You’Ll Pay For Those Bubbles

When The Beatles sang “the best things in life are free,” they obviously weren’t talking about champagne.

Good golly, but bubbly has gotten expensive. Not only does the French stuff start in the $30 range, so do many of the top-notch domestic labels.

I recently went searching for this amazing sparkler that was poured at a dinner party, and got quite a shock.

Gosset was a producer I had never heard of, but the place has been in business since 1584, so I guess they know what they’re doing. After a glass, I was ready to crown this my new favorite French bubbly. (Though it would be tough to turn my back on my old friend, Veuve Clicquot.)

Teeny bubbles rose in a steady stream up the middle of my champagne flute. Then, those bubbles exploded in my mouth like a handful of Pop Rocks. The wine has that fresh, kind of biscuity quality that I like about champagne. That was nicely balanced with a crisp acidity. It’s a fine example of liquid yin-yang — elegant but edgy.

Too bad it’s $40-plus.

A few years back, there was a movement to convince people that champagne was more than just a celebratory cocktail. But that elite image seems to be here to stay, especially at those prices.

Part of the reason makers of sparkling wine can justify those hefty pricetags is that there is considerable expense in putting bubbles into wine.

The bottles are more expensive. The wine has to be aged longer. It’s more labor intensive.

It’s almost like making the same batch of wine twice.

As champagne scholar Tom Stevenson succinctly explains the process: “Fermentation converts sugar into alcohol and carbonic gas - if the gas is set free the wine is still; if not, it’s sparkling. To capture the gas, the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in a sealed container. That gas gushes out in the form of tiny bubbles when the container is opened.”

And is there any more festive sound than cork popping out of a bottle of champagne?

OK, so I’m a little sore about having to put a big dent in my pitiful post-Christmas-shopping budget. But what are you going to do on New Year’s Eve? Drink beer?

Here’s a few choice brut (dry) champagnes:

Spokane’s own Mountain Dome continues to impress. I have yet to try the 2001 version of their luxury Cuvee Forte, but last year’s release was outstanding. It’s around $30.

Perrier-Jouet was in the glass I hoisted last New Year’s Eve. Truly world-class wine.

Moet & Chandon - makers of the famous Dom Perignon - also do a fine nonvintage, which is usually priced under $30.

I’ve never had a less-than-lovely bottle of Veuve Clicquot. And it’s been opened to mark many a birthday and anniversary. Look for the orange label.

Not that we’re into the numbers

There’s this cool pocket-size publication that comes out quarterly, which is a composite of all the top-rated wines from major periodicals.

So, instead of hauling the Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, International Wine Cellar, Wine Spectator and others to the store as a buying guide, this can serve as a handy list.

This guide has been around for several years, but recently shifted its focus to include a broader range of wines. It used to be limited to wines $15 and under. Those good values are getting harder to find, however.

To subscribe (it’s $29 for four issues), call (800) 524-1005. Or log onto www.winepocketlist.com.

Putting price into perspective

Sure, I’m whining about the sky-high price of bubbly, but I feel compelled to point out that there’s vin much more dear.

While thumbing through my Wine Club Newsletter, I did a double take at what I thought must be a typo.

There were the usual big-ticket Bordeaux in the $200 to $500 (a bottle) range, but nothing comes close to touching the world’s most expensive wine.

You got a spare $2,200 on you? Well, that’s what a ‘95 Romanee Conti - a red wine from France’s Burgundy region - will set you back.

Betcha Bill Gates has got a cellar full of that.

One of the club

While I was in Napa Valley last fall, I noticed most of the wineries I visited were working pretty hard to sell “memberships,” monthly selections of wine shipped direct to customers.

I couldn’t resist signing on at Merryvale - one of my favorite California wineries. For $70 a month, I get a couple of bottles of red - some of which aren’t even available to the general public.

That might sound like an awful lot, until you start adding it up. One of the first bottles I got was the ‘97 Profile, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc that rated an impressive 97 out of 100 in The Wine Spectator. It usually sells for $85 a bottle, but I got that and another bottle for the $70. (That price also includes shipping.) I feel a little nervous about storing this spendy wine in my rather rustic wine cellar. Oh, heck. Maybe I’ll just open it tonight.

To check out Merryvale’s Profile Club, visit www.merryvale.com. Or, call (877) 887-7763.

More numbers

The Wine Spectator recently came out with its Top 100 list and, for the first time in years, Washington wasn’t in the Top 20.

Another big surprise: There was nary a selection from the red-hot vintners in Walla Walla. The highest showing for a Washington wine was the ‘96 (good luck finding that!) cabernet sauvignon from Columbia Crest.

That winery took three spots in the Top 100, and definitely represented the best values on the entire lineup. Columbia Crest was also duly recognized for its ‘98 estate series chardonnay (No. 79) and its ‘97 merlot (No. 83).

Congrats to winemaker Doug Gore for this big score!