Dedicated to discussing affordable wines

Reviewing champagnes and sparkling wines is always a lot of fun. They happen to be one of our favorite types of wine, and somehow, by evening’s end, the effervescence in the glass manages to transform a group of serious tasters into a party of sparkling conversationalists. Indeed, maintaining our focus and objectivity while conducting such a tasting takes a good deal of work. Nevertheless, I think we succeeded and managed to accurately evaluate nine bubblies and to separate the good from the bad.

It’s always been my contention that when buying champagne or sparkling whites, as with any wine, a high price tag does not guarantee high quality. That’s not to say that some of the great vintage Champagnes from renowned houses like Roederer’s Cristal, Salon’s Clos de Mesnil, or Pol Roger’s Cuvee Winston Churchill are not worth their lofty prices; these beautiful bottles always rank among the very best. However, there are some highly priced offerings out there that sit on the same shelves as these, but that, at least in my opinion, don’t always deliver what they promise. Although these wines are not actually bad, they just don’t merit their asking prices. In fact, even in our tasting of bubblies under $20, which reside a few shelves down from the aforementioned rarefied beauties, some of the least expensive far outshone their more costly competitors, a few of which were disappointments and others, just outright bad.

Given the state of the economy these days, a lot of us will probably be looking for ways to celebrate special days like Valentine’s Day a little more frugally than before. So, here are a couple of guidelines.

• Get more bang for the buck with non-vintage Champagne. After all, when blending a non-vintage champagne, the well known houses have a whole palate of vintages from which they can select to achieve a blend that reflects their particular style, whether it be full bodied (e.g., Veuve Clicquot and Bollinger are among my favorites), medium bodied (Pol Roger, Moet & Chandon), or light bodied (Taittinger).
• Look for domestic wines made by good foreign producers. I have found, at least here in the U.S., that French houses like Roederer, or Taittinger are producing elegant and tasty alternatives to the imports. They have all the hallmarks of a good champagne: good mousse (bubbly foam), fine perlage (steady streams of small to tiny bubbles), and great taste.
• Seek out imported sparkling wines that are not Champagne. Remember that “Champagne” is a specific appellation just like “Bordeaux” or “Burgundy.” Wines made with the same or a similar method as Champagne but that come from another district may not legally be called “Champagne,” although they may be kissing cousins. For instance, a Cremant de Bourgogne or a Cotes du Jura is reasonably priced yet still possesses all the old-world style and finesse that we expect from a Champagne. And these days, there seems to be a wide selection of high-quality, affordable Prosecco.
• Look for fine domestic producers. Names like Schramsberg and Iron Horse produce some wonderful sparklers. Granted these producers make some pretty expensive wines as well, but they can be considerably more affordable than imports without sacrificing quality.
• Ask your wine merchant. If you have a knowledgeable wine merchant that you trust and who has recommended good selections in the past, ask him or her to suggest a reasonably priced sparkling wine. Be sure to make clear, however, exactly what your tastes are. Do you like your sparklers dry, or sweet, or somewhere in the middle? Do you plan to serve the wine with dinner or as an aperitif? Also try to find bottles that are still in boxes or are at least protected from direct light. Light can damage a good bottle.
• Look for sales. I have found that just after Thanksgiving, Champagne and sparkling wines seem to go on sale for about a week or so. This is just a personal observation and not based on any marketing surveys or research. You might also go shopping right after the holidays and pick up some bargains. This is the time to buy a variety of these wines and find the ones you like. If you have the proper storage space, stock up for next year. But on second thought, it’s hard to resist popping those corks. You’ll probably find yourself celebrating anything you can think of, like Groundhog’s Day or They Only Raised Our Rent 2% Day, and so on.
• Buy by the case. Granted twelve bottles are a lot of Champagne for one family. But if you split a case or even two among friends, you all benefit from the case discount, which can be as much as 20%. So plan ahead. Get together with your friends and neighbors and go Champagne shopping.

