Don’t Celebrate, Just Drink Champagne

A lot of people think that Champagne is only a celebratory beverage. Personally, I think a small victory Tuesday morning, is worth celebrating with bubbles on Tuesday evening. That being said, I’m going to say something you need to hear: It’s okay to drink sparkling wine anytime you want!

So let’s shed some light on sparkling wine.

First of all, I’m sure you’ve seen the word “Brut” on a bottle of bubbles. Basically, that can let you know how dry the wine inside is. From driest to sweetest it goes like this: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, and Doux. So if you like it really dry and crisp, go with Brut. If you like it kinda dry with just a little bit of sweetness, grab a bottle of Extra Dry. Side bar: I always thought it was weird that Brut was drier than Extra Dry. Maybe next time they make laws, they’ll ask me what I think. They won’t.

Not all sparkling wine is Champagne. It can only legally be called Champagne if it is from Champagne, France. That’s right kids, Champagne is actually a place in France right next door to Paris. “Well, what do they call sparkling wine that comes from France thats not made in Champagne?” Glad you asked. They call that sparkling wine Cremant and it usually comes from the Loire Valley or Burgundy and is pretty damn good.

The rest of the wine world has their own names for the sparkling wines they produce.Some of the more popular ones outside of France are Italy’s Prosecco or Spain’s Cava. Both have more attractive price points than Champagne. Usually $9-16.

I’m personally a fan of Torre Oria Cava Brut ($8.99). Delicious in flavor and price. Torre Oria is crisp and easy. It’s dry but not bone dry. If you’re into fresh bubble guzzling without dropping a lot of money, this is your winner. It’s also a perfect ingredient for Champagne cocktails like a Man-mosa. A Man-mosa is a cocktail my friend Kevin showed me whilst day drinking in Austin, TX a couple years back. I may or may not have tweaked the recipe. Day drinking and cocktail experimentation can make details a bit fuzzy. For a tasty treat, add a shot of your favorite gin or vodka to your Mimosa and there you have it. I prefer gin, it adds a nice botanical freshness to breakfast.

I should let you know, I’m not hating on Champagne. Some of my favorite wines I’ve ever tasted are full-blooded Champagne. Like Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose ($100). Seriously, Dionysus kissed the vines in that beautiful soil of northeastern France and made one of the finest sparkling wines in the world. Light and elegant with subtle, seductive raspberry flavors.

 

There are other countries producing some great bubbles. These days, South Africa is killing it. Look for Graham Beck Brut or the Rose. They make it the same way they do in Champagne. And of course Cali does a bang up job with stuff like Domaine Carneros Brut.

Since I can’t afford to drink Billecart Rose on a regular basis, I’ve had to find some lower tier juice thats delightful and affordable. I hope this sparks an interest in bubbles for you.

If you need suggestions on wine for the holidays, have any other wine questions or need day drinking tips, email me at beardandbarrel@gmail.com.

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Wine Review: 2013 Vending Machine Winery ‘Peep Show’

Anyone that has spent any significant amount of time in the bottle shops I work at has heard me talk about or had me try to sell them a wine from Vending Machine Winery. Monica and Neil, the husband and wife owners, are crazy passionate about three things: wine, New Orleans, and tennis. Oh, and darts. They are probably the most disarming people to talk to about wine. Literally, they make you want to love wine whether you already do or not. They are wine distributors for Neat Wines of Metairie, Louisiana and sell some of the finest wine you can think of. So think about that for a minute. Their job is to sell killer wines…. They make killer wines…. Do the math…  I’ll just leave that thought right there and move on to their first release of Peep Show.

Katy Touchstone of Southern Fork Catering, Monica & Neil of Vending Machine Wines and I after an incredible Robert Foley wine dinner we hosted at Wine Country Bistro a couple years back.

 

Starting out, I’ll tell you this isn’t your normal white wine. No Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc over here. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it though. It means, with a varietal break down of 34% Roussanne(roux-sann), 33% Marsanne(Mar-san-aye), & 33% Viognier(Vee-yan-yay), you should try it without any preconceived notions about what you think it should be. Cote du Rhone style white blends can be intimidating if you’ve never had one before but this one, haling from El Dorado, California, is not. It’s just delicious.

Nose: Tropical fruit, peach, super floral, and honey suckle.

Palate: At first is was a little subdued. My fault for tasting it while it was too cold. A wine this expressive doesn’t need to be drunk ice cold. You’ll miss so much if you do it wrong. (Pro-tip: Pull your white wine out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you want to drink it for an unrestrained taste) Fresh peach is definitely there up front. Great balance all around. Peep Show drinks easily and super clean. Caution: This is a dangerous wine. Only buy in multiple bottle increments. You’ll be mad if you only have one.

This is probably on the best offerings you’ll find in this category at $20 a bottle. Also, you’re kinda drinking local cause Monica and Neil are from New Orleans. As is the artist that does the art work for all of their labels, Grant Schexnider. The juice is actually made in California by Sarah and Christopher Vandendriessche, of White Rock Vineyards.

Hit me up at beardandbarrel@gmail.com if you’re in the Shreveport-Bossier area and want to get a few bottles or have any questions about any of their other incredible offerings.

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Wine Review: 2012 Bonny Doon ‘Contra’

Bonny Doon’s wine maker Randall Grahm is an all around California Wine OG. In 1989 he was dubbed “The Rhone Ranger” by Wine Spectator because of his mastery of those varietals, types of grapes, normally grown in the Cote Du Rhone of France(Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre to name a few). That spark started a big fire. Because of that, there is actually a group of around 200 wine makers in Cali that are called “The Rhone Rangers” and they are committed to the cause of growing and producing those varietals exclusively. He is also a James Beard Award winning author in 1994 as well as was inducted to the The Culinary Institute of America’s Vintner’s Hall of Fame in 2010. Needless to say, he knows(and makes) great wine.

Today, we are tasting his red blend “Contra.” Some red blends will tell you how much of which grape is in it. Here’s the breakdown: 56% Carignane(Care-in-yahn), 17% Syrah, 15% Grenache, 17% Mourvedre, 1% Cinsault(Sin-so). All are Rhone varietals. Those crazy Rhone Rangers.

I’ll break it down into 2 sections: Nose and palate. The nose is obviously the delightful aromas that are going to flood your nostrils and the palate is going to be what you actually taste.

Nose: This wine has huge aromatics. Right after I opened it, there was a ton of smoked meat/bacon, tangy dark cherries and white pepper fighting for attention.

Palate: The depth in this juice is pretty crazy. Right off the bat, that cherry flavor is present and accounted for. It’s followed up by a little brininess(think black olive. Don’t freak out about that, it works beautifully) and a long, juicy finish that has just little hints of cedar after you finish your sip(or gulp). Body wise, it’s definitely not over weight and needing to hit the treadmill. It’s got some sexy curves that could stand up to a rib eye steak or even venison.

After about 30 minutes, flavors evolved to dark cocoa and light cinnamon spiciness.

The next day, if you had any left over, super bold fruit had taken over the spiciness and toned down that cocoa flavor.

Definitely pick this wine up. Great stuff at $17 a bottle and something that can stand up over a day or two. If you are interested in buying it in the Shreveport-Bossier area, email at beardandbarrel@gmail.com and I’ll get you taken care of.