The Wine Tribune Blog

By Carolyn Evans Hammond, published in Outreach Connection, at besteveryou.com, and distributed privately on 23/07/10

This was a big week for bubbly lovers–and i don’t mean Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, or Ellen DeGeneres and Portia what’s-her-name. 

Divers discovered about 30 bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne from the 1780s in a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. And it’s still drinkable after remaining nicely preserved 180ft / 55m under water. 

Theory has it the wine is authentic and was being sent to Peter the Great by King Louis XVI.  If that story—ahem—holds water, the auction house that handles the goods will have a hey day.  The bottles will  be worth millions.  But you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy the glories of Champagne.  

Here are a few of my favourite widely-available fine French fizzes in the non-vintage category.

Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve NV ($59CAN/$35US)
Freshly rolled pie dough, hints of honey and crisp apple.

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label NV ($65CAN/$40US)
Relatively full-bodied wine with considerable finesse.  Quite toasty and nutty.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV($68CAN/$39US)
Tarte tatin notes with toasted brioche and almond.  Very elegant.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose NV ($95CAN/$80US)
Strawberry, cooked apple, and warm bread with appealing minerality.  Subtle, sophisticated, stylish.

Although I’m convinced the very best sparkling wine in the world is still bonafide Champagne, drinking it regularly is a bit rich at $50 a bottle or so.  And cheap Champagne is always a bad idea unless you like battery acid. 

So when I’m hankering for a bottle of bubbles with no good reason to splurge, I turn to the next best thing–Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut NV($28CAN/$19US) from Mendocino County, California. 

The estate is owned by Roederer—the French house of Cristal fame.  And it teems with hallmark elegance and finesse, but with a bit more ripeness from that twinkle of Californian sunshine.  Quite frankly, many tasters would have a tough time telling it apart from fine Champagne in a good year because of the fruit, balance and blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. 

All that for about half the price of it’s French counterpart?  What’s not to like?  Drink it with grilled fish in the garden, smoked salmon mousse in the afternoon, or naked in bed.

In fact, every time I pop a cork of Roederer Anderson Valley Brut NV, I wonder (if only momentarily) why I splash out on Veuve, Billecart-Salmon, Roederer, or Krug.  Well, not Krug—liquid lovedust that it is.  Krug remains head and shoulders above the rest; but so is the price—it’s lowly NV sells for $245CAN/$175US.  Ouch.

WIN A BOTTLE OF ROEDERER SPARKLING WINE

1. Post a review of Carolyn’s latest book, Good Better Best Wines, at any online bookstore.
2. Send your mailing address and a link to the review to carolyn@wine-tribune.com
3. And you could win a bottle of Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut , delivered to your door. Draw takes place Aug. 6, 2010. TWEET THIS, PING THIS, POST THIS ON YOUR WALL!

Carolyn’s latest book, Good Better Best Wines, soared to #2 best-selling wine book at Amazon.com and the #1 best-seller at Amazon.ca within weeks of release.   It’s available at bookstores everywhere.  Watch the trailer at http://www.goodbetterbestwines.com

Carolyn’s critical articles and reviews have appeared in such eminent magazines as Decanter and Wine & Spirit International in the United Kingdom, as well as Maclean’s, Taste, and Tidings in Canada and her first book, 1000 Best Wine Secrets, earned critical acclaim and international distribution with the distinction of being a best-seller by Canadian standards.  Qualified sommelier and seasoned journalist, Carolyn holds the Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and a BA from York University.  Carolyn has lived in many cities in North America and Europe, and now resides in Toronto, where she was born.

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