Toast 2016 with these sparkling wine
I have had to increase the price bands this week to allow me to write about sparkling wine as opposed to frizzante Prosecco which is almost the only fizz that costs less than €15. Frizzante Prosecco is taxed as a still winewhich is not too surprising given how little fizz it contains (it certainly won’t make a pop when you open it).
If you are really on a budget you should find some inexpensive Cava or Crémant in the supermarkets or go for Aldi’s Crémant de Jura which I have featured here more than once.
Sadly, the sparkling wine lobby is very small here (I think it’s just me and about eight others), so it is unlikely that the Government’s punitive double taxation on fizzy wine is ever going to get reformed.
Champagne and full- fizz sparkling is taxed at twice that of still wine as a luxury product unlike say Cru-Classé-Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy which can cost significantly more (no Champagne costs as much as the top Bordeaux and Burgundy wines).
By the same logic, soft drinks are also fizzy so should be taxed higher than fruit juices. Perhaps we should also tax fermented goods such as kimchi and sourdough bread given that they too have been influenced by CO2. There is an argument that says that the more expensive the wine the more the tax should be, and this way those that can afford to pay for top end wine will be penalised proportionally more than those buying a bottle of €12 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for their Firday dinner. I have some sympathy with this idea especially as it is gets more and more difficult to find wines to recommend at that price.
However, enough complaining. If you haven’t seen it yet take a look at the hugely enjoyable documentary Sour Grapes on Netflix which is about the wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan. Even I found it hard to feel sympathy for those he duped as they seemed to take more pleasure in a wine’s rarity and the price they paid, than in how it objectively tasted. Happy new year.
Stockists: Karwigs Carrigaline www.karwigwines.ie
It is claimed that Limoux in the Languedoc (near Carcassonne) originated the idea of sparkling wine, not Champagne. Although Chardonnay is used here (for Crémant de Limoux), Blanquette de Limoux must use 90% of the fragrant local mauzac grape. This has sweet apple and honey aromas mixed with flowers and a crisp fresh finish.
Stockist: Whelehans Wines Loughlinstown www.whelehanswines.it
Founded in 1878 this family run Champagne is excellent value and a good find by David Whelehan (whom you may remember from TV3’s breakfast programme). Sourced from Premier Cru vineyards this is a pinot noir — chardonnay blend (60-40) with lots of dried fruit and honey aromas and a pleasing yeasty kick on the finish.
Stockist: O’Briens Off-Licences Nationwide www.wine.ie
Crémant de Bourgogne is always worth a look given it is made with chardonnay and especially given the price of Blanc de Blanc Champagne. From the Maconnais with ripe yellow apples and touches of pear and almonds on the nose, persistent fresh bubbles with a full-flavoured, dry fresh palate.
BEST VALUE OVER €35
Stockist: O’Briens Off-Licences Nationwide www.wine.ie
I’ve recommended this co-op’s wines here before but not their Vintage Fleur Blanche. With over 200 growers (generally with tiny holdings) these wines have never disappointed me and nor does this Blanc-de-Blanc (chardonnay) – tiny persistent bubbles, full brioche and baked honeyed cake aromas with a touch of lemon oil, lively but textured creamy palate.
Stockists: 64 Wines, Corkscrew, Whelehan Wines
One of the rare larger family-owned Champagne estates (founded 1818) along with Bollinger, Roederer and Pol Roger. The Brut Réserve NV has good delicacy and freshness (€59) but I really like the rosé’s red currant and raspberry aromas mixed with sourdough, a ripe rich palate with focused fruit and a bright fruity yeast-tinged finish.
Stockists: O’Donovans, Galvins, No 21 Group, Vintry Rathgar, McHughs, Independents
This was the winner of the Champagne of the year in the Irish Wine Show this year, winning in a blind taste test against all the other big brands and a few lesser ones (I was one of the judges with Maureen O’Hara). Just lovely — exotic tropical tinged aromas mixed with brioche, focused and fresh.
