Letter: A well-timed primer on Champagne
Buongiorno dal Piemonte, Italia. Good morning from Piemonte, Italy.
Through the joys of the Internet where halfway across the world I can keep up with the happenings in Vail area, I spied, and enjoyed reading, Elaine Schoch’s excellent, well-timed primer on Champagne, etc.
I say “etcetera” because she covered the bases and included wines produced not only through the classical method of making sparkling wine, but also the crémant and charmat methods, the latter being a less expensive method where the bubble-producing second fermentation occurs in a tank and does not involve years of a labor-intensive second fermentation in the bottle. Prosecco, the only Italian sparkler mentioned, is produced from the charmat method.
Italy, to the surprise of many, is one of the world’s leading historical producers of metodo classico sparkling wine. Unfortunately, thanks to its less expensive price point and bad image of “spumante,” simply the Italian word for “sparkling wine,” Prosecco has overshadowed the beautiful bubbles coming from producers in Franciacorta, Trentino, and Piemonte where the first Italian spumante were produced in 1865 in Canelli.
I’ll speak to Piemonte here since in Colorado, particularly in Eagle County, one can find excellent choices of Italian metodo classico sparkling wines from the region. My favorites are from Marchesi Alfieri (Blanc de Noir), Deltetto 1953 (Alta Langa DOCG and Brut Rosé), Contratto (many choices), and Ettore Germano’s Alta Langa DOCG. You’ll find these “champagne-style” bubbles to be perfect with all the pairings Ms. Schoch mentioned and, most importantly, excellent for any day of the year.
Support Local Journalism
So trot over to your favorite wine shop — mine always was Riverwalk Wine & Spirits — and ask for Italian metodo classico sparkling wines. You’ll be delighted at the cash register and, most especially, at table with friends.
Auguri a tutti. Buon Capodanno!
Suzanne Hoffman
(Currently in Italy)
