Good Morning Gentle Readers,
This is for later, when your celebration gets a little raucous.
As a wine heathen, TWC actually thinks this is a good idea. Yet another thing one can do with white wine. Extinguish kitchen grease fires. [ducks several thrown objects]
Interestingly, some of the best champagnes, and really, what I mean by that term is real champagne, is made from the Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Noir, literally translated from French, means black pine, in reference to the almost-black color of the grapes and the pine cone shape of the grape clusters.
But wait! Champagnes are mostly white and pink. Correct you are, Gentle Reader, it is the skins, actually the must, that gives us red wine. Draw off the juice early, and you have pale wine.
A good Pinot Noir, which is difficult to find, typically exhibits floral aromas on the nose (a wine snob term) and offers delightful fruity flavors of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and red currant, with a pleasant almost-carbonated feeling on the tongue.
Pinot Noir champagne can be spicy and usually shows fruity aromas that can include apple or sassafras along with hints of pale red fruits. It is generally dry with good balance.
The Bubbles? They are introduced during the second fermentation process by adding a bit of sugar and yeast to the bottle. This creates carbon dioxide in the bottle at pressures approaching 80psi.
Legend has it that when Dom Perignon first tasted sparkling wine he shouted.....
Come quickly, I am tasting stars.
As Ever,
The Wine Commonsewer
Tip of the glass to Raz for the cool graphic
Photo Credit (unless otherwise noted): ©TWC, all rights reserved
