How to pick the best bottle of bubbly?
Here is a short how to in a nutshell:
1. Know the difference. Champagne is only made in Champagne, France. It has the finest bubbles, it is made of traditional expensive grapes and fermented in the bottle. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine, still fermented in the bottle, but uses less expensive grapes and has larger bubbles than Champagne. Prosecco is made in Italy, fermented in tanks and has the coarsest bubbles. Sparkling wine is no more than a generic term to call any fizzy wine.
2. Find your sweet tooth. Doux is the sweetest bubbly. Demi-Sec, Sec and Extra Sec – less sweet in that order. Brut and Extra Brut – least sweet, dry sparkling wine. Usually, you will find that Prosecco is the sweetest, Cava is less sweet, while Champagnes are dry.
3. When pairing with food, simply match the drink with the dish. Sweet sparkling wine goes well with desserts, Cava compliments spicy Asian dishes and Champagne can be enjoyed with seafood, salads or by itself.
4. And the myth. Have you ever listened to your aunt and inserted a spoon, handle down, into the neck of a bottle hoping to preserve the bubbles? Well, only a proper Champagne bottle stopper seems to do the trick.
1. Know the difference. Champagne is only made in Champagne, France. It has the finest bubbles, it is made of traditional expensive grapes and fermented in the bottle. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine, still fermented in the bottle, but uses less expensive grapes and has larger bubbles than Champagne. Prosecco is made in Italy, fermented in tanks and has the coarsest bubbles. Sparkling wine is no more than a generic term to call any fizzy wine.
2. Find your sweet tooth. Doux is the sweetest bubbly. Demi-Sec, Sec and Extra Sec – less sweet in that order. Brut and Extra Brut – least sweet, dry sparkling wine. Usually, you will find that Prosecco is the sweetest, Cava is less sweet, while Champagnes are dry.
3. When pairing with food, simply match the drink with the dish. Sweet sparkling wine goes well with desserts, Cava compliments spicy Asian dishes and Champagne can be enjoyed with seafood, salads or by itself.
4. And the myth. Have you ever listened to your aunt and inserted a spoon, handle down, into the neck of a bottle hoping to preserve the bubbles? Well, only a proper Champagne bottle stopper seems to do the trick.
