June4
Tonight’s “Summer Champagne Extravaganza” with Food 101 Morningside and Highland Wine & Crystal was so fascinating. It was really fun to try a variety of “bubblies” – sparkling wines, champgnes, proseccos, etc. and see which ones stood out as favorites. I’ll be the first to admit that I have tasted very little in this category and none of it has been anything I’d be comfortable ordering or suggesting to other people. So I admit I am almost as close to a champagne-sparkling wine newbie as you can get. One more disclaimer – I was tasting the bubblies on their own, not paired with anything, so that might make a big impact on any final decisions. With that said, here’s my (very initial) verdict.
The tasting started with the light and sweet to heavy and dry.
NV Marquis De La Tour Brut Loire France – this first tasting was one of my top 5 favorites. It was lightly sweet, not too dry and just overall very enjoyable.
NV Louis Pedrier Rose Cote D’Or Burgundy France – compared to the first one, this wine was drier than I expected. Not bad, but I still preferred the first one.
NV Torley Grande Cuvee Hungary - Wasn’t a big fan of this one. Not really sure why…
Parxet Cava Brut Cuvee 21 Spain – Another favorite!
NV Novecento Extra Brut Argentina – Another favorite!
NV Gratien & Meyer Brut Rose Saumur France – very nice, light and sweet with nice fruit (wow… I’m realizing I’m really bad at describing the differences between most of the champagnes I like.. they’re similar but they weren’t all the same… okay, gotta work on descriptions in the future!)
NV Villa Cornaro Prosecco – AWESOME!
071 Prosecco Veneto Italy – AWESOME!
NV Jeio Bisol Prosecco Brut Italy - AWESOME! and less sweet than the first two proseccos
2004 Gruet Blanc de Blancs New Mexico – a firm and solid dislike for this one. Smelled like fermented honey… think middle ages, mead.
NV Taltarni Brut Tache Victoria Australia – TOP FAVORITE OF THIS TASTING!
NV Maxim’s Brut Chigny Les Roses Champagne - Wasn’t a big fan of this one… this will become a trend… liked almost all proseccos but hardly any of the champagnes. I’m eager to discovery why I disliked champagnes… was it just the lack of food or a very beginner palate? To be determined!
NV Beaumount Crayere Brut Epernay Champagne – Just okay…
NV Mandois Brut Origine Epernay Champagne – Nope…
NV Beaumont Brut Rose Epernay Champagne – Very nice! One of the few champagnes in positive territory for me!
NV Mandois Brut Nature Epernay Champagne – Nope…
2002 Mandois 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Epernay Champagne – Nope…
NV Maxim’s Rose Chigny Les Roses Champagne – Yes!
NV Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Salon Sur Champagne – The driest of the bunch and apparently a stellar wine according to those in the know. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan. We’ll see if that changes over time.