Proseccos, Cavas and Cremant deBourgogne

December
is certainly the time for festive drinking and Champagne is
usually the first pick as a celebratory wine during the
holidays. But for some of our clients, Champagne isn’t
necessarily an option because of the price tag, and
sometimes it just doesn’t work economically for what we as
wine professionals have in mind. Sparkling wines have also
become popular year ’round items and cost is certainly a
factor. We’ve seen tremendous growth in sales of lower cost
wines, and the same customers would probably appreciate an
affordable glass of bubbly.

Many restaurants
these days are featuring cocktails such as Kir Royals and
Bellinis and using a good sparkler in lieu of Champagne is a
cost-efficient yet good quality alternative. In fact, I
greeted guests at my own wedding reception with Kir Royals
made with a sparkling wine from Jura. Non-Champagne
sparkling wines are also good choices for when that
unfortunate customer recovery moment arrives – when
something has gone terribly wrong and you have to win them
back on the spot. It can also serve as a wonderful reminder
of travels when someone has visited a sparkling wine region
other than Champagne and wants to experience the same wine
again.

For a while,
sparkling wines other than Champagne were lower quality, but
over time the regions have become better than better.
Champagne is not the only bubbles on the block anymore and
our clients should take notice. Granted, Champagne is still
what all other sparkling wines are benchmarked against and
some of the sparkling wines I’ve tasted have taken that
target for quality and style to heart. At half the price, a
couple of the wines I reviewed for this article are
certainly on par to some of the non-vintage offerings made
by a few of the major Champagne houses.

One of these
outstanding wines is from Cava, a region in Spain that makes
wines according to the Champagne method using three local
grapes: Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. In addition, since
1986 Chardonnay has become one of the authorized grapes and
some ambitious producers have broken with tradition by
making a Chardonnay-only Cava. Unlike any other Spanish DO,
Cava was not restricted to a single delimited area until
Spain joined the European Union in 1986.

At that time,
the EU successfully pressured the country into requiring
Cava be made from prescribed regions, so all Cava since then
must be made from sparkling wines in the areas of Catalonia,
Valencia, Aragon, Navarra, Rioja and the Basque. The
regulation means very little in a practical sense, though,
as 95% of Cava is, and always has been, made in the
Catalonian region near the town of San Sadurni de
Noya

Another
alternative to Champagne is Prosecco, Italy’s most famous
sparkling wine. It is made in the northeastern part of the
country and listed as the DOCs of Prosecco, Prosecco di
Conegliano, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene or Prosecco Cartizze.
Prosecco is easy to remember as the main grape as well as
the region. The finer examples of Prosecco are usually
completely made from said grape, however fifteen percent of
other grapes such as Verduzzo, Bianchetta and Perera can be
used. The grapes grow on the steep hills to either side of
the Soligo River with Prosecco di Conegliano to the east and
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene to the west. The theory is that
Conegliano’s wines are softer, while Valdobbiadene’s tighter
and more elegant. However, the difference is really not that
noticeable. What is noticeable is the superiority of wines
from Cartizze (Superior di Cartizze), a sub zone of
Valdobbiadene with particularly steep slopes, which brings
more complexity to the wine, and a much cooler microclimate,
which lends more acidity, the more the better for sparkling
wine. The majority of Superior di Cartizze is made in a
semi-sweet style.

All Prosecco is
made via the Charmat method, otherwise known as the Tank or
Cuve Close. Unlike Champagne, where the secondary
fermentation is done in the bottle, the Charmat method
differs by having the secondary fermentation and filtration
done in tank, and then bottled under pressure. It is
important to note the difference between the spelling of the
Charmat method and Cramant Grand Cru vineyard in Champagne.
At first glance many of our clients, in my experience, can
become confused by the terms.

Last, but not
least, there are the Cremants, the lesser-known sparkling
wine from France that is over-shadowed by Champagne. Cremant
is the general term for sparkling wine made in France made
with Champagne Method outside of Champagne appellation and
with less atmospheric pressure. In the late 198Os the term
Cremant was born when the European Union outlawed the use of
the term Methode Champenoise by anyone other than Champagne.
(Yes, I just used it, I’m sure a tactical team from Reims is
being dispatched right now armed with Balthazars.) Before
the change to the European Union laws, Cremant had referred
to slightly less bubbly Champagnes whose bottle pressure was
two to three times atmosphere compared to Champagne’s five
or six. Krug, for instance in the late 197Os made a
Cremant.

Today, Cremant
is made throughout France in regions other than in
Champagne. You can find Cremants from Loire, Limoux, Alsace,
Burgundy and even Bordeaux. The grapes allowed will overlap
with other approved varietals of the area; however within
those, a few are not permitted. For example Sauvignon Blanc
is denied as a varietal for Cremant de Loire as it a grape
that does not work well as a sparkling wine.

Cremant de
Bourgogne is most similar to Champagne. It was called
Bourgogne Mousseux before the changes to the appellation in
the 197Os and used to have popular commercial appeal.
Considering the grapes of Bourgogne are almost completely
the same as Champagne (the exceptions are Gamay and Aligote)
I’m surprised Cremant to Bourgogne doesn’t have such
popularity now. All the ones I’ve tasted that are the
vintage or top cuvees have a Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend or
just Chardonnay which could easily hold their own against
some houses of non-vintage Champagne.