Post by Roderick on Jun 22, 2009 22:43:10 GMT 12
www.homebrew.com/articles/article12080501.shtml
Ever since I owned my first apartment, I’ve been adamant about spending Christmas day in my own home. I’ll travel any other day of the year, but on Christmas morning, I want to sleep late, open my presents at a leisurely pace, and partake of one of my favorite holiday rituals: drinking champagne.
Every year, I’ll buy a couple good bottles of sparkling wine solely for this purpose. My husband will shoot the corks off the back deck trying to get the best distance, and we’ll spend the day pleasantly buzzed and surrounded by the trappings of the season. Whatever your own holiday rituals may be — a toast at midnight on New Year’s Eve, a gathering of family and friends — here’s a guide to making it perfect with champagne.
A Word to the Wise
For the record, the word “champagne” should be used only for those wines from the Champagne region of France, located about 90 miles northeast of Paris. However, the “champagne method” also refers to the process by which the wine gains its bubbles. While cheap, mass-produced sparklings may use carbonation (essentially making grape soda), champagne and other quality sparkling wines are bottled “prematurely” during the fermentation process and therefore experience a secondary fermentation in the bottle that gives them their effervescence.
California produces many excellent sparkling wines. There is also cava, the sparkling wine of Spain, which is produced in several regions of that country, but most famously, in Penedés.
Of Varietals and Vintages
Sparkling wines can be made from a number of grapes, although the most common are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. The best and most complex champagnes are always cuvées — that is, they are made as a blend of several different varietal wines. In fact, it was Dom Perignon, cellar master for the Abbey of Hautvillers in the late 17th century who is remembered and honored for blending wines from various parts of the district to make his champagnes.
Vintage champagne — that which is given a particular year on the label — is only produced in the most outstanding years. More often, you’ll see bottles labeled “N.V” for non-vintage. This in no way suggests an inferior wine. The grand houses of Champagne have all built their reputations on their non-vintage wines — which can be depended on for the same characteristics and qualities year in and year out.
All sparkling wines are disgorged — a process by which the sediment that naturally occurs during the second fermentation is removed — and a little wine and sugar are added, depending on how dry or sweet the winemaker desires the final wine to be. When purchasing champagne, be aware that demi-sec and doux are very sweet and usually considered dessert wines. Which of the other three kinds you prefer all depends on taste (see sidebar).
Luxe or Less
One of the biggest factors in choosing your champagne will be how much you want to spend on it. Here are some of my favorites, in each category from luxury to budget.
$100 and Up
Dom Perignon — The granddaddy of them all, produced by Moet & Chandon. Food & Wine recently named the current 1996 vintage as one the top wines for cellaring. It should be drinkable for another 30 years.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame — An aroma of fruit and hazelnuts, a lingering finish and an endless supply of fine bubbles make this an excellent champagne for celebrating.
$50–$100
Iron Horse Brut LD — This sparkling wine has won many awards over the years. Its ability to pair well with everything from salads to oysters to cream soups has made it popular with sommeliers, too.
Moet & Chandon White Star — This champagne boasts an aroma that’s both toasty and floral with a ripe peach flavor.
$20–$50
Gruet Blanc de Blancs — A real surprise from New Mexico. Mineral flavors balance out the fruity nose and give the wine a nice finish.
Mont Marcal Brut Reserva Cava — A Penedés cava made from the indigenous grapes Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel-lo. It has flavors of citrus and wood.
Wolffer — A sparkling wine from Long Island, it was formerly the sparkling of choice at White House events. It has an aroma of peaches and vanilla and its taste is yeasty and mildly tart.
The Color and the Taste
Blanc de blancs—A wine made only of white grapes.
Blanc de noirs—A wine made only of red grapes (such as pinot noir). These wines are still white in color because the skins are removed rapidly after pressing.
Rosé—A pinkish wine achieved by adding a bit of red wine to the cuvée.
Brut—A bone-dry wine.
Extra Sec (or Extra Dry)—A dry wine.
Sec—A slightly sweet wine.
Demi-sec—A sweet wine.
Doux—A very sweet wine.
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HBA Recommendations:
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All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Chappaquiddick Ale:
Chappequiddick Ale is a Boston style ale that is characterized by a malty body and medium bitterness with a very clean finish devoid of yeast characteristics. It will be medium to dark amber in color. A refreshing ale with the hues leaning towards tan. An excellent session beer! (Starting Gravity: 1.042-1.048) (Finishing Gravity: 1.007-1.013) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 4.0-4.5%) (35 IBU)
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All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
The D-Man's Devilishly Delicious Dunkelweizen:
Dee-Man’s Dunkelweizen is a dark, malty, medium bodied version of a southern German wheat beer. Clove and slight banana flavor notes are common. Highly effervescent and mildly sour with low hop bitterness ...ah, summer!
(Starting Gravity: 1.051-1.057) (Finishing Gravity: 1.005-1.011) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 4.6-5.1% (15 IBU)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Abbey Normal Belgian Ale:
Abbey Style Ales cover a lot of ground in terms of strength, color, and flavor. They can vary from 6 to 11% alcohol. They can be pale to dark brown. Hops rarely play a dominant role so the flavors generally range from sweet to spicy to earthy. The use of pure Belgian Candi Sugar aids in giving this beer its authentic Belgian character. Medium amber in color, medium to full bodied with a malty/spicy aroma. Liquid yeast is strongly recommended with this recipe. (Starting Gravity: 1.075-1.080) (Finishing Gravity: 1.014-1.020) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 7.8-8.3% by volume) (24 IBU)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Repeats Wicked Brown Ale:
Copy of the beer most folks think of when they think of the American Brown Ale style. Hoppy, but well-balanced by malt...a fine example. Kudos to that "wicked" guy...hope you enjoy this!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.homebrew.com/articles/article12080501.shtml
Ever since I owned my first apartment, I’ve been adamant about spending Christmas day in my own home. I’ll travel any other day of the year, but on Christmas morning, I want to sleep late, open my presents at a leisurely pace, and partake of one of my favorite holiday rituals: drinking champagne.