We hope that these guidelines will help you save a few dollars and that the reviews, which follow, will save you from paying good money for not so good wine. But then again, good friends can make even a bad bottle drinkable.

For this feature, we tasted the wines in ascending order by price. We tasted each wine by itself and then with an assortment of “hoover doovers,” better known as hors d’oeuvres, some baked brie, brie with raspberry in phyllo, Thai-style chicken sate,  grilled shrimp, smoked salmon on pumpernickel, bacon-wrapped dates.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Seleccion NV $8.99 With a good mousse and relatively big bubbles, this pale-straw cava from Spain has a pleasant, forward yeasty nose. It offers dry, white-peach flavors and a rather good, lingering finish albeit with a touch of sulfur. It was very good with the baked brie.	Freixenet Cordon Negro
Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Columbia Valley NV $9.99 This sparkling wine from Washington state has a good mousse, tiny bubbles, and is pale-gold in color. The nose is reminiscent of blue cheese, with hints of toast. It’s relatively light on the palate and the flavors seem diluted.  The finish, however, lingers with pleasant white-fruit notes. It was very good with the smoked salmon.	Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut
Korbel California Champagne Brut NV $11.99 OK, we all know this is not “true” champagne, but somehow Korbel continues to maintain the name on its label much to the dismay of many Francophiles. It has a good mousse and small bubbles. Pale-straw in color, it has an herbaceous, cut-grass nose. Fuller bodied and off dry, it delivers grapefruit citrus and peach flavors, followed by a lingering white-peach finish. This wine was very good with the phyllo-wrapped raspberry and brie appetizers.	Krobel California Champagne
Willm Blanc de Blancs Brut Vin Mousseaux de Qualite NV $12.99 Pale gold in color, with a good mousse and small bubbles, this Alsatian sparkler is a Pinot Blanc blend with Riesling and Chardonnay. It has a musky nose; toasty, honey flavors; and a lingering, honey finish that makes it perfect for desserts like fruit tarts. It was extremely good with our phyllo-wrapped brie with raspberries.	Willm Blanc de Blancs
Gruet Blanc de Noirs Brut NV $14.99 The sparkling white, made from Pinot Noir in New Mexico, has a big mousse, is light-gold in color, and has a delicate, nutty nose reminiscent of almonds. Light bodied, it offers nut-like flavors and a delightful, lingering, bitter-orange marmalade finish. It was outstanding with the grilled shrimp and very good with the baked brie. We selected this wine as one of the two stars of this tasting.	Gruet Blanc de Noirs
Chandon Blanc de Noirs California NV $14.99 With plenty of mousse and lackadaisical, tiny bubbles, this California sparkling wine, with a French heritage, is produced from Pinot Noir. It has a forward, yeasty nose and offers dry, bitter-almond flavors followed by a lingering, toast finish. Truly French in style, it was perfect with our bacon-wrapped dates.	Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV $15.99 This wine has an adequate mousse, lively tiny bubbles, and a delicate white-flower, daisy nose. On the palate, the flavors are bland and dry, verging on bitter. One taster commented, “Watered down.” The finish has a cardboard-like character. This wine was was lackluster even with the food.	Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs Brut NV $17.99 This pale-straw Alsatian blend of Pinot Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc has a big mousse, lively tiny bubbles, and a seductive floral and vanilla bouquet. Fuller flavored, it delivers pleasant off-dry, rock-candy flavors, with notes of violets, followed by a lingering, toasty finish. It was very good with the Thai style chicken as well as with the baked brie. We selected this wine as the other star of this tasting.	Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Blanc de Blancs
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose NV $17.99 This wine is made totally from Pinot Noir and has a peachy-pink, copper color, a huge mousse, and tiny, athletic bubbles. The fruit-forward nose is followed by white-peach and pith flavors. The finish is dry, with grapefruit-pith notes. This wine was excellent with the phyllo-wrapped brie with raspberries and very good with some cheesecake desserts that found their way onto the table at the end of our tasting.	Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose

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