste sweet, serve a brut sparkler with hors d'oeuvres.
• With more acidic or spicy dishes, an extra-dry or demi-sec champagne with a hint of sweetness is ideal.

How Much to Buy

A 750-milliliter bottle of sparkling wine provides 6 generous glassfuls. If you're serving sparkling wine at a pre-dinner party, you'll want at least 1 bottle for every 3 or 4 guests. At a cocktail party with 6 guests, allow 2 or 3 bottles. For 24 guests, chill 8 to 12 bottles, and for 45 guests, try for 15 to 22 bottles.

Serving Sparkling Wines

 

• Sparkling wines must be cold for the bubbles to be at their best. Chill bottles in your refrigerator for 3 hours or place bottles in a bucket, tub, or sink filled with ice and water for 30 minutes.
• Narrow crystal flutes or tulip glasses are the glasses of choice for serving sparkling wines because they help conserve the bubbles. Their slender openings limit the exposed surface area, which helps keep the wine's bubbles lively longer. And, should your elbow be bumped during a party, sparkling wine in the proper glass is less likely to splash out.
• To open a bottle of sparkling wine, remove the foil from the wire cage that wraps the cork. Twist the tab to loosen the wire cage, and hold down the cork with a cloth napkin or kitchen towel. Tilt the bottle away from you at a 45-degree angle to allow space for expansion of the bubbles. Then, with the cloth over the top of the bottle, grasp the cork with one hand and gently twist the bottle with the other. Let the pressure in the bottle gently force out the cork. (The cork should ease out of the bottle with a whisper, never a pop!) The napkin will catch any bits of foam. Remember, always keep hold of the cork, never point the bottle at anyone, and never set a half-opened bottle aside to explode later.
• When pouring sparkling wine, pour slowly into a flute and fill it
  almost to the top.