Are any of these available locally?
Champagne: Get the good stuff
By Dave McIntyre, Tuesday, December 18, 12:54 PM
A vintner recently asked me to name my favorite wine. It.s a common question, since I write about wine, and I usually demur with some bromide about choosing a favorite child, or I go for a laugh with .Whatever you.re pouring!. But this time, overcome by an uncharacteristic honesty, I confided that if I had to choose one type of wine to drink for the rest of my life, it would be champagne.
My host seemed surprised and disappointed, and not only because he was offering me his (quite nice) viognier. Champagne to him was too frivolous a wine to choose as a one-and-only tipple.
But I agree with the economist John Maynard Keynes, who uttered on his deathbed, .I should have drunk more champagne..
I think I say that every year when I sample champagnes for this holiday column. I always make a New Year.s resolution to drink more of them, but that goes by the wayside almost as fast as the one about exercise and weight control.
Why do we limit champagne to the holidays and special occasions such as weddings and baseball pennants? One reason is image. Champagne producers have for decades, if not longer, marketed their wine as a luxury product, an extravagance that runs counter to a cursed Puritan work ethic. And it.s priced like a luxury object. Even the least expensive champagnes, such as the very fine Charles de Cazanove Brut, cost about $30 a bottle. That.s not an everyday drink.
There are other sparkling wines, of course. Spanish cava, Italian prosecco, cremants from other regions of France, sekt from Germany and Austria and delightfully fizzy chenin blanc from South Africa can turn any ordinary day into a special occasion for a fraction of the price of champagne. U.S. sparkling wines from Virginia, New York, New Mexico and, of course, California can be impressively deep, complex and satisfying.
But they are not champagne. Champagne is more than a method: the technique of creating bubbles through a second fermentation in the bottle rather than through carbonation in a tank. It is a wine expressive of its origin in a particular region of France. That region.s cool, often troublesome climate and its chalky soils are reflected in every bottle. Like the world.s finest wines, it is a product as much of place as of grapes. It cannot be made anywhere else.
To illustrate that point for friends, I recently opened a Pierre Paillard Brut Ros� non-vintage champagne and a Schramsberg 2007 Brut Ros� from California. They were identical in appearance, a bright salmon color with fine beads of bubbles. Both were delicious. But the Paillard, which retails for $53, showed an earthy minerality and laser focus under its steely red-fruit flavors, while the Schramsberg ($40) was expansive and fruity, softer and more mouth-filling.
The Schramsberg tasted of California, its warmth and sunshine. The Paillard was invigorating. Each sip of the Schramsberg made me smile; each taste of the Paillard left me eager for a bite to eat or another sip.
Was one better than the other? Not necessarily. But champagne lovers crave and are willing to pay for that distinctive energy and statement of origin that says, .This is champagne..
This holiday season, whether you celebrate with champagne or bubbly from elsewhere, I hope you will join me in a resolution to keep the celebration going into the New Year.
McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dmwine.
Six true Champagnes bargains
By Dave McIntyre, Tuesday, December 18, 12:49 PM
Recommended champagnes r r rExceptional .r rExcellent.rVery Good Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor. The half-dozen bottles on this list will make your celebrations . annual or daily . quite satisfying. A few are in limited supply. And four will cost you $40 or less. . D.M.
The half-dozen bottles on this list will make your celebrations . annual or daily . quite satisfying. A few are in limited supply. And four will cost you $40 or less.
Pierre Paillard Brut Ros� Bouzy ... Champagne, France, $53
The salmon-tinted fizz shoots a beam of red-berry flavors across the palate, as if the bubbles are eager to escape the glass. Then its long and satisfying finish keeps it firmly anchored earthward, in Champagne.
Potomac Selections: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits; on the list at Cork Wine Bar. Available in Maryland at Grand Cru in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Planet Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria.
Jean Vesselle Ros� Demi-Sec Friandise ... Champagne, France, $48
This ever-so-slightly sweet ros� is fruitier than most champagne, yet not as fruity as New World sparkling typically gets. Don.t think of it as sweet. (Demi-sec literally means .half-dry. but is often rather sweet.) The slight residual sugar is kept in check by the lively acidity, and this wine would be a terrific partner to Asian cuisines or light fruit desserts.
