It's All the Way Live

As Lakeside said in 1978, "It's all the way live (now)"

If you are not able to join us in person for our next tasting, Bubbles and Blades, you can still get in on the fun!  We will be LIVE on Facebook!  Join us on your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop or smart TV. Be sure to follow us at:

https://www.facebook.com/awspgh/

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

Evergreen Community Center

3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

7:00

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR

WINE GLASSES, FLUTES OR COUPES.  

 The cost for members or guests is $30.

Please reply before April 8, 2018 to:

drtrumble1@gmail.com

Or you may reply to 412-657-0777.

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble

1302 Arch St

Pittsburgh PA  15212

Don’t forget to visit the website for directions,

useful tips, and recipes.

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Let's get FIZZICAL!

Whether it's Champagne, Prosecco, or any other sparkling wine, they bring the zing, with bubbles, freshness, and flavor that is instantly appealing. When served chilled, it's the perfect way to enjoy your celebration. You'd be amazed by how many different types of sparkling wine there are!

SPARKLING WINES

CHAMPAGNE

Made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, this is the standard of sparkling wine. Styles range from lean and crisp to rich and full. Rosé Champagne will display more red fruit and berry aromas. The hippest category of Champagne these days is known as Grower Champagne, so called because the winemaker also grows the grapes, which is an uncommon practice in the region. These tend to be pricey in the US (but if you are going to France, you can get great deals.)

CREMANT DE LOIRE, BURGUNDY, JURA, ALSACE, ETC

Cremant means “creamy” in French and is the word used to describe sparkling wine made in the “Méthode Champenoise” in any region other than Champagne, for example: Cremant de Loire, Cremant de Bourgogne (Burgundy), Cremant de Jura and Cremant d’Alsace. In each region it’s made from different grapes. In the Loire, it will often be Chenin Blanc or Cabernet Franc; in the Alsace it might be Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc or even Gewürztraminer.

BLANQUETTE DE LIMOUX 

From Limoux, a small sub-region of the Languedoc in southern France, this wine is also made in the Méthode Champenoise primarily from Mauzac (a local grape also known as Blanquette). Crémant de Limoux is from the same region, but made primarily from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Both are great choices. Limoux is one of the oldest sparkling wine-producing regions in France dating to 1531.

PROSECCO

Made from the Glera grape in Italy in the Charmat method, Prosecco is perhaps America’s favorite sparkling wine. Because it is not aged “sur lie” like Champagne, the flavors of Prosecco tend to be simpler and less complex. Some even have a bit of sweetness, especially cheaper versions.

CAVA

Spain’s sparkling wines can be extremely high quality, but historically the ones that were exported to the U.S. were not the best. This is changing. Cordoniu is a quality producer with a large production that’s widely available. They are also made in the Méthode Champenoise, and many are aged even longer than Champagne is. The main grapes are Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada, but others can be used as well.

FRANCIACORTA

From the Lombardy region of Italy, Franciacorta is delicious, but unfortunately it’s also expensive. It’s made in the Méthode Champenoise from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Nero) and Pinot Blanc (Bianco). As a warmer region than northern France, the wines tend to be riper and fuller and can lack the acidity and minerality of Champagne.

SEKT

This is basically any sparkling wine made in Germany. This is another category that has suffered from poor quality and lack of attention. There are some producers who are really doing it right, though. There are Riesling Sekt wines that excellent quality.

AMERICAN SPARKLING WINE 

In the US there are no laws about what grapes can be included in what wines, so technically anything could be used. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the most common choices. Some are made in the Méthode Champenoise, but many are not. In general, cooler growing regions are better because the acidity in the grapes is preserved. Parts of Northern California and upstate New York are examples, although, strangely enough, some of the best value US sparkling comes from New Mexico’s Gruet.

MOSCATO D’ASTI & BRACHETTO D’ACQUI

Sweet sparkling wines from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, Moscato d’Asti is made from Moscato grapes in the Asti region and is white, while Brachetto d’Acqui is made from Brachetto grapes near Acqui Terme, and is a Rosé. Both wines range from slightly sweet to very sweet. Bad examples are cloying, while good ones are great as an aperitif or with dessert.