Every year, I’ll buy a couple good bottles of sparkling wine solely for this purpose. My husband will shoot the corks off the back deck trying to get the best distance, and we’ll spend the day pleasantly buzzed and surrounded by the trappings of the season. Whatever your own holiday rituals may be — a toast at midnight on New Year’s Eve, a gathering of family and friends — here’s a guide to making it perfect with champagne.
A Word to the Wise
For the record, the word “champagne” should be used only for those wines from the Champagne region of France, located about 90 miles northeast of Paris. However, the “champagne method” also refers to the process by which the wine gains its bubbles. While cheap, mass-produced sparklings may use carbonation (essentially making grape soda), champagne and other quality sparkling wines are bottled “prematurely” during the fermentation process and therefore experience a secondary fermentation in the bottle that gives them their effervescence.
California produces many excellent sparkling wines. There is also cava, the sparkling wine of Spain, which is produced in several regions of that country, but most famously, in Penedés.
Of Varietals and Vintages
Sparkling wines can be made from a number of grapes, although the most common are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. The best and most complex champagnes are always cuvées — that is, they are made as a blend of several different varietal wines. In fact, it was Dom Perignon, cellar master for the Abbey of Hautvillers in the late 17th century who is remembered and honored for blending wines from various parts of the district to make his champagnes.
Vintage champagne — that which is given a particular year on the label — is only produced in the most outstanding years. More often, you’ll see bottles labeled “N.V” for non-vintage. This in no way suggests an inferior wine. The grand houses of Champagne have all built their reputations on their non-vintage wines — which can be depended on for the same characteristics and qualities year in and year out.
All sparkling wines are disgorged — a process by which the sediment that naturally occurs during the second fermentation is removed — and a little wine and sugar are added, depending on how dry or sweet the winemaker desires the final wine to be. When purchasing champagne, be aware that demi-sec and doux are very sweet and usually considered dessert wines. Which of the other three kinds you prefer all depends on taste (see sidebar).
Luxe or Less
One of the biggest factors in choosing your champagne will be how much you want to spend on it. Here are some of my favorites, in each category from luxury to budget.
$100 and Up
Dom Perignon — The granddaddy of them all, produced by Moet & Chandon. Food & Wine recently named the current 1996 vintage as one the top wines for cellaring. It should be drinkable for another 30 years.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame — An aroma of fruit and hazelnuts, a lingering finish and an endless supply of fine bubbles make this an excellent champagne for celebrating.
$50–$100
Iron Horse Brut LD — This sparkling wine has won many awards over the years. Its ability to pair well with everything from salads to oysters to cream soups has made it popular with sommeliers, too.
Moet & Chandon White Star — This champagne boasts an aroma that’s both toasty and floral with a ripe peach flavor.
$20–$50
Gruet Blanc de Blancs — A real surprise from New Mexico. Mineral flavors balance out the fruity nose and give the wine a nice finish.
Mont Marcal Brut Reserva Cava — A Penedés cava made from the indigenous grapes Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel-lo. It has flavors of citrus and wood.
Wolffer — A sparkling wine from Long Island, it was formerly the sparkling of choice at White House events. It has an aroma of peaches and vanilla and its taste is yeasty and mildly tart.
The Color and the Taste
Blanc de blancs—A wine made only of white grapes.
Blanc de noirs—A wine made only of red grapes (such as pinot noir). These wines are still white in color because the skins are removed rapidly after pressing.
Rosé—A pinkish wine achieved by adding a bit of red wine to the cuvée.
Brut—A bone-dry wine.
Extra Sec (or Extra Dry)—A dry wine.
Sec—A slightly sweet wine.
Demi-sec—A sweet wine.
Doux—A very sweet wine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HBA Recommendations:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Chappaquiddick Ale:
Chappequiddick Ale is a Boston style ale that is characterized by a malty body and medium bitterness with a very clean finish devoid of yeast characteristics. It will be medium to dark amber in color. A refreshing ale with the hues leaning towards tan. An excellent session beer! (Starting Gravity: 1.042-1.048) (Finishing Gravity: 1.007-1.013) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 4.0-4.5%) (35 IBU)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
The D-Man's Devilishly Delicious Dunkelweizen:
Dee-Man’s Dunkelweizen is a dark, malty, medium bodied version of a southern German wheat beer. Clove and slight banana flavor notes are common. Highly effervescent and mildly sour with low hop bitterness ...ah, summer!
(Starting Gravity: 1.051-1.057) (Finishing Gravity: 1.005-1.011) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 4.6-5.1% (15 IBU)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Abbey Normal Belgian Ale:
Abbey Style Ales cover a lot of ground in terms of strength, color, and flavor. They can vary from 6 to 11% alcohol. They can be pale to dark brown. Hops rarely play a dominant role so the flavors generally range from sweet to spicy to earthy. The use of pure Belgian Candi Sugar aids in giving this beer its authentic Belgian character. Medium amber in color, medium to full bodied with a malty/spicy aroma. Liquid yeast is strongly recommended with this recipe. (Starting Gravity: 1.075-1.080) (Finishing Gravity: 1.014-1.020) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 7.8-8.3% by volume) (24 IBU)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All grain (click here)
Extract (click here)
Repeats Wicked Brown Ale:
Copy of the beer most folks think of when they think of the American Brown Ale style. Hoppy, but well-balanced by malt...a fine example. Kudos to that "wicked" guy...hope you enjoy this!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.homebrew.com/articles/article12080501.shtml
