RSS
Home
Friday Night Lights, Mad Dawg 20/20 and Champagne?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
This past Friday evening, I attended the annual homecoming football game at my high school. As a high school senior, it is the game of your career…one last chance to beat the county rival. All across the country football homecoming games are being played, king's and queen's are being crowned, senior players write short memoirs to be read thanking their parents; and finally sixty minutes of blood, sweat and tears ensues.
It’s hard to believe I have been out of school for fifteen years; but I guess in the grand scheme of time, it is a relatively short period. As I talked with some people from my class and some classes after mine, I realized how much things change; and how much they stay the same. Teenagers are still “smokin’ in the boy’s room” and drinking “Mad Dawg 20/20” at parties. Oh, the days when “2-buck chuck” was really; well, two bucks we should have “chuck-ed” in another direction [perhaps for a condom instead].
I remember quite a different atmosphere on a particular Friday night in college. It was 1996, and we had made it to the ECAC Championships. The Frostburg Bobcats would prove victorious and I would get a ring, but what had changed? Well, for starters you play on Saturday in college and the “parties” are much different. This is not your “red cup/ blue cup” fraternity house party, but rather a pre-victory [one hopes] soiree. It is also not pizza and wings. No, at a college pre-game venue the menu is likely to be a mixed greens salad with mandarin oranges and citrus poppy seed vinaigrette, prime rib with thyme au jus, red skin mashed potatoes, fresh cut green beans with slivers of almonds and wine or champagne. On this particular night, both wine and champagne was served.
As I mentioned in my previous article here, grapes must be grown in the Champagne region of France to be labeled “Champagne.” I also mentioned a few other options including sparkling wine and “Cava”; sparkling wine from Spain [read: Value]. So in the spirit of “chucking” history in favour of quality, I would like to offer a few “sparkling” recommendations sure to make your own holiday soirees memorable.
Personally I have always been a fan of Moet White Star. Consider it to be a go-to bottle. You can usually find Moet at any respectable wine shop and you can expect to spend around (50) beans. However; while this would not be categorized as “expensive” champagne, I realize that it is a splurge for some. I would say that it is an easy find and will impress any who attend your holiday gatherings.
A much more palatable option is Dom Martinolles Le Berceau Blanquette de Limoux, France. This “bubbly” is a relative value in the marketplace with plenty of flavour to offer. It is made using the Mauzac grape, a traditional grape to the Limoux region. You can expect plenty of balanced effervescence and hints of melon and spice. At under (20) beans, this one is a touchdown that will have your guests doing the “Ickey Shuffle.”
An excellent mid-range option to consider from California comes from Iron Horse. A bottle of the 2004 vintage can still be acquired for (33) beans. It scored 92 points from the Wine Enthusiast and is a classy blend of 32% Chardonnay and 68% Pinot Noir. It is aged an average of four years “on the lees” [read: Yeast] and is very rich and creamy. This is an excellent bottle if your intentions are to induce the “Wow!” factor; as the bubbles in this wine are large, rapidly rising pearls worthy of hypnotizing any woman into your submission. For those of you hoping to present an image more like “James Bond”, Cecile from finewine.com recommends Trouillard Extra Selection Brut, France. To be completely successful, I propose that you also learn to open the bottle with a sword...as James would.
Finally, I would like to offer you a rose. The rose colour is accomplished in the same manner as red wine [because all wine juice is clear] by leaving the skins from Pinot Noir grapes float on top during the fermentation process. While you will see these advertised more often around Valentine’s Day, they offer a certain allure that separates them [and therefore you] from the huddle. While not Laurent, Cristal or Dom Perignon; try Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. For about (50) beans, this is a “rose-petal” coloured bubbly that will keep your patrons in the game.
Champagne in the classic form is made using a combination of only three wine grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Some of the more famous houses include Moet & Chandon, Laurent-Perrier, Roederer, Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot…just to name a few
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
