Monday, March 26, 2007

How do you drink it????


I thought I'd start out this week with a question: Champagne and sparkling wines, how do you drink them?

Seems pretty dumb doesn't it, but I would bet a lot of people rarely drink the stuff unless they're celebrating a holiday, birthday or some event of note. Do you only drink it on New Years Eve or are you one of those poor souls how just can't tolerate the sparkling wine?

I personally like to drink champagnes and sparkling wines as much as possible. When my wife and I were in our more romantic days, we used to regularly drink champagne on a random Tuesday night. It would be interesting to see peoples reactions to such a brazen display of drink choice. We would always get the question, "What are you celebrating?"

Our response was always simply, "That, it's Tuesday. Do we need more of a reason?"

Now I'm not suggesting that I was drink a top shelf champagne on that random day after work. I generally tend to have a Cava or Sparkling, something like Freixenet or Cristalino. Recently, I've trended more towards the proseccos like Villa Jolanda.

Additionally, I think it's important to point out that sparkling wines pair with almost any meal. From sweet desserts (try a demi sec or prosecco) to a Brut that with stand up boldly to any beef fillet or fish. Sparkling is especially suited to meals where the flavors range from sweet to spicy, bold to subtle.

My point here is that you shouldn't save sparkling wines for special occasions with many drinkable $8 - $10 bottles out there these wines should be making it your weekday dinner table. You never know, it may change your outlook on the work week and make feel more like a weekend.

Cheers,

GrapeNut

7 comments:

MyManMisterC said...

Perseco seems to be gaining popularity these days. Hell if my mom is interested in drinking it from what she reads, then something is definitely in the Kool-Aid

Unknown said...

I had a lovely prosecco last Thursday when out with friends. It's a wonderful pick me up. At home, we like to keep a few bottles of champagne on hand. Unfortunately, thevineguy isn't a fan, so we only pop the corks when we have guests over. Getting together with friends and family is reason enough to enjoy.

farley said...

How often? All the time. What type? brut, demi-sec, shiraz, prosecco, cava, whatever is on hand

p.s. Sergeant-at-arms, are you crazy? Not all sparklers are sweet, and drinking them does not make a man gay.

The Vine Guy said...

We must apologize for the Sarge's rant. He does not express the views of Grape Nut and I. Sarge, you're an idiot (I say that with love), and Farley is right about sweetness. Maybe if you splurged on a bottle that cost more than $2.99 you'd find you could actually enjoy champagne.

I for one am not a big fan of champagne, but that it only because I don't particularly enjoy carbonated beverages.

Grape Nut said...

Gezz louise Sarge. First off, I assume you're just trying to get a rise out of people.

Secondly, Champagne is known as the Drink of Kings, so you can make whatever assertion you want about what a "real" man would drink, but its not making any sense.

Men, Women, gay or straight choose to drink what they want for reasons of taste, food pairings and or just because they feel like it. Would you avoid a Rose because its pink or a white wine on a hot afternoon? They just go perfectly with the temperature.

I enjoy a good beer or bourbon often, but in my world there is room for all beverages. Just, not all different kinds at the same time or I'll be paying for it the next morning.

Grape Nut said...

Any one partial that brunch staple the Mimossa? I went to Boston awhile back where they were more about the Nantukket or something, basically instead of OJ they used cranberry. Better than a Mimossa in my opinion.

A wine sales man told me to add, I think it was Kirschwasser to day old champ...anyone else heard of this?

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Is it perseco? or Prosecco?
At any rate, we had some recently and it was really nice. Somehow better tasting than the usual array of champagnes.