LAMBRUSCO

Once only available at very few Italian restaurants, Lambrusco is making a comeback and can now be spotted at all of the hippest of locales. A sparkling red wine that can be off-dry, it comes from Emilia Romagna in Italy, also home to Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano, which is are excellent pairings. Grasparossa di Castelvetro is considered the best sub-region.

MÉTHODE CAP CLASSIQUE

Méthode Cap Classique is the South African version of champagne. MCC is made using the original, bottle fermented process used by the French. This is about as close as the South African wine industry will get to making champagne, every step of the process aside from the grapes, is the real deal.

ANYWHERE ELSE

Almost every wine producing country in the world produces sparkling wine of some sort. Without any clear regulations or reputation, however, it can be challenging to identify what will be good, and what might be a bad experiment. Some unlikely examples of sparkling-producing places include Austria, China, Australia and even England.

PRICING

Making sparkling wine of quality is complex. For Champagne, Cava and Franciacorta, there are strict rules on how long a wine must age. A non-vintage Champagne must rest at least 15 months “en tirage” and vintage Champagne must rest for three years. Accordingly, you’ll get much better quality if you pay up.

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'Da Man or 'Da Myth

The ‘popping’ cork, the fizz and the bubbly taste, it could only be Champagne. Or should we say, ‘Merret’? For nearly three centuries, the French have fought to ensure that only the sparkling wine made in a particular part of France can be called Champagne.

Success, as the saying goes, has many fathers. So it’s not surprising that many folk claim to have “invented” champagne. Legend has it that in the 17th century a French monk named Dom Pierre Pérignon first made this wine at the abbey of Saint Pierre d’Hautvillers in the region called Champagne. “Come quickly! I am drinking the stars,” were Pérignon’s supposed words when he first tasted what we now know as champagne.

The story was probably created by the monastery’s 19th-century cellar master, Dom Groussard, trying to boost the abbey’s reputation and his own. In the 17th century, the last thing Dom Pérignon would have wanted in his wines were bubbles, because bottles in those days would usually explode from the pressure. Cellar workers wore metal masks to protect their faces from flying glass and accidentally fermented wine was known as vin du diable (devil’s wine). But the star-sipping story contributes to the mystique surrounding France’s most famous export.

If you really want to taunt a Champenois, try repeating the story popular in the region of Limoux, in Languedoc, claiming that France’s first sparkling wine, known locally as blanquette, was invented by Benedictine monks at the abbey of Saint Hilaire more than a century before Dom Pérignon was born.

There is evidence from abbey records dating back to 1531 to support that the brothers of Saint Hilaire developed a technique to create bubbles in their wine, probably by bottling it before fermentation had been completed, a technique known as the méthode rurale or ancestrale. The wines would be kept in flasks stoppered with plugs made from the bark of cork trees found in Spain. But there is little to support the claim that Saint Hilaire was a victim of espionage when the secret of sparkling wine was stolen by Dom Pérignon when he was a small friar.

Even if Dom Pérignon had stolen Saint Hilaire’s secrets it wouldn’t have mattered, because the process he is credited with inventing is the méthode champenoise, in which a sparkling wine is created by inducing a second fermentation once the wine has been bottled.

So forget the Limoux story. If you want to taunt the French a second time, claim that sparkling wine in the champagne style, the true méthode champenoise, was discovered by the English!

The evidence for that is fairly reliable, derived from a paper presented in six years before Dom Pérignon arrived in Hautvillers to the Royal Society by English scientist Dr. Christopher Merret. Merret’s paper was on winemaking practices in which he described the English custom of adding “sugar and molasses to all sorts of wine to make them brisk and sparkling”.

So sacre bleu! Is it really Merret we have to thank for the sound of a cork popping? Long before Dom Pérignon drank his stars English winemakers were starting a second fermentation in the bottle that would add carbon dioxide to their imported wine. 

