Every Monday, discover new wines, regions, and ways to understand this fermenting sea.
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Munching Vidal Blanc on Keuka Lake, New York
Tag Archives: Champagne
Thirsty Thursday World Cup Wine: Berlucchi, Franciacorta, ’61 Brut Rosé
Celebrate 2014’s already mad World Cup with bubbly. But not just any bubbly, Italy’s answer to Champagne: Franciacorta DOCG.
Betwixt Brescia and Lake Iseo, this designation tries to one up the French. Like Champagne, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are king (but with some Pinot Blanc and no Meunier). Like Champagne, each bottle undergoes secondary fermentation in cellars to fizz them up. 18 months are the minimum (compared to Champagne’s paltry 15, meanwhile Prosecco cuts corners in a massive tank). This bottle ferment means extra, integrated buzz and increased autolytic magic. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Brescia, bubbly, Champagne, Daniele de Rossi, DDR, Fifa, Franciacorta, italy, Lake Iseo, pinot blanc, Pirlo, wine, World Cup, World Cup 2014
4 Comments
Blow Minds Valentine’s Day with Bollinger, La Grande Année, 2004, Brut, Champagne, France
Valentine’s Day is Friday. You’re screwed. Posh restaurants filled up months ago. Not a single gift works. All that survives are roses from Columbia and chocolate that tastes worse than the heart box it spawned from.
You want to wow that significant other? Well procrastinator, Wayward Wine will help you blow their mind.
Buy Champagne. Not Prosecco. Not Moscatto. Not beer. Not “Sparkling Wine” in a box. Just buy Champagne, from France.
But to truly stop their heart, splurge on vintage Champagne. You can tell them that most Champagne is a (cheaper) non-vintage blend upwards of thirty harvests. Vintage Champagne is only made in those rare years, when conditions (meteorological and economical) are ideal. Each release tastes different because each year was different. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2004, Bollinger, Brut, Champagne, France, La Grande Année, Valentine, Valentine's Day
6 Comments
Counting Down: How to Crack Champagne for New Year’s Eve
The countdown begins. Eyes watch the ball drop. 3. 2. 1.
Corks crack open, impale an uncle, and flutes fill with Champagne. It disappears just as quickly. But between the hugs, huzzahs, resolutions, and regrets, you wonder: was that $40 plus bottle of Frenchness worth it?
It tasted fine. Maybe a bit tart, or a bit fruity, or a bit toasty. But memorable? Maybe it was too cold. Maybe the excitement distracted you. But we here at Wayward Wine blame New Year’s Eve. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2014, Blue Top, Bordeaux, Brut, Champagne, France, Heidsieck & Co Monopole, New year, Non Vintage, Paris, Prosecco, Sparkling wine
4 Comments
Festive Fizz: Skip Champagne for Sparkling Wine from Limoux, France for New Year’s
Holiday parties, like the blob, suck all your time. New Year’s Day, like Dick Clark’s ghost, looms. Appetizers stare at us, like piranha on small plates. We need bubbly.
But we tire of bargain Prosecco. Champagne cost too much to share. American bubbly is either too cheap, or too expensive. Cava works, but seems too familiar.
Enter Limoux:
The Pyrenees Mountains cut France and Spain apart. Their foothills form Limoux: a region just south of the medieval fortress town of Caracassonne. Inland and high up, both Mediterranean warmth and Atlantic cold make Limoux the coolest region this far south in France. Its soil is equally rough: full of rocky, sandstone, limestone, and clay.
Cold temperatures, challenging soil, high elevations: the perfect recipe for quality bubbly. Continue reading
Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, Limoux, Sparkling
Tagged Alfons Mucha, Blanquette de Limoux, Boucheron, Caracassonne, Champagne, chenin blanc, Dick Clark, France, French New Wave, Languedoc, languedoc-roussillon, Limoux, Limoux wine, mauzac, Mauzac grape, Mucha, Pyrenees, Sparkling wine, St-Hilaire
4 Comments
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