No one could be enjoying the misery that has been the weather over this Christmas Season. Thankfully we have yet another celebration to which to look forward and one that will help us forget it all. To that end I offer a few perspectives on some Sparkling wines to help you ride out the year and ring in the new. My theme for this entry is Unique & Cost-Effective.
Lugny Cremant de Bourgogne Rose NV France 12% alc. Under $30.00
Admittedly this excellent wine has long been a favourite. Here we have a bracing blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay and Chardonnay offering up sensual aromas of strawberry, apple and challa bread. The colour is an endlessly pretty salmon with a shimmer of orange and the whole package is as festive as a post-revolutionary romp through Versailles.
Cremant is the term used by the French to describe wines made using the Champagne method but outside the borders of the Champagne region.
This bubbly has acidity like the snap of an elastic band with flavours of empire apple, cranberry and the tannic finish of crab apples. In other words, a real appetite stimulator.
The overall effect is uplifting and will act as a perfect foil for oysters with a sherry mignonette, sushi or better yet a cheese fondue spiked with Kirsch.
Summerhill Hidden Okanagan Valley, BC 12.5% alc. Under $25.00
Here is something entirely unique from the Okanagan, the rather obscure Verdelet grape as a champagne method sparkler. Verdelet is a hybrid developed by the French physician Albert Seibel who became famous for crossing French grape varieties with native North American varieties and it’s usually used for blending. This grape is most commonly planted in upstate New York and Texas but our friends at Summerhill have approximately 1 hectare under vine.
The nose is super clean with sea spray and green apple making a big entrance and then staging an encore on the palate along with the sweet herb smack of raw green beans off the vine. Happily the bubbles are medium fine with a substantial persistence making for consistent drinking.
The acidity is bright and the briny minerality lends itself perfectly to classic New Years Oysters on the half or a zesty ceviche. This is not a complex wine but it is dry and very well made, much better than you would think given that it’s not a particularly well-known or sexy grape. Finally, add it to a couple of ounces of Giffard Muroise (see below) for an eye-popping variation on Kir Royale.
Giffard Muroise de Val de Loire Liqueur France 16% alc. Under $45.00
Some Vancouver residents may recognize this liqueur from a recipe out of Barbara Jo McIntosh’s delightful volume of Parisian reminiscences Cooking for Me & Sometimes You: A Parisienne Romance with Recipes.
Muroise is a naturally occurring hybrid of blackberry and raspberry and it packs a powerfully perfumed punch of dark forest fruit. It’s endlessly delicious on its own or mixed with a variety of other booze (1 oz. Muroise, 1 oz Vodka, 5 oz. Ginger ale makes for a stimulating long drink). Over vanilla ice cream or warm custard this stuff is a dream.
Elephant Island Pink Elephant Naramata, BC 11% alc. Under $30.00
Here is another stridently different sparkler from BC made with a base of Granny Smith apples and topped with a splash of black currant. It’s a lovely midnight rose colour in the glass and the aromas are fresh with a delicate perfume of buttery egg bread and cassis.
Pink Elephant is made using the more labour-intensive traditional champagne method which explains both the price and the creamy effect from the lees (dead yeast) contact during its slumber in the bottle before disgorgement.
This is a quality wine making for a very nice drink best with conversation. The flavours are distinct and pleasant but the acidity is surprisingly low making it an ill-fit for food pairing. Were I at the helm I might take subsequent vintages in a slightly different direction by picking the Granny Smith apples a little more under-ripe to preserve more of the acid and adding an extra few grams per litre of black currant dosage.
For cider-lovers however, this is their bubbly to help launch the new year with panache.
Sea Cider Ginger Perry Victoria, BC 5.5% alc. Under $20.00
Perry is the traditional British term for a ‘cider’ made from pears. The folks at Sea Cider are to be commended for giving this market something new and something so successful.
This perry is dry but far from austere. The spicing on this comes not just from the ginger but also from cinnamon, nutmeg and clove made as a bitter using Sea Ciders eau de vie. The application of these adjuncts is most judicious however because the clarity of the zesty pear remains intact and is not masked by these potentially potent spices.
The nose is intoxicating and the first hit warms you like your favourite sweater on a blustery day. The finish is very clean with plenty of mineral lift and while this is perfect as an aperitif, I enjoyed it with rosemary & garlic brined chicken and a side of fried rice and sautéed apple.
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Noir is planted throughout the country but it’s most widely planted in the Ahr Valley (Germany’s northern most viticultural area) and Baden which shares a latitude with France’s Alsace region.
One wonders why certain regions in California and Australia even bother. Yes “petrol” aromas can develop in Riesling at later stages and that is the by-product of a natural degradation of poly-phenols after many years in the bottle. You can drink your Riesling that way if you like of course, after all there were many people who enjoyed the taste of some Ontario wines from the 2001 vintage that had been co-fermented with Asian Ladybugs giving them a distinct rancid peanut butter character. I happen to enjoy Vin Jaune and to others Vin Jaune is an acquired taste requiring years of tutoring. In the spirit of the season then… to each their own.
The appearance is a rather intimidating black blood red in the glass. Aromas are classically what you would expect from these grapes with pungent aromas of cassis and blackberry. Seventy percent of the Carmenere (85%) and Cabernet (15%) was aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and mercifully the wood is well-integrated providing a pleasing toasted quality. Considering the intensity of the colour you might be led to expect gripping tannins, instead this blend almost caresses your palate like crushed purple velvet. 