Dionysus: Available in the District at Rodman.s, Wagshal.s Market; on the list at Adour. Available in Maryland at Balducci.s in Bethesda, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg. Available in Virginia at Balducci.s in Alexandria and McLean, Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Unwined in Alexandria and Belleview.
Charles de Cazanove Brut ..1 / 2 Champagne, France, $30
Wow. What a terrific champers for the money. It.s an excellent introduction to what makes champagne special, and those already familiar with the genre will appreciate its sophistication. Widely available, it.s the value find of the year.
M Touton Selection: Available at Burka.s Wine & Liquor, Cairo Wine & Liquor, Calvert Woodley, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Harry.s Reserve Fine Wine & Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Magruder.s, Paul.s of Chevy Chase, Rodman.s. Available in Maryland at Balducci.s, Beer Wine & Co. and Bethesda Co-Op in Bethesda; Camelot Discount Liquors, Roundabout Fine Wine & Spirits in Laurel; Columbia Palace Wine & Spirits in Columbia; Franklin.s Liquors in Ijamsville; Frederick Wine House and Old Farm Liquors in Frederick; Glenwood Wine & Spirits; Greenbelt Co-op; Hillandale Beer & Wine in Silver Spring; Potomac Beer & Wine in Rockville; Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington; State Line Liquors in Elkton; Wine Bin in Ellicott City; Wine Harvest in Potomac. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Grateful Red Wine & Gift Shop in Arlington; Chain Bridge Cellars and the Vineyard in McLean; Crystal City Wine Shop; Leesburg Vintner; Rio Hill Wine & Gourmet in Charlottesville; Unwined in Alexandria; various Whole Foods Market locations.
Thierry Triolet Grande Reserve Brut ..1 / 2 Champagne, France, $40
Toasty and rich, this is a nice champagne to have with medium-weight poultry or fish dishes.
Wine Traditions: Available in the District at A.M. Wine Shoppe, Cork Market; on the list at Cashion.s Eat Place, Cork Wine Bar, the Tabard Inn. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington.
Roland Champion Cuvee d.Aramis Brut .1 / 2 Champagne, France, $35
This is a powerful champagne, showing the red-berry fruit of its red grapes . pinot meunier and pinot noir.. and the chalky minerality of the region. Delightful, and a terrific value.
Kysela: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Magruder.s, P&C Market, Paul.s of Chevy Chase. Available in Virginia at Wine Lovers in Richmond, Out of Site Wines in Vienna.
R. Dumont & Fils Brut .. Champagne, France, $35
>From the southern part of Champagne, where most of the grapes are sold to the major houses, comes this beautifully made brut that offers true champagne character at a rather low price, making it attractive for restaurants to serve by the glass.
Wine Traditions: Available in the District at Ace Beverage; on the list at Bistrot Lepic, Ripple. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, J. Emerson Fine Wines & Cheese in Richmond, Maison du Vin in Great Falls, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria; on the list at Bastille in Alexandria.
More from Food: Spirits Column Beer Column
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
10 versatile wines for holiday cheer
Jon Bonn�
Updated 7:22 p.m., Friday, November 30, 2012
Perhaps even more than at Thanksgiving, choosing wine for a holiday party is a matter of diplomacy. You want to spread cheer and keep the festivities well lubricated, so to speak.
I've been shopping for a few weeks with an eye to the season, and to seasonal budgets. Even if this is the year for holiday celebrations to resume, that doesn't mean we're feeling Zuckerberg flush.
Which means your wine choices might have to do double duty - a red that can appease both Cabernet and Pinot drinkers, for instance.
A white that has the rich charms of Chardonnay and the twang of Sauvignon Blanc, without falling to the extremes of either. Wines that manage colorful without being quirky.
With that in mind, I set out to do a 10-wine holiday version of my occasional hunt for 20 wines costing $20 or less. In this case I left out bubbles (we covered those in detail last week: bit.ly/V2050u) and focused on bottles that can work both in the cocktail realm and at the dinner table.
What follows, then, are 10 exceptional wines for the holidays - plenty to keep you and your guests in good cheer through the next four weeks.
