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Sparkling wine with bubbles is a symbol of celebration, joy and fun. It is not by chance that this gas is called bubbles of happiness. In the Middle Ages, the church fought against carbonated wines, considering them diabolical drinks. And now we can choose whether to give preference to champagne or other sparkling wines. Do you know how they differ from each other?
Champagne — only in Champagne
Champagne is also a sparkling wine that is produced in the Champagne region from white grapes “chardonnay” or red “pinot noir” and “pinot meunier”. First, the grapes are fermented naturally, and the result is wine. It is bottled, yeast and sugar are added, and then left for 18 or more months for secondary fermentation. It is during this period that the gas is formed, which pushes the cork out of the bottle at the very moment when it is turned over. After removing the sediment, the wine is aged for another six months.
Other sparkling wines can be obtained using the same technology, but from other grape varieties and not in the Champagne region. The” copyright ” for champagne belongs only to the winemakers of this area of France. This is the most important thing that distinguishes champagne from sparkling wine.
Not everyone knows that each bottle of champagne contains 49 million bubbles, and the cork from the bottle flies out at a speed of 40 km / h. If, of course, we are talking about real champagne…
Sparkling pleasure
Sparkling wines that are produced in other countries have their own names. In Spain, it is Cava, in Italy — Spumante or Asti, in other French regions-Crémant. Yes, imagine, winemakers who do not live in Champagne, too, can not use the name “champagne”.
Many sparkling wines are produced not according to the technology of classical champagne, but according to the Charm method. In this case, the drink is saturated with carbon dioxide, and then sent for secondary fermentation in closed containers. The fermented wine is filtered, bottled and aged for 15 months.
There is another way to get sparkling wine — artificial carbonation. In this case, the finished blend is enriched with carbon dioxide directly in the bottle, and this resembles the production of soda. Such bubbles, unfortunately, are short-lived, and wine can hardly be considered a high-quality drink.
If we talk about Russian sparkling wines, the most popular are St. Petersburg “Lev Golitsyn” and “Borgeois”, Moscow wine “Gold Standard”, Crimean “Pinot Noir”, Kuban “Chateau-Taman”.
Spanish Cava with fruit flavor
Spanish sparkling wine With a Natural strength of 11.5% vol. began to be made only 150 years ago thanks to Jose Raventas, the owner of the Codorniu winery. While traveling in France, he was delighted with the local champagne and immediately decided to make it in Spain. Instead of “chardonnay”, “pinot noir” and “pinot meunier” grapes, he used the Spanish varieties “macabeo”, “charello” and “parellada”, and completely at random. And this combination turned out to be perfect!
For this purpose, only the ripest berries are manually harvested, which are further processed according to the Charm method. The finished drink has a white or pink color, and the taste is floral — fruity, with hints of citrus freshness. Sometimes you can catch notes of nuts, spices, menthol, raspberries or a smoked taste in it. By the way, “cava” translates as “cellar”, because we are still talking about wine.
The most famous producers of cava are Codorniu, which produces sparkling wines similar to champagne, Freizenet, whose products are characterized by a balanced taste and low acidity, as well as wines from Augusti Torello and Gramona.
Kava is drunk immediately after purchase, cooled to 5-8 °C. For tasting, a glass in the shape of a tulip is suitable, which helps the aroma to open up as much as possible, but at the same time the drink does not expire for a long time. The wine is poured into two-thirds of the glass-slowly enough so that there is no foam. A classic appetizer for kava is toast with tomatoes and garlic, although this wine is usually drunk at lunch with cheese, meat and fish dishes.
Sparkling Italy
Sparkling wines of Italy are represented by the exquisite Asti wine with a strength of 7 % vol. It can not even be called an imitation of champagne, because it is a unique drink, valuable in itself. The wine is made in the Piedmont region using the method of reduced fermentation, which was invented by the jeweler Giovanni Battista Croce. He made the discovery that if you do not let the wine ferment until the sugar is completely lost, it becomes sparkling and very fragrant. In addition, natural glucose remains in the wine and it does not need to be additionally sweetened. For the preparation of “Asti” two varieties of white muscat grapes are used — “moscato bianco” and “moscato di canelli”.
The wine has a yellow color, and its taste is very delicate and light-honey-citrus, a little apple and floral. Before serving, “Asti” is cooled to a temperature of 6-8 °C, and served either in wide champagne glasses or in high narrow ones. The best appetizer for “Asti” is fruits and light desserts, and in cocktails the wine is perfectly combined with vermouth, fruit and berry liqueurs and juices.
