Go For A French Kiss

Just seven shopping days until New Year’s Eve, the best excuse for popping the cork on a bottle of champagne.

The makers of bubbly would love for us to think of their festive beverage year-round. But let’s face it - sparkling wine is the quintessential drink of celebration.

This year, I’m going to ring in 1998 with French bubbly. Might as well - because, if you believe the supermarket tabloids, the world’s going to be blown up by aliens by the time the millennium rolls around. So, why not splurge on the best stuff in the world while we still can?

Domestic sparkling wine producers will no doubt want my hide for suggesting that their wine is inferior, but I have yet to taste a stateside sparkler that matches the magic of a French champagne. To be fair, many U.S. sparklers are delicious, but definitely different from their French counterparts.

Encouragingly, it looks like the price of champagne has stabilized after climbing steadily for years. (Still, you’re going to spend $25 and up.) There have also been reports that the quality has been improving.

According to The Wine Enthusiast, champagne producers are once again putting a lot of effort into their nonvintage brut bottlings and “the results are stunningly positive.”

While it’s tempting to lump all bubbly into one category and call it champagne, only the wine made in that tiny region of France that bears that effervescent moniker can be called Champagne with a capital “C”.

The main reason bubbly is so spendy is that the process for making “methode champenoise” sparklers is much more involved than producing still wine. It takes longer to get from vine to your wine store shelf.

First, grapes are harvested early, when acid levels are high. Fruit from various vineyards is fermented separately.

The most important step in the whole shebang is the blending of the still wine, most often a mix of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. It’s routine to use 20 different wines in a blend. Putting those pieces together makes for a wine with great depth and, if done correctly, incredible, harmonious flavors.

After it’s blended, the wine is bottled and a hint of sweet wine called “dosage” is added. A cork is plugged in and the second fermentation begins. The carbon dioxide produced during that fermentation is trapped and makes those bubbles.

I recently did a blind tasting of nonvintage French bubbly with a group of fizzy-wine-loving friends. Our favorites ended up all over the board, reinforcing the notion that everyone has different tastes.

The Bollinger brut was my top pick. It exploded with bubbles so light they seemed to evaporate in my mouth, and was creamy with a hint of honey. (Others disliked a flinty, mineral quality they tasted.)

Everyone agreed the Veuve Clicquot was top drawer. It looked lovely in the glass, with bubbles dancing on the surface of the wine. One sip was a symphony of flavor - a flash of citrus, some crisp apple, finished with a toasty bread taste. A poetic taster in our gang called it “comfort champagne.”

Another strong finisher was the Perrier-Jouet with a bright, buttery texture and a fruity kick. Someone in the group dubbed it a friendly wine, full of good cheer.

Maybe it was unfair to compare, but I threw a California sparkler into the mix. Predictably, it paled. It was the Mumm’s Napa cuvee, which I’ve had before and enjoyed.

Its French counterpart fared better. The Mumm Cordon Rouge brut was the perfect mix of crisp and creamy. And it’s the most affordable of the whole bunch at around $22.

Do your shopping early, so you can work on your toast.

Rose Bowl rose

Consider Mountain Dome’s sparkling rose for your football party New Year’s Day.

I realize I’m preaching to a Bud-and-nachos crowd, but if you want to add a little class to your bash, this drink will do it.

I’m impressed with the pale peach color and the pretty, faint fruit flavors. It’s terrific with a little salmon pate. (Hey, live a little. The Cougs aren’t likely to repeat this feat for another seven decades.) It’s around $20.

Budget bubbly

Good Housekeeping offers up a list of sparkling wines that are easy on the budget.

Among those earning the seal of approval were some of my house pours, including Castellblanch “Brut Zero” ($9) from Spain, the Gloria Ferrer brut from California ($14) and Domaine Ste. Michelle.

Look for that Washington wine in its snazzy new packaging. A heck of a deal at $10, or less.

Mark your calendar

The millennium’s just around the corner and many champagne producers (including Spokane’s Mountain Dome) have laid down a special bottling for the turn of the century.

In that spirit, Moet & Chandon recently surveyed folks about their plans for the final day of the 20th century. (Besides partying like it’s 1999, of course.)

Most (57 percent of those queried) plan to have a quiet celebration at home. (Zzzzzzz.)

A more ambitious group (25 percent) will throw a party.

Three percent have already made a reservation at a restaurant. (I would love to peek at their day-planner.)

Just 2 percent have booked a cruise, and another 2 percent have reservations overseas.

In case you’re counting, the big day is 737 days away.

, DataTimes MEMO: Grapevine is a monthly feature of IN Food. Write to: Grapevine, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5486, fax 459-5098 or e-mail to lesliek@spokesman.com

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review