The Joy of Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine has it tough in our household.  The wife hasn’t had very good luck with finding one that she likes and I have only begun to scratch the surface of the many selections available out there: Grower Champagnes, Prosecco’s from Italy, Cava from Spain, etc.  Hell, I even stumbled across a sparkler from Brazil that I thought was tremendous and learned that roughly 25% of wine from that country was of the sparkling kind.  I had no idea.  So, with the season of celebration and sparklers among us this week, I though we’d talk to someone who has some experience and dreams in this area.

Kevin Glowacki, aka @AtlantaWineGuy, has no such troubles and I am not sure he’s ever had a sparkler he didn’t like.  He is even getting ready to embark on a sparkling-only project sure to open some eyes about this style of wine in the new year.  Kevin was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had about his fetish and hope we all can learn something new from his wisdom in the months to come.

WT: What was the moment that got your interested/hooked on sparkling wine?

KG:  When I got into wine, I was really fascinated by Champagne and the process behind it. It was obviously the most complicated of the wine making processes, which appealed to me intellectually. Like most folks, I’d heard of Dom Perignon and I decided at least once in my life, I’d have a bottle. I bought a 1996 Dom and shared it with two friends on my birthday. It was spectacular and it made me realize just how special great Champagne could be. I also discovered how well sparkling wine went with sushi, which was a regular staple of my diet. I’ve been hooked ever since.

WT: Tell us a little bit about your Sparkling wine project that you have been working on

KG: Sparkling wine is normally reserved for New Year’s Eve, weddings and special celebrations like graduations. It was my first passion and in following Gary V’s advice, I’m following my passion and spending 2010 sampling and blogging about sparkling wines from all over the world. I not only want to sample the wide array of what is out there, but also educate folks on how food friendly these wines are and they shouldn’t be waiting for a special occasion. Opening a bottle of bubbly IS a special occasion! I’m also looking forward to doing some email interviews with the folks behind the bubbles.

WT: How about some holiday recommendations before we go?

KG:

• Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava – around $7 – 8
• Riondo Prosecco – around $12
• Roederer Anderson Valley Brut – $18 – 20

• Wolf Mountain (GA) Blanc de Blancs – $24

  

  Gary V and Kevin

• Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose – $24 
• Deutz Brut Classic Champagne – $45
• Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Champagne $60
• Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs – $70

I could go on and on, as there are so many that I enjoy, it is hard to pick out even those few favorites! 

You can follow Kevin’s project and other wine musings at http://atlantawineguy.com/ and here for some more sparkling ideas.

Cheers!