There’s nothing like a champagne toast to ring in the New Year, but if you’re saving your sparkling wine for this once-a-year tradition, you’re missing out.
“Ordinary days deserve to be celebrated too,” says Jennifer Katona, category manager for Old World Wine at the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. As an appreciator of sparkling wines herself, she says bubbles have never been more popular. Consumers are happy to break out the bubbly all year-round.
Sparkling wine may seem like an indulgence, but it doesn’t have to be, says Katona. Modern advances in wine production have given consumers a wide selection of sparkling wines that range in flavour and price.
It’s important to note that not all sparkling wines can be called champagne. Sparkling wine actually refers to a broad category of bubbly styles and champagne is just one of those. Its long tenure as a luxury good was based mostly on its production process that demands attention to detail and patience. Strict Appellation d’Origine Controlee designations regulate the region, grapes and production methods used in France’s Champagne region and only wines from that region can be called as such.
Chardonnay and Pinot grapes are picked by hand, made into still wines, then blended before being bottled for a second fermentation that lasts for a minimum of 15 months.
It’s a complex process that explains, in part, why champagne can cost a bit more than the average sparkling wine. Lucky for consumers, traditional champagne isn’t the only sparkling wine on the market.
The NSLC has sparkling wines for every palate and budget. Katona gives us a rundown of some of her favourites:
Lamarca Prosecco is the NSLC’s top-selling prosecco and Katona calls it a “pop-the-cork crowd pleaser.”
Prosecco, like champagne, is regulated by a regional denomination that ensures production and quality standards are met. It comes from the Veneto region in Northern Italy, where vineyards are often situated on rolling hillsides with altitudes that help keep a higher acidity needed for good sparkling wine production.
On the palate, Katona finds notes of crisp apple, white peach and a touch of honey and says it pairs well with rich and salty foods. Try serving prosecco with the NSLC’s wild mushroom arancini or potato gruyere tart.
The result is a playful pink sparkling that’s weightier in body and loaded with notes of red currant and raspberry. The structure and tannins of this sparkling wine make it ideal for pairing with proteins like chicken or even holiday turkey.
Katona also recommends serving it with salmon. Try the NSLC’s spicy smoked salmon hand rolls.
Freixenet Cordon Negro champagne is to France as cava is to Spain, and this cava is extraordinarily well-priced, given the work it takes to produce.
Freixenet is a family-run winery outside of Barcelona and they stick to traditional sparkling wine methods using juice from Spain’s own Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes.
Tropical flavours like pineapple and melon show up in this cava alongside the typical notes of green apple and pear. Wine lovers should also note this cava’s smokiness – it’s a distinctive trait in Spanish cava.
Nova Scotia’s no slouch when it comes to its sparkling wines so it’s not surprising to find a local sparkling wine like Benjamin Bridge Method Classique NV on Katona’s list of favourites.
Nova Scotia’s cooler climate and high soil minerality are uncannily similar to those found in champagne, and Benjamin Bridge takes full advantage. Using champagne’s traditional method, they create a sparkling wine with one foot in the Old World and one foot in the New.
In addition to local varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are used in the blend with results that are incredibly impressive. The bubbles offer a creamy mousse with flavours of dried fruit and green apple shine. Katona also finds a peculiar smokiness in this sparkling, which rivals champagne in its complexity.
The widow (‘veuve’ in french) Clicquot was the first woman to be a predominant figure in the business of champagne and revolutionized the industry with many of the production methods still practiced in champagne to this day.
If you want to taste a bit of history, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label has been on the market since 1877. Like many champagne houses, it has a signature palate known for a high proportion of Pinot Noir with notes of citrus, anise and toasty brioche.
It’s classic champagne luxury in a glass.
Whatever you’re drinking, Katona recommends either 30 minutes in an ice bucket or about 90 minutes in the fridge, as sparkling wine’s flavours are best expressed when chilled.
For celebrating the holidays or toasting to a long week, the NSLC’s got you covered for sparkling wine this season and all year.
For more food and sparkling wine pairing ideas, head to blogger Kayla Short’s blog for her Bubbly Night In.
