Sparkling wine

Restaurant Week is coming soon and many of you will be dining out, so here are some tips on selecting sparkling wine.

It's bubbly, often white and mostly thought to be the same as white wine. However, sparkling wine is in a class of its own and the distinction is worth making.

First, it is important to note that all champagnes are sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wines are champagnes. Champagne refers only to sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France and there are hundreds of excellent bubblies made throughout the world; those not made in Champagne are sparkling wines.

Sparkling wine is often described as: brut, extra dry, semi-dry or spumante. What does that mean you may wonder? Brut is a crisp, clean, very dry wine which contains almost no sugar. Extra dry, despite its name has a hint of sweetness, while semi-dry is a fruity, sweeter wine; it is a somewhat drier alternative to spumante. Spumante is a very fruity sparkler that can be five times sweeter than a brut.

Sparkling wines also have protocols to be adhered to. They are best served well chilled, and bottles will reach their ideal temperature after 30 minutes in a bucket of ice and water or three hours in the fridge. Opened bottles that still hold some wine should be returned to an ice bucket.

Keep the wines stored on their sides in a dimly lit, relatively quiet, cool spot (ideally, with a temperature of about 59F), such as a seldom used closet. If you have leftover wine simply insert a sparkling wine stopper and refrigerate. The bubble saver will keep the wine fresh for three to four days.

The right glass is important. Clear glasses show off the colour and sparkle of bubblies. Tall, slender flutes or tulip-shaped glasses hold in the bubbles and are elegant servers - but if you must, standard wine glasses can be substituted. When setting the table, place flutes to the right of water glasses.

Sparkling wine is an ideal base for many cocktails. One easy champagne cocktail can be made by adding half ounce brandy, a sugar cube (or a teaspoon of sugar or a sugar packet) and three dashes of bitters to sparkling wine.

Sparkling wine varies in sweetness and so is appropriate for different courses. They generally make great aperitifs, and the refreshing, palate-cleansing effect complements spicy, fried, salty or ethnic foods.

So next time you're about to call a bubbly Champagne, think again. It just may be a sparkling wine, and, of course, enjoy responsibly.

Source: Hardy's, one of the sponsors of this year's Gleaner-sponsored Restaurant Week.