The joy of a glass of bubbly
But - whisper it - it doesn’t have to be champagne . . . (Here's my pick of the ones that aren't!)
It’s easy to get into a rut with sparkling wine.
Champagne for celebrations. Prosecco for parties. But how often do you think of them - as you would other wines - as a companion for food?
Champagne ‘houses’, as producers are known, might not appreciate me saying this but sparkling wine basically does the same job as beer. The bubbles cleanse the palate in the most refreshing way.
You can drink fizz, as you no doubt know by now, with fish and chips but also with anything else crunchy or deep-fried. Arancini, Scotch eggs, Indian snacks like pakoras and bhajis, Korean fried chicken … It’s also great with pizza and sushi, eggs (it’s the perfect beverage for brunch), lobster …. (I had a great pairing the other day at Burger and Lobster with lobster loaded fries. Yes, that is A Thing!)
But if not champagne or prosecco, which should you buy and how much should you expect to pay for it?
Well those are two of the subjects we’ll be exploring next weekend in this month’s online tasting* which you can log into for free if you’re a paid subscriber.
*kicking off at 7pm BST this coming Sunday
You can sign up for as little as £5 a month although there’s a one-off discount of 33% on annual subs until tomorrow night which works out at just £2.33 a month with the added bonus that if you sign up on this deal you can renew at that rate next and every subsequent year.
The idea of the tasting is also to explore some of the other styles of sparkling wine that are available to you, notably fashionable pet nat, sparkling wines made from other grape varieties, red sparkling wines and sweet ones which are some of the best value of all.
All you have to do - actually you don’t even ‘have’ to do that - is buy a bottle, maybe invite along a couple of mates to split the cost if it’s a more expensive one and join in the conversation.
(Think of it more like hanging out in a wine bar than a masterclass. And please don’t think you have to be an expert to take part. Just lurk and listen if you feel more comfortable with that.
Here are some bottles that might expand your horizons. (BTW click the link above rather than the link below if you want the discount. Don’t seem to be able to insert it at this point. No idea why!)