The French charm of creman
French sparkling wine Cremant with a strength of 7-14 % vol. fully corresponds to its name “creamy” and is characterized by a creamy softness. There is almost no sharpness in it, typical for carbonated drinks, despite the fact that the technology of making this wine does not differ from champagne. Creman is produced in ten regions of France, Belgium and Luxembourg from a wide variety of grape varieties, and is aged not for 2-6 years, like champagne, but from 9 months to 4 years. There are white and pink cremans, and some wines are made from a mixture of white and red grape varieties.
Several varieties are recognized as the best. Louis Bouillot, Brut “Gran Reserve”, Cremant de Bourgogne is made from pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and has a pleasant sourness. The wine Grande Cuvee 1531 de Aimery, Cremant de Limoux Blanc is buttery, with bread-nut notes, and the taste of the drink from the Loire Valley Chateau de Bellevue, Brut Blanc, Cremant de Loire mixed notes of lime blossom and apricot.
The cream is served slightly chilled to show its freshness and delicate taste. It is best to serve the cream in high glasses to admire the play of bubbles and enjoy its refined and aristocratic aroma.
German Riesling
German Sekt wine, although produced using Charm technology, is perfectly stored in a dark cellar for up to three years. Most wines are made from imported grapes, but 10% of all products are drinks from German wineries. For blending, take the varieties “riesling”, “pinot blanc”, “pinot gris” and “pinot noir”.
Sparkling wines have been made in Germany since the XIX century, and the Germans fell in love with the “bubbles of happiness” so much that they now consume about 20 % of the sparkling wines produced on the planet.
Wegeler-Deinhard Bernkasteler Doctor wine is called the best riesling in Germany. This wine is very refined and expensive, and it is better to open it in 3-8 years. Wine Kloster Eberbach with notes of flowers and fruits has a sweet taste and juiciness.
German sparkling wines are good in a chilled form with oysters, tiger prawns and caviar. They are also served with white fish, white meat, poultry, light pastries and fruit desserts. Thanks to the sourness, zect perfectly stimulates digestion, and it is good to use it at lunch from high glasses that preserve not only the bubbles, but also the rich aroma of ripe grapes…
Prosecco-Italian aperitif
Sparkling white wine Prosecco is obtained from the grape variety “glera”, which was first grown by the inhabitants of the village of Prosecco in eastern Italy. Actually, that’s why the wine got its name in the middle of the last century, although the drink has already been prepared since the XVI century. Prosecco belongs to dry wines, and its strength is 12-13% by volume.
The drink can be highly carbonated (Spumante), slightly carbonated (Frizzante) and almost without gas (Tranquillo).
The wine is made according to the Charm method, so you need to drink it for 2-3 years, otherwise it loses its taste and aroma. However, this opinion also has opponents who claim that aged Prosecco wine becomes even nobler and tastier.
Before serving, it is cooled to 5-7 °C and poured into tall glasses. Italians use prosecco as an aperitif and add it to cocktails “Merchant of Venice”, “Bellini” and “Mimosa”. Juicy notes of peach, pear, apricot and apple give the cocktails freshness and novelty.
Lambrusco’s cheerfulness
Italian wine Lambrusco, which was already drunk in ancient Rome — is very light and frothy. But the most important thing is that it is quite affordable. The drink is made from Lambrusco grapes, sometimes adding the Ancelotta variety to it for a deeper taste. The strength of the wine is 6-9% by volume, the color is white, pink, red, and the core of the taste is flowers and fruits. There is a dry or sweet wine, but it is always medium-carbonated, that is, quite soft, without sharp notes.
Some of the wine is made using the same technology as champagne, but mainly the Charm method is used. The method of preparation is always indicated on the label.
Among the most popular types of wine, I would like to mention Lambrusco di Sorbara with a sensual violet aroma, peach-nut wine Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro with a slight bitterness, Lambrusco di Modena with a taste of black berries and creamy mousse, pear-pineapple Lambrusco Emilia Bianco and Lambrusco Dell’Emilia Rosso Amabile, which is dominated by cherry juice and ripe pomegranate.
The wine is cooled to 10 °C and served in champagne glasses with meat, fish, fruits and sweets.
Actress Brigitte Bardot said: “Champagne is the only interesting thing for me when I feel tired.” In fact, many sparkling wines relax no worse than champagne, lifting the mood and making life brighter, the main thing is to observe the measure!