[wine] champagne

Wash Post The pleasures of true champagne By Dave McIntyre, Published: December 20 Champagne has a secret: It.s great with food. The acidity, the minerality and above all those wonderful, palate-caressing bubbles make champagne an ideal partner with almost any dish except the heartiest red meats. It seems a shame to consign it to a glass or two at midnight on New Year.s Eve, or at wedding receptions and locker-room celebrations. When food and wine writers make that discovery, they often proclaim that .champagne should be an everyday drink.. Yeah, right. In my dreams, too. Recommended champagnes .I should have drunk more champagne,. the economist John Maynard Keynes is said to have uttered on his death bed. Lord Byron extolled .champagne with foaming whirls as white as Cleopatra.s melted pearls.. And Lily Bollinger, of the Bollinger champagne family, said: .I drink it when I.m happy and when I.m sad. ..... Otherwise I never touch it, unless I.m thirsty.. Unfortunately, champagne is expensive. It.s more difficult to make than still wine, so production costs are higher, and the luxury image that champagne producers have cultivated has given them a stake in maintaining high prices. Any wine for which an under-$40 price tag is considered a bargain is not destined to be an everyday tipple. Not for those of us in the 99 percent, anyway. Which really is too bad, because champagne is just that good. I.m talking real champagne, of course: the sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France, northeast of Paris. Bubblies from elsewhere are often delicious, and they make everyday celebrations possible. But they rarely, if ever, offer the depth and fascination of the real thing. If you are at all serious about exploring wine, you should not be afraid of champagne. It is possible to savor what this archetype of sparkling wine has to offer while spending only an arm or a leg, but not both. At the wine store, look for a .grower champagne.. You.re probably familiar with the names of the big champagne .houses,. such as Mumm, Veuve Cliquot, Moet et Chandon, Ruinart, Krug and Pommery, among others. I have nothing against their wines, which are made with purchased grapes according to a house style and are usually delicious. But quite often the greater excitement lies with the grower champagnes: wines made by the same people who grew the grapes. They tend to display characteristics of the vineyard (which can get lost in the larger blends of the houses) and even the personality of the winemaker. And they are often more reasonably priced than their big-house counterparts. Grower champagnes are rare, however. If your retailer can.t steer you to one, here are other ways to spot them: .Look for a family name on the label, such as Jose Michel et Fils. .If you follow local importers and know one that specializes in family-run wineries, look for the importer.s name on the label. Reliable ones in the Washington area include Wine Traditions, Vintage 59, Robert Kacher Selections, Dionysus and Kysela Pere et Fils. .There.s a tiny code printed on the front label of every champagne bottle. Spotting it can be difficult, but the letters .RM. signify a grower champagne. (The R stands for .recoltant,. or grower, meaning the grapes were not purchased. Most champagnes are NM, for .negociant,. or broker.) And don.t be shy about trying unfamiliar champagnes when you dine out. Many restaurants are rather desultory with their champagne selections, but the Robert Wiedmaier group of restaurants is bubbling over about bubblies. Ramon Narvaez, beverage director for the company, has expanded the wine list at Marcel.s, Wiedmaier.s flagship restaurant in the West End, to include 100 champagnes, mostly small-selection grower labels. Narvaez says his customers are welcoming the expanded selection. .The good times are coming back,. he says. That would be worth celebrating. Recommended champagnes By Dave McIntyre, Published: December 20 Recommendations ...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor. Most of these are grower champagnes. Because availability of these is often limited, use them as a reference to ask your retailers for similarly priced wines. Lenoble Cuvee Intense Brut ... Champagne, France, $50 .Intense. is an apt name for this wine. It packs power, yet adds finesse in a tightly wound, mouth-filling wine that grabs your attention. Would that there were more of it. Robins Cellars: Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Vienna Vintner. Jose Michel et Fils Brut Tradition ... Champagne, France, $38 In contrast to the Lenoble, this wine is all about delicacy, with charming fruit flavors that seem deceptive. Wine Traditions: On the list in the District at Adour, Bistro Bis, Palena. