WINE / SPARKLING WINES

UNDERSTAND THE WINE

Knowing these words will help you understand the wine being described:

Flavor intensity: How strong or weak a wine's flavors are Fruity: A wine whose aromas and flavors suggest fruit; doesn't imply sweetness Oaky: A wine that has oak flavors (smoky, toasty) Soft: A wine that has a smooth rather than crisp mouthfeel Tannic: A red wine that is firm and leaves the mouth feeling dry Aroma or bouquet: The smell of a wine — bouquet applies particularly to the aroma of older

wine Body: The apparent weight of a wine in your mouth (light, medium, or full) Crisp: A wine with refreshing acidity Dry: Not sweet Finish: The impression a wine leaves as you swallow it

CEPAS CHARACTERISTICS

SPARKLING WINES

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from:

a) natural fermentation either in a bottle, (method Champenoise) in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved (as in the Charmat process),

b) or as a result of carbon dioxide injection.

Brut is the most common style of Sparkling Wine, it refers to the sweetness or amount of sugar in the wine. Brut is "dry" which means there is no perception or taste of sweetness technically meaning it contains less than 12 to 15 grams of sugar per liter.

So when you refer to a "style of wine" ..... on the drier said you have Brut, Extra Brut, Brut Zero (least amount of sugar) .... on the sweeter side you have from Brut onwards .... Extra Sec, Sec, Demi Sec, Doux (sweetest).

Deciphering labels

Brut: The most common style of Champagne and sparkling wines, and also the driest, although some with terms such as "Extra Brut" can be even drier.

Extra Dry: In the twisted lexicon of wine terms, these words, on a Champagne label, actually mean the wine is slightly sweeter than Brut. Go figure.

Demi-sec, Doux: Sweeter styles of Champagne.

Prosecco, Spumante, Asti Spumante: Italian sparklers; the spumantes are usually sweeter in style.

Blanc de Blancs: A sparkler made exclusively from white grapes, usually chardonnay. Usually lighter in body.

Blanc de Noirs: Made from red-wine grapes such as pinot noir and pinot meunier, though the skins are removed quickly so the wine remains white. Tend to be richer and more full-bodied.

Méthode Champenoise: This designation means the secondary fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) takes place in the bottle, not a giant holding tank.

Below are a few more bubbly label basics that readers may find helpful:

Champagne is always sparkling wine but sparkling wine isn’t always Champagne. Only sparkling wines made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of northeastern France that adhere to rules requiring secondary fermentation in the bottle can be labeled ‘Champagne.’

Champagne is almost always produced using one (or more) of three permitted grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

In Italy, the term Spumante (which means ‘foaming’) is used for sparkling wines, as is Prosecco and Franciacorta depending on region and/or grape varieties used.

Cava is Spanish sparkling wine made in the same way as Champagne. Arguably some of the best values in sparkling wine today.

In Germany the term Sekt is used for sparkling wine.

Blanc de Blanc — French for white from white. Made entirely from Chardonnay grapes.

Blanc de Noir — French for white from black. Made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a blend of the two.

NV — Non-Vintage. Meaning the bottle of sparkling wine is a blend of juice from more than one vintage (year).

PARING FOOD AND WINE

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