astaektagadar: Tale of Two Sparklers: Two Sparkling Wines for the Holidays

সোমবার, ২৪ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Tale of Two Sparklers: Two Sparkling Wines for the Holidays

By Holly Bruns

Birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, promotions, New Year?s and pretty much any other special occasion ? or maybe just a lazy Sunday afternoon: they?re all good reasons to open a bottle of bubbly; the world goes round to the sound of corks popping. Champagne, or sparkling wine as it?s called in the rest of the world, is the elixir that provides all the excitement and hopefully over the holidays we?ll all be getting our fair share of the stuff?because, while it?s a celebratory drink, it also goes well with food and can be a terrific ap?ritif.

Sparkling wine is made in a few different ways, but the two most popular methods are the champenoise, or traditional,?and the charmat methods. The traditional way is how it?s done in Champagne and involves

letting the wine juice go through a second fermentation in the bottle by adding a little mix of sugar and yeast, called a liqueur de tirage.?This second fermentation is?what creates the bubbles ? by way of carbon dioxide ? and usually means a?creamier mousse and a yeast or biscuit flavor profile. The Charmat method is used in the making of Prosecco where the second fermentation happens in a stainless steel tank and the bubbles are preserved by bottling while under pressure. This usually means floral and sometimes candy-like aromas with a more vigorous mousse.

Try a side-by-side tasting and see if you can spot the differences between these two bottles of bubbly. The Prosecco is made in the Charmat method and the Cava from Spain is made in a traditional method. They?re both great bargains for the holidays.

Villa Sandi Prosecco, from Italy ($14.15)

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava Sparkling, from Spain ($14.25)

Holly Bruns is an accredited sommelier with degrees from Algonquin College and the Wine Spirits & Education Trust. She lives in Ottawa and is the drinking force behind the successful blog?Wine Out Loud.