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All About Bubbly: A Guide to Champagne Jargon

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:15:10 -0700

Whether you're celebrating a wedding, honeymoon, graduation, or just the fact that it's Friday, you're probably raising a glass of champagne. Of course, not all sparkling wine is classified as champagne, and that's just the start of the confusing jargon. To help you choose the bubbly that's right for you, I've put together a guide to all of the relevant vocab, so you can sort out the doux from the cru.

Champagne: Sparkling wine produced in the French region of the same name. The "champagne" definition was protected by the Treaty of Versailles, but since the US never officially signed the treaty, some American producers use the champagne name, too.
Prosecco: A sparkling wine produced in Italy, mostly in the Veneto region.
Cava: Spain's contribution to the champagne family, named for the cellars in which it is produced.
Sparkling wine: A catchall term used for any bubbly without a specific regional designation, often applied to American wines.

For a closer look at all the adjectives you'll see on a label, read more.

Brut: A dry variety of sparkling wine, and the most common.
Extra brut: The driest of the dry. Also sometimes called brut sauvage.
Extra dry: Not to be confused with "extra brut," these wines are only slightly dry - a midpoint between sweet and dry champagnes.
Sec: Slightly sweet, even though the name actually translates to "dry" in French.
Doux: The very sweetest sparkler, typically served as a dessert wine.
Demi-sec: A bit sweeter than sec, but not as sweet as doux.
Cuvee: A rather confusing term that basically means that the bottle comes from a blend of wines, often kept secret by the maker.
Grand cru: A wine that comes from the highest quality vineyards.
Vintage: A wine produced from a single year of grapes, versus nonvintage, which combines several years.

Got more champagne decoding tips to add? Share them in the comments below.
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Happy Hour: Bubbly Sparkling Wine

partysugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:43:32 -0800

The other day a lively lady named Anita visited me and she was bearing gifts: three bottles of Bubbly! No, that capitalized B is not a typo, she didn't bring me Champagne she brought me a new brand of sparkling wine called Bubbly that comes all the way from Slovenia. It's Slovenia's (say it out loud it's totally funtastic) premiere, estate grown, hand bottled sparkling wine. Bubbly comes in three chic varietals: Bubbly Bliss is made with Chardonnay grapes, the pink Bubbly Lovely is made with Pinot Noir grapes, and Bubbly Luck is made mostly with Welschriezling grapes. Bubbly has subtle fruit notes such as citrus, apple, and berries with an unusual and unique structure. It doesn't taste like champagne its much lighter and smoother. Anita not only gave me a bottle of each to sample she also gave me a few recipes to share with you ladies, so read more

Bubbly Cocktail Recipes
From Anita Brey

Blissfully Bubbly Cosmo

Chilled Bubbly Bliss
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Shot of Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Twist of fresh lime
Dash of sugar

Mix juice, Cointreau or Grand Marnier, sugar and lime together.
Pour into champagne flute, top off glass with Bubbly.

The Lucky Pom-Pom

1 part Pomegranate juice
3 parts Bubbly Luck
Dash of Campari
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish

Mix liquids and pour into flute or martini glasses, top with pomegranate seeds.

Brave Velvety Bliss

This drink is traditionally called The Black Velvet. It is nearly 150 years old. It was invented at the Brook's Club, London in 1861. Only for the brave!

Half glass of stout beer
Chilled Bubbly Bliss

Tilt the glass and slowly pour in chilled Bubbly Bliss.

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Bubbly 101

YumSugar — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 00:05:13 -0800

I can't deny it, I love champagne. It's just one of those things, like painted nails, Marc Jacobs handbags, and vanilla cupcakes, that I wholeheartedly love. I find myself inventing reasons to pop open a bottle of bubbly and my desire to know more about champagne extends beyond the usual mmm-this-tastes-yummy interest.

I've decided that champagne, or any sparkling wine really, is a drink of glamorous sophistication and simplistic elegance and should be treated as such. Basically in order for me to truly appreciate champagne, I need to fully understand it. For my lesson on sparklers, read more

All champagne is sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is champagne. The name champagne refers to the sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of northeast France.
At the end of World War I, the name champagne was actually protected in the Treaty of Versailles, sort of patenting the drink to classify only those sparkling wines made from Champagne's grapes. However the U.S. never officially signed the treaty, therefore some American producers of sparkling wines have named their product champagne. For example, Korbel produces a sparkling wine on American soil and has named it champagne.

Sparkling wines are produced in many places throughout the world, and like champagne have various names based on the location of their production. The sparkling wines that are produced in Italy are called prosecco or spumante. Spain's sparkling wines are called cava and a German produced sparkling wine is called sekt. Unfortunately the sparkling wine that is produced in California and New York was never coined a fun and fabulous name, and is plainly christened sparkling wine.
Sparkling wines are labeled based on their sweetness. Sparkling wines are either sweet or dry. A dry bubbly has no sweet taste. If you take a look at a bottle of sparkling wine, you will notice that there is no mention of sweetness or dryness. However you may notice the words, brut or sec, both of which refer to the sweetness of the wine. Here's my handy dandy quick translation:

Doux: is the sweetest type of sparkling wine out there thus making it a dessert sparkling wine (over 5% sugar).
Demi-sec: not quite as sweet as doux, still very sweet (3.3 - 5% sugar).
Sec: although in French it literally translates to dry, this sparkling wine is sweet (1.7 - 3.5% sugar).
Extra dry: is in between and has both hints of sweetness and dryness (1.2 - 2% sugar).
Brut: is the most common type of sparkling wine, and is dry (less than 1.5% sugar).
Extra Brut: is the driest of the sparkling wines or the least sweet tasting.