NV Bedrock Shebang! Fifth Cuvee North Coast Red ($13, 14.2% alcohol): This second label from Morgan Twain-Peterson is
now officially under his Bedrock label. The quality remains stellar. This latest, a mix of vintages 2009 through 2011, leads off with Syrah, matched by Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, mixed black grapes and a miscellany of other things. It's inky and pleasantly savory, with toasted fennel, suede, a floral side and big, chewy blue fruit - complexity and a robust side for your guests' full range of tastes.
2011 Herv� Azo Petit Chablis ($18, 12%): Now run by the Brocard house, Azo remains one of Chablis' great outperformers. Here's a terrific candid shot of Chardonnay without makeup, exactly what Petit Chablis should be. Flinty and stark, but also showing lots of fruit from a riper vintage - apple and quince to match its zesty side. (Importer: Beaune Imports)
2011 Blue Plate Clarksburg Chenin Blanc ($11, 12%): This Napa label again delivers one of the best values on the shelf, and again shows the beauty of this grape when grown in the Clarksburg area of the delta. Full-flavored and even peppier than the previous vintage, with shiso-like herbal notes and citrus peel. Nuanced and user-friendly enough to bridge the Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio divide.
2011 Domaine de la Pepi�re Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie ($14, 12%): Marc Ollivier's white-label Muscadet remains a classic in any vintage, but 2011's tough weather meant more of his best lots went into the white label. So there's unusual depth in the basic bottle - a custard-like richness to match its intense saline bite. With preserved lemon, chervil, ripe white peach and honeydew skin, it's texturally deep but also lively and pure. (Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections)
2010 Banshee Wines Rickshaw California Pinot Noir ($14, 14%): Value-minded Banshee tapped sources in Sonoma, Anderson
Valley and elsewhere to come up with a Pinot that satisfies cocktail-party thirst. Some warm wood notes, plus licorice and jammy cherry make this a good gut-check Pinot, one that offers plenty of fruit without getting in your face. A small portion of profits go to charity, a nice holiday touch.
2011 Northwest Wine Co. Kudos Willamette Valley Riesling ($12, 12.5%): It's usually Washington that offers great value in Riesling, but here's one from one of Oregon's few custom-crush winemaking companies that can compete against popular fave Pacific Rim. Tart and relatively dry, with green apple and mint flavors, it shows a density of flavors that most inexpensive Riesling can't offer.
2010 Louis Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon ($18, 13.8%): This well-known name, now part of Gallo, continues to turn out an immensely pleasing Cabernet for less than $20. With a bit of fruit from outside Sonoma and some blending grapes mixed in, this comes across as racy and fresh. Sweet black currant and red cherry, plus heady aromas of dried sage and clove. A higher-acid edge reveals the cool vintage, but it remains as reliable as ever.
2010 Torbreck Woodcutter's Barossa Valley Semillon ($18, 14%): Dave Powell's esteemed Barossa label again delivers a great value in white wines. Riper and more distinguished by peach flavors than your average Semillon, this gains nuance from bay leaf, hay and brown sugar accents, with a faint sweetness that makes it more plush than Riesling and more exotic than Pinot Gris.
2011 Franz Etz Niederosterreich Gruner Veltliner Austria ($14/liter, 12.5%): Ripe 2011 was one of those years that favored the Liter Lords - and this version from the Kamptal house of Etz, one of the most solid on the market, is packed with ripe tree fruit flavors, fennel seed and a lime-peel kick. The extra flesh is a selling point to both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay partisans - not that Gruner's versatility needs another discussion. (Importer: Winemonger)
2009 Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil Valdeorras Mencia ($18, 13%): Valdeorras, on the banks of the Sil River, is like
neighboring Ribeira Sacra, a sweet spot for the spicy Mencia grape. And ambitious Rodriguez, who works across Spain using biodynamic methods and head-trained vines, has bottled a savory, unoaked example that far outpaces its price. Leave it to northern Spain to bridge the gap between ample fruit and a savory intrigue. Its smoky, mineral side adds depth to paprika and bright red currant, offering the perfect foil for a hearty winter dish. (Importer: Vintus)
Jon Bonn� is The San Francisco Chronicle's wine editor. Find more of his coverage at sfgate.com/ wine. E-mail:
jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jbonne
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