In the same year of 1662 Sir Kenelm Digby perfected a glass bottle that, when stoppered with corks tied down with string, was strong enough to withstand the pressure created by a second fermentation. The stars aligned to make possible the sparkling wine we just happen to call champagne but which should—pace to the monks of Limoux—probably be called Britfizz.

Check the blog often for more news, tips, and tasting notices! 

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/

shăm-pān’ /prəˌnənsēˈāSH(ə)n/

CHAMPAGNE PRONUNCIATION

A GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

There are many opportunities to relax with friends and family and enjoy a good bubbly. But how do you say all those tricky words that surround everyone’s favorite effervescent drink? We’re AWS members, and people expect us to have the answers! Instead of mumbling, embrace proper pronunciation! Here is a cheat-sheet to the most common Champagne words.

Blanc de Blancs

White wine from white (Chardonnay) grapes. Simple enough, right? Not so fast. ‘Blonk de Blonk’ is how you should be reading those words. Forget that ‘s’ at the end, the French do, so we can too.

Blanc de Noirs

White wine from black (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) grapes. Also a simple concept. Here we follow the same rule as the white grape counterpart. Forget about that final ‘s.’ "Blonk de Nwär"

Pinot Meunier

After Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, people often forget about this grape (maybe because that second word is harder to say)? Just try and combine a soft ‘Moo’ and a ‘Nyah’.

Reims

The town where many of the famous Champagne houses are located. This one, when properly pronounced, sounds like you are trying to clear something from your throat. Say it like you're angry at someone or imitating a car engine starting up. Make sure to roll the ‘R’ for an excessive period of time ‘RRRRRRommmz.’

Veuve Clicquot

This is one of the most famous Champagne houses. Their signature orange color can be seen in almost every wine shop right now in America. The Veuve (Widow) Clicquot really made a name for herself, but how do we pronounce it? ‘Vove Cleeck-o’!

Négociant

A Négociant is a wine merchant that takes grapes from small growers to make their own blend. The big names like Ruinart, Charles Heidsieck, Louis Roederer are all familiar. The next time that you’re at a party and one of these is being served you can sound smart by remarking, “Ah, a ‘Ne-go-see-ont’ Champagne…’

 Tête de Cuvée

A Champagne House’s prestige cuvée, like Moet et Chandon’s “Dom Perignon” or Krug’s “Clos du Mesnil.” It literally translates to “Head of House,” which sounds far less impressive than the French version. The trick is to really make your mouth small and puckered like you’re about to kiss a baby, then, barely moving your lips, say ‘tet de cuuevay.’

Méthode Champenoise/Traditionelle

This means is that the wine was made in a way that follows all the Champagne rules. That ‘th’ sound we are so fond of in the English language has no place here. Throw it out. Instead we pronounce this - ‘Me-toad Chomp-en-wawz/Truh-diss-yu-nell’

Dosage

This means how much sugar is added before bottling. Next time a Sommelier pours you a glass of Champagne, taste it and ask, “Hmm.. what’s the ‘doe-saw-j’ here?” A good Sommelier will know the sweetness range but a newbie will squirm uncomfortably and turn red, which is always fun.

The Regions of Champagne:

Montagne de Reims- ‘Mawn-ton-yuh de RRRRRRommmz.’ (Another chance to say ‘Reims’).

Vallée de la Marne- ‘Val-lay de la Marn’ (Marn sounds like Barn)

Côte des Blancs- ‘Coat de Blonck’ (Sounds like Plonk)

Côte de Sézanne- ‘Coat de Say-zawn’ (It’s like ‘Suzanne’ mixed with ‘Lawn’)

Côte des Bars (the Aube)- ‘Coat de Bar’ (that is easy enough) and ‘Oh-buh’ is how you say the more common name for the region. It sounds almost like a sound you would make when annoyed, which you might be, since this region has two names.

Check the blog often for more tips, wine news, and tasting notices!

http://aws-pittsburgh.blogspot.com/