question of the week:
Each week we will ask a food and drink related question and publish the most interesting answers.
What will NYE look like for you?
“A great dish of Hockey and order in from Bodega St Albert,” Bill
This week’s Q: What do you wish for 2021?
bubbles for the new year
Some may think it’s cliché to open bubbles for New Years eve. Do it anyway, to say so long to the annus horribilis that was. Bring in the new year, please!
Drink the best first, save the fun stuff for bringing in the new year. Traditional method sparklers are wines that undergo the second fermentation in the bottle. Developed in the Champagne region centuries ago, now made all over the world, these distinctive wines are where the most stable and long-lasting bubbles live, and, depending on the region and grapes used, where you will find the toasty notes Champagne is known for. Taittinger, Delamotte, Billecart Salmon, Gosset, Gremillet and Pierre Peters are great choices.
Have them early in the evening. The subtleties of Champagne may be lost on us by midnight, although Taittinger makes a Champagne for late night, called Nocturne, fruitier and a bit sweeter, ideal for midnight toasts.
There are delish traditional method wines from Italy—Franciacorta (Barone Pizzini) and Col Fondo Prosecco (Mongarda)—or Cava from Spain, including rosé (Paras Balta, Azimut, Suriol, Roger Goulart, Conde de Caralt and Cune) and from North America (Tantalus, Blue Mountain and Fitz). Look for Cremant de Bourgogne from France and Sekt from Germany.
The sparkling wines from the Lambrusco family of grapes grown in Emila Romagna have varying levels of sweetness. They range in colour from pale rose to deep red and are delicious with charcuterie. Look for Rinaldini, Lini 910, Paltinieri and Chiarli.
Prosecco is fermented in tank and range in quality and sweetness. The most interesting are from Valdobiaddene, such as Ruggeri, Mongarda and Nino Franco.
For something fun and fizzy look to Pet Nats made by the ancient method; the first fermentation in the bottle. The category had exploded in the past couple of years. Look for Trossen Purelleus, Bella, Benjamin Bridge and Calcarous.