Sparkling wines are best served cold at 45°.
Do not leave sparkling wines in the fridge for an overextended period of time because prolonged exposure to cold could make it taste flat.
Use tall and narrow glasses to make more bubbles.
You can determine the value of a sparkling wine by examining the size of the bubbles. The most expensive sparklers have the smallest bubbles, about 50 million bubbles per bottle!

Read more about the process of making sparkling wine.

Champagne Stopper Is the Perfect Little Party Gift

partysugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:00:55 -0700

I'm always on the look out for new gift ideas because it's nice to give something other than a candle. When there's not enough time to make an edible treat, I like to give girlfriends and couples this fabulous Champagne stopper. It's incredibly useful and not an item most people already have.

Oh and did I mention it's affordable? At $7.00 a pop, it's hard to believe this stopper was specially crafted for the Bubble Lounge. It keeps bubbly fresh for days and fits easily in a utensil drawer. The stopper would make a great party favor, addition to a goodie bag, or thank-you for a bridesmaid. Pair with a bottle of bubbly and you've got the ultimate hostess gift! What's your favorite little gift?

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How Big is the Biggest Bubble, and Other Bubble Gum Questions

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:13:11 -0700

This past weekend, Bubblicious bubble gum and NBA All-Star LeBron James crowned three victors at the Ultimate Bubble-Blowing League Blowout Tournament. The competition, which was divided into three age groups: 8-10, 11-14, 15+, challenged folks to blow the biggest bubble possible. The winners were Marissa Chamison, 10, with a 5 3/4-inch bubble; Justine Muldonian, 14, with a 5-inch bubble; and Nathan Drosotoulos, 17, with a 4 3/4-inch bubble.

All this bubble blowing talk made me wonder how much you actually know about bubble gum. Are you ready to test your knowledge? Source

Take the quiz

Happy Hour: Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay

partysugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:27:33 -0700

Recently I had the chance to taste Barefoot's new Bubbly Chardonnay. Like a classic Chardonnay, it has a fresh fruit aroma, citrus apple flavor, and golden straw color. The body is refreshing and buoyant and the finish is crisp and light. The best thing about this bubbly is the incredible price; I've spotted it at Trader Joe's for only $4.99!

If you plan on hosting a Mother's Day brunch or shower and need to stock up on a good, affordable sparkling wine, I highly recommend you try Barefoot's Bubbly Chardonnay. It also makes a perfect bubbly for cocktails like a mimosa or bellini.

Bubble Scrubber: Love It Or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:17:41 -0700

This new bubble scrubber ($4.99) makes dishwashing a little more fun. However, I can't help but recall all the sticky residue bubble wands left all-over. I mean, there was a reason my mom banned bubbles to the bathtub and backyard, right? So what do you think, would you use this in your house?

Yum, Yum Bubble Gum

partysugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:35:11 -0700

Get excited, it's National Bubble Gum week! To commemorate the occasion, I did what I always do, I put together a quiz of fun facts. Do you know much about bubble gum? Find out now and take the quiz!

Source

Take the quiz

Bravo Picks Up Second Season of Top Chef Masters

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:30:52 -0700

As Bravo's Top Chef Las Vegas reaches the halfway mark, the network continues to expand its Top Chef empire. First it released plans to shoot Top Chef 7, and now the network has announced that it's bringing back Top Chef Masters for a sophomore season.

The second season of Masters, which was the highest-rated first season competition series in Bravo history, will see the return of Gael Greene, James Oseland, and Jay Rayner as critics, as well as bubbly (and slightly bubbleheaded) host Kelly Choi. This time, however, Top Chef veteran judge Gail Simmons will also have a place at the Critics' Table.

Now for the fun part. Guessing who will star on the show next. Any takers? Here are my guesses: While it sounds like Ming Tsai probably won't be a contender, what about Marcus Samuelsson, Tom Douglas, Kent Rathbun, and Charlie Palmer?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Come Party With Me: Pumpkin Carving - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:21 -0700

Not only is my annual pumpkin carving party about creating cool pumpkins, it's also about celebrating the flavors of Fall.

To get people in the mood to party, I'll be pouring a potent punch made from pear nectar and sparkling apple cider. It's fruity, bubbly, and refreshing - what more could you ask for in a punch?

In case people want to imbibe something other than hard alcohol, I've asked my guests to bring an assortment of seasonal ales and sparkling sodas. To check out the easy punch recipe, which would be welcome at any large event, read more.

Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktails
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 cups pear nectar, chilled
2 cups sparkling apple cider, chilled
2 cups seltzer, chilled
4 ounces (1/2 cup) bourbon whiskey, such as Knob Creek
1 Bosc pear, unpeeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

Directions

Stir together pear nectar, cider, seltzer, and whiskey in a pitcher.
Divide pear wedges among glasses, and pour in cocktail. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10.

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