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Whole Foods Market in Arlington, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria. Michel Turgy Blanc de Blancs Brut ... Champagne, France, $45 It.s made entirely from white grapes, which means the ultimate expression of chardonnay; orchard fruit flavors, stony minerality and lingering fizz. Dionysus: Available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, Wagshal.s Deli, Whole Foods Market Tenleytown; on the list at Restaurant Nora. Available in Maryland at Balducci.s and Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Balducci.s in Alexandria and McLean, J. Emerson Fine Wines & Cheese in Richmond, Unwined in Alexandria and Belleview, Vienna Vintner. Roland Champion Brut Rosé... Champagne, France, $58 Champion is a small grower in Chouilly, in the Cotes des Blancs, an area known for fantastic chardonnay. This rosé of which he makes only about 330 cases . includes 10 percent red wines (pinot noir, pinot meunier) to give it a pale, salmonlike color and a beguiling palate of cranberries, strawberries and currants. Wow. And yum. Kysela: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Bell Wine & Spirits, Magruder.s, Pearson.s, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Harry.s Reserve. Available in Maryland at the Wine Source in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Mom.s Apple Pie in Occoquan, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Salute Wine Market in Winchester, Wine Lovers in Richmond. Thierry Triolet Brut .. Champagne, France, $34 A textbook champagne, rich and elegant, with great balance and depth for the price. Wine Traditions: Available in the District at De Vinos, P&C Market; on the list at Bistro la Bonne, Cashion.s Eat Place, Occidental Grill. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, River City Cellars in Richmond. Louis de Varancy Brut .1 / 2 Champagne, France, $27 This offers the character of the real thing at a decent price, with lots of red-fruit flavors, steely acidity and structure to give authenticity. J.W. Sieg: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits; on the list at Hamilton.s, Sei, Oya. Available in Virginia at Leesburg Vintner, Unwined in Belleview, Vienna Vintner; on the list at Foti.s in Culpeper, La Bergerie in Alexandria. and domestic bubbles from the SFGC Sparkling Wine The American sparkling wine industry is clearly being pulled in two directions. One school of thought sees a need for sweeter, easy-to-please bottles. The other is holding true to the vision of pioneers like Schramsberg, trying to create crisp, food-loving alternatives to French Champagne. That latter style is proliferating in regular nonvintage brut as well as vintage and roséottlings. Top houses are hunting colder vineyard sites and reducing the amount of added sugar used to finesse the wines. The result is more sublime and affordable bottles that can be enjoyed year-round. NV Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Carneros Brut Rosé$36, 12% alcohol): There's some finesse at work on Duhig Road, seeing as the pink version of Carneros' brut shows a remarkable focus and distinction, with depth from added Pinot Noir. Accents of rose hip, damp stone and bread dough provide depth to this tight-knit, raspberry-inflected effort. NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic California Sparkling ($22, 13%): Winemaker Tom Tiburzi has been fine-tuning Chandon's trademark bottle, with less added sweetness and more focus on the fruit. It's paying off beautifully, with rich pear-tart aromas and a bounty of fruit and pastry flavors. The bright lemon-oil and sea-foam accents signal a wine with serious intent. 2000 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvee Carneros Sparkling ($50, 12.5%): This long-aged reserve bottle from Ferrer shows its commitment to the potential of Carneros. After a full decade on its lees, this is simultaneously opulent and precise. Aromas of citrus pith, thyme, pear skin and yeast underscore remarkable youth for a 10-year-old wine. NV J Vineyards Russian River Valley Brut Rosé$28, 12.5%): There's a return to form at this Healdsburg house, with its pink brut offering a sweet yeasty note that underscores raspberry and rose petal, and vibrant citrus tying it all together in a mouthwatering way. Think of it for the holiday table. NV Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rosé$27, 12%): Roederer's rosén particular remains a standout, a sign of winemaker Arnaud Weyrich's talents. Subtle notes of rose, copper and peach, with a warm vanilla-bean accent and cool berry ice flavors. NV Scharffenberger Mendocino County Brut ($19, 12%): Now affiliated with its neighbor, Roederer Estate, this longtime local fave (just renamed Brut Excellence) has found a new level of precision for its quintessentially California style of sparkling. There's just a hint of a soft side to an otherwise steely texture, with green apple, poppy seed and morning bun flavors underscored by a perfect mineral bite. The best hidden value in American fizz. NV Schramsberg Mirabelle North Coast Brut ($25, 12.8%): Schramsberg's nonvintage second bottling is stellar right now. A Chardonnay-dominant blend is fresh with tree fruit, freesia and chalk accents, and a wonderful strawberry edge from its Pinot Noir. Just enough bready opulence without losing its playfulness. -- ------------------------------ * 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 *