I can forgive anyone who ignores my New Year’s Resolution #1 – to drink more white wine. Perhaps white wine is not for everyone. What I can’t understand is when people tell me they never drink Champagne. Why the heck not? Champagne is for everyone. In the words of Mark Twain, ” Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.”
I have a friend who thinks that he may be a little intimidated by Champagne. That’s crazy talk that needs to be met head on with therapy – and the Doctor is in!
There is nothing in the world like Champagne – it delights both the palate and the imagination. Champagne is delicate, dry, festive, and fun! That is what wine is supposed to be.
What is not fun is the price of Champagne. The good stuff starts at $70 at the LCBO. That is a little intimidating. Fortunately, I have a solution.
Cava is just like Champagne for a fraction of the price. Nobody has ever claimed to be intimidated by Cava. Bottled using the Methode Champenoise (translation – the way they make it, by law, in the region of Champagne), it is essentially “Champagne from Spain”. Cava is dry, has bubbles, and looks great in a flute.
Open one of these on a week night. It’s not crazy – it’s Cava!
SEGURA VIUDAS BRUT RESERVA CAVA SPARKLING
LCBO 158493 Price: $ 14.45 – green apple, light citrus, dry.
FREIXENET CORDON NEGRO BRUT LCBO 88591 Price: $ 13.95 - crisp, apple, pear.
CODORNIU BRUT CLASICO
LCBO 6262 | Price: $ 12.20 - may be the most “toasty” of the three
Also, check out the many Vintages “Champagnes”. I like a good Crémant de Bourgogne, Alsace, or Loire when the price is right. I also like a Prosecco – if it is very dry.
Get out and buy yourself two champagne flutes, buy a bottle of “Champagne”, and delight in a little luxury. Do it! This means you.
April 1st, 2010 at 8:36 pm
You can’t just say “looks great in a flute” and not expect people to harken back to their high school days. Next you’ll be telling me it looks good in a trombone!
I am so shocked by the number of people I know that don’t like champagne. What? How is it possible these people are my friends. They like wine and cheese … but not the magical champagne!
I love champagne – I wish I could afford $70 bottles – but for now, I’ll try the ones you’ve suggested that I haven’t had already. Thanks Doc!
April 5th, 2010 at 11:12 am
We celebrated Easter with a bottle of Segura Viudas Brut Reserva – it tasted like spring – there is a nice “greenness” about it that reminds me of a green twig that bends but doesn’t break.
April 5th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Literal Traslation of “Segura Viudas Brut Reserva” = Dry Reserved Secure Widows. Now that’s a nice Cava.
Re: the green twig: If it bends it’s funny, if it breaks. . . ?
April 13th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Hi!! I saw your blog on the wordpress dashboard – impressive content.
For those who don’t like whites and lump all sparkling wine into that category, there are some really fantastic sparkling rosé wines out there… I was able to get my mother started on sparkling wine with a wine called Black Bubbles – a sparkling Shiraz from Shingleback winery in McLaren Vale, Australia.
July 5th, 2010 at 5:20 am
[...] How cool is it that Juvé Y Camps individually numbers each one of its Gran Reserva Cava bottles with a pen? This bottle is number 59309 of 2006 vintage. We drank this on the patio with an ensalata and tournedos of grouper wrapped in bacon. Why aren’t you drinking Cava on the patio tonight? There’s no good reason not to. My good reason for doing it is that I’m in Spain! (for more on Cava read my previous post Don’t Be Afraid of “Champagne from Spain) [...]
August 26th, 2010 at 4:25 am
[...] on the spectrum, however, is Cava. A white or pink sparkling wine produced primarily in Catalonia, Spain, Cava benefits from the [...]
October 17th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
[...] of the reasons I love Cava (Champaign from Spain) is that it doesn’t start at $50 a bottle like “le vrai stuff”. Champaign is [...]
December 29th, 2010 at 9:15 am
[...] Drink more Champagne – and if you can’t afford the real stuff a Cava, Cremant, or even American Sparkling wine will do. Albert after drinking the same wine over and [...]
August 25th, 2011 at 10:18 am
[...] on my porch I watched the lightning show and watched for funnel clouds with a nice bottle of Cava. After that we brought out the prosciutto, cheese, salami, and bread and then opened a nice [...]