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Tiny Bubbles

The captivating sensation of sparkling wine paired with memorable food and memorable people

Article by Greg Neruda + Tara Bruner

Photography by Provided

Originally published in Meridian Lifestyle

Yes please, I’ll have some Co2 in my white wine.

Best served chilled with appetizers, friends, and, of course, special occasions, Champagne is perhaps the most protected name on the planet.  White sparkling wine, famous in northern France and exported from there, has a storybook history.  

Early white wine makers in France, like Pierre (Dom) Perignon, worked diligently and meticulously to prevent a second fermentation in a bottle that produced gas bubbles and ruined their white wine.  Often the bottles exploded and caused a chain reaction, destroying many bottles in the cellar. Dom Perignon made excellent white wine, not Champagne, and being a Benedictine monk he was not allowed to lose his temper or cuss when his bottles exploded.  Wouldn’t this be a great Masterpiece Theater?    

Thankfully, the French made the best of a difficult winemaking situation. Madame Barbe Nicole Ponsardin (and later the widow [Veuve] Clicquot), pioneered the method of making sparkling white wine.  We have her to thank for getting tipsy at a wedding.

When the famous French method is copied outside of Champagne, you have method traditionnelle or method classique.  Then you are free to make bubbles and call it anything you want…other than Champagne.

Excellent versions of this classic method come to us from Italy, Spain, France, California and too many other places to mention.  Good bubbly is often under $30.  Look for Cremant in France, outside of the Champagne region.  At a fraction of the cost, it can be every bit as good as Champagne.   Franciacorta is the Italian (method traditionnelle) sparkling wine as well as some of the finest producers of Prosecco in the world.  

Just as much fun as drinking is learning how to pronounce all these wines and regions.  It’s a daunting task best accompanied by several glasses of Champagne, Prosecco, Cremant or Cava.  In order, that’s France, Italy, France, and Spain.

That’s where we like to travel (again someday) and enjoy the captivating sensation of sparkling wine paired with memorable food and memorable people.   

Cheers and Happy Holidays with your favorite bubbly.

PERSON INFO BOX

We are a Father-Daughter team who loves to enjoy delicious wine and food! This is our passion and our love for food and drink is based on years of research and experience. OliveAndVyneWine.com

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