Texan Magazine
By Jim Peterson
Wine Enthusiast & Instagram Wine Influencer
In my not-so-secret wine life, you can almost always find me on Saturdays at “JS Fine Wines” store in San Antonio. I am one of the resident staff experts, involved in the Saturday wine tastings and working with customers to help them better understand and select wines. The “JS Fine Wines” customers love sparkling wines, so we very often lead the weekly tasting with bubbles. The store is always on the lookout for new and different sparkling wines to fit our customers’ tastes and budgets.
Like our customers, you may wish you could enjoy bubbles more often too – but just not at the expense of fine Champagne. It is an easy problem to solve.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST ALTERNATIVES TO CHAMPAGNE?
What are some good options when a friend has invited you to hang out by the pool with them? Which bubbles are the most refreshing? Which ones might pair better with food? The great news for wine lovers is there are plenty of high-quality non-Champagne sparkling wines out there. Best of all, there are a multitude of values to be had. As you are perusing the bubbles section, I hope to give you enough information to help you make some reasonable choices that should be more than enjoyable for you and your palate.
UNDERSTANDING CRÉMANT
In France there is a subset of sparkling wines typically referred to as Crémant. These wines are made using the same technique as Champagne. Crémant wines are made in eight different regions within France – Bourgogne (i.e. Burgundy), Alsace, Loire, Jura, Bordeaux, Savoie, Limoux, and Die. The wine label will always state the region with “Crémant de (region).” The grapes used in each may vary. Whereas Champagne mainly uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meuniere, the grapes in the Crémant wines vary greatly.
In Bourgogne you can expect to find Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, while in Bordeaux they typically use Merlot but Cabernet Sauvignon and a few other Bordeaux red and white grapes may be found. The Loire Valley Crémant production is centered around the Anjou and Touraine appellations and generally use Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Noir. The Crémant d’Alsace grapes include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Oddly, if the Crémant d’Alsace is a rosé it must be 100% Pinot Noir. There are a wide variety of grapes used in Jura including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Savagnin, Pinot Gris, and Trousseau. Then Limoux includes Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac (locally called Blanquette), and Pinot Noir. Savoie may have Jacquère, Altesse, Chardonnay, Chasselas, and Aligoté. Finally, Die has mostly the Clairette grape. If you have never heard of many of these grapes, or even the regions themselves, you are not alone. The fact is many are just not imported to the US market in large volumes.
Isn’t it amazing how vast the world of wine is? Could you imagine this diversity in one designation of sparkling wine? There is so much to experience if you choose to do it. Aside from Crémant, there are many other sparkling French wines that are not Crémant. These can be found in the Loire Valley, the Languedoc region, and others. Most of the French non-Champagne bubbles will be crisp and dry, in a similar way to Brut Champagne, but will not carry the hefty price tag you often see with Champagne.
PRO TIP: In my experience there is only one way to properly open Champagne or sparkling wine. Please forego the flying popped cork or the various forms of sabrage (using a sword, knife, or many other items to crack the top of the bottle off without pulling the cork). The real wine pro uses a towel to hold the bottle and the cork, slowly twisting the bottle to gently extract the cork. A technique I use is a slight downward tilt on the cork as it is almost extracted fully to quietly release the pressure. There should only be a mild hiss when properly opening bubbles. That is the proper way to do it.
PROSECCO
It is not possible to talk about sparkling wines without mentioning Prosecco. Who has never tried a Prosecco? It is the most widely produced sparkling wine on the planet with over 480 million bottles made annually. That is astounding. Even though it is ubiquitous, I suspect many cannot name the grape used in Prosecco. Do you know? It is called Glera. Let’s be honest. Prosecco, as a wine, is just fun. What is the most cost-effective sparkling wine to use for a Mimosa at Sunday brunch? Prosecco! But let me tell you a little secret. Prosecco has gotten much more interesting lately because in 2020 it was finally allowed to designate their sparkling rosé as Prosecco. Why did it take so long when they have been making rosé for quite some time (just not labeling it as Prosecco)?
There was a lot of effort put into designating what wine could be classified as a Prosecco rosé, and this makes it worth trying. The base wine must still be 85% Glera, but the only red wine allowed to impart the color is from the Pinot Noir grape. This was done to ensure a higher level of quality to the category. Trust me; it worked. And the best part? The Prosecco rosé is very reasonably priced. This is a bottle to buy for a hot summer day. Do yourself a favor and try some Prosecco rosé soon. It is so tasty!
ALL AROUND THE WORLD
There are other countries in the world producing excellent sparkling wine. Look no further than our home country. There are some classic sparkling wines being made in the United States – most from California – but lately wineries in the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York and even Oregon are producing sparkling wines worth seeking out. Lately I have tasted some excellent bubbles from Argentina, where the well-known winery Tapiz has both a white Brut made from the Torrontés grape and a lovely sparkling Malbec rosé.
Spain has a variety of sparkling wines known as Cava. I have been hit or miss on Cava for several years, but lately I have tried some vintage Cava wines from Roger Goulart that really impressed me. I found the Goulart vintage Brut and rosé to be quite delicious. You may come across another sparkling wine from Northern Italy, Franciacorta, produced in the Lombardy region. It is often compared to Champagne because Chardonnay represents about 80% of the grapes used and the style very much mirrors wines from Champagne. Finally, do not forget about Lambrusco! There are some outstanding examples of this Italian sparkling red wine from dry to sweet. While Lambrusco may have a poor reputation, it is an excellent summer food wine.
As you can see there is a wide variety of sparkling wines beyond Champagne out there to be enjoyed. Whether Champagnes are typically beyond your budget, or you just need something easy on the wallet as a crowd pleaser for a party or larger event, there are many options out there to please both the palate and the pocketbook. My advice, as always, is to keep experimenting until you taste some favorites. I also recommend finding a good wine store with an expert staff to help you discover new bubbles to try. In this great big world of wine, you will never run out of options.
A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS
California Producers – Schramsberg, J Vineyards, and the Champagne House ventures like Mumm Napa, Domaine Chandon US, Domaine Carneros (by Taittinger), and Roederer Estate
Prosecco – Belussi (both blanc and rosé), Tenuta Santome, La Marca, and Zonin
Argentina – Tapiz (as mentioned above), and Almacita (fantastic Blanc de Blancs and rosé)
Fun Finds – Domaine Sérol Turbullent (a Gamay sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley), and Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant (from Languedoc)
Just remember that “Brut” means dry. Any “Sec” or “Demi-Sec” will be sweeter. Happy hunting!
Follow Jim on Instagram, @tx_wine_pilot, for more wine tips and reviews.
Biography:
Jim Peterson is a retired U.S. Air Force officer who mainly flew the A-10 fighter jet. He has ties to the wine business going back over 20 years and is an avid wine collector. His extensive wine knowledge includes travel to many wine regions while living in Europe, many tastings led by Master Sommeliers, and ongoing personal wine exploration and self-study. He has cultivated a large following on his Instagram account, @tx_wine_pilot, tasting and reporting on wines from vintage to value. He now works in marketing and resides in San Antonio, Texas.
