Throughout the past couple of years of meshing our lives more closely with wine and all the experiences that go with it, I am always humbled by the generosity, camaraderie and great relationships that are seeded and continue to blossom.  This story is one that really stands out because it’s categorized as one of those “random acts of kindness.”  But, in this case there is nothing random about it, only that a group of people who didn’t know each other previously were brought together because of kindness and a shared loved of wine.

One of my resolutions for 2009 was to learn more about and taste more sparkling wines.  I did fine in getting educated in regions, types of sparkling wines and the various processes as part of my CSW certification, but I did not do well in tasting more of them.  In addition to that, my wife had not been exposed to a Champagne or sparkling wine that she liked to date which made her hesitant to try more, though again it’s not like we tasted all that were available.  One day, on either Twitter or Facebook, I made the comment that I was saddened that my wife had not experienced something she really liked and could have on a regular basis and that I had not helped that fact.  And that’s when it happened.  Alva Johnson, local Atlanta socialite, large-scale event-coordinator extraordinaire and fizz lover reached out to me and offered to help us find some bubbly that she just might enjoy.  Wow.

And so she did.  We had a little tasting at the house and invited along fellow Atlanta baron von bubbly, Kevin Glowacki of www.atlantawineguy.comfame and we had a wonderful evening.  It’s important to note here that while Alva doesn’t claim to be an expert, she certainly knows her fizz and has put that energy into an organization she co-founded called The Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational which is having it’s inaugural conference April 15-18th in New Orleans.  Check it out.

The wines:

H. Billiot Fils Brut Grand Cru Rose’ – We started off with this rose’ paired with ribs from the Pig ‘n Chick.  This is a Champagne from the 5-ha Billiot estate in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay that is planted mostly with Pinot Noir. Both Alva and Kevin agree that pink fizz seems to pair perfectly with pork at all times.  The color was like salmon and bright with aromas of “sweet” yeast and strawberries.  I tasted citrus and what I describe as pineapple and had a great finish.  This was our favorite of the night.

Fleuron 2000 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Brut Premier Cru (Blanc de Blancs) - 100% Chardonnay and is a blend of different soils in the area that they feel best represents the vintage though I could not find the proportions for 2000.  This one was paired with fresh raw oysters, popcorn and cheese.  We had both Gruyere and Ermitage Brie cheese to try.  The wine light golden color and also had a yeasty nose, but just a hint if compared to the H. Billiot.  A lot of citrus tasted on the palate with a velvety/creamy texture in the mouth, which was accentuated when paired with the oysters.  There is more to tasting wine than just aromas, taste and flavors… you must pay attention to the texture in your mouth as well.

Renardat-Fache Bugey du Cerdon- Sparkling Gamay – This one was a leftover from the Popeye’s challenge back in November, so I added it to the lineup and paired with, what else?, Popeye’s spicy chicken.  This wine came in at only 7.5% alcohol, but while there was a good bit of residual sugar, I never felt it was too sweet since it seemed balanced by a good level of acid and even less so when tasted with a piece of chicken.  The sweet and spice really balanced out.  This wine had a darker pink hue and was full of strawberry jolly ranchers and the flavor burst in your mouth much like Fresh n Up gum, which I learned is actually still available… go figure.

2003 Kreglinger Brut - Lastly, Alva brought on a sparkler from Tasmania.  So far, every one of her friends she had shared this with (she had been given a whole case) thought it was the bomb.  We agreed.  Much different from the other 3, this one was more “classic” in that there was more crispness, and freshness and included green apple and honey notes.  The finish exposed more lemon and mineral for a long finish.  Kevin felt this was “green & minty” on the nose too.

Alva learned that she didn’t have to wait for special occasions like weddings and New Year’s to drink sparkling wine.  She walked into a store one day, particularly to de-stress, and discovered bubbly is available to us anytime we want.  She is a fan and now a great friend.  Here’s to celebrating life more often.

Cheers!

Ah, yes… the holidays.  The time when we say to ourselves “well, I’m going to eat a lot of food over Thanksgiving and Christmas anyway and it’s too cold to go outside and run/bike/whatever, so I’ll just pick up the working out thing come New Year’s.”  But, it’s also that time of year when us winos wonder what to serve with those meals, or prescribe our best pairing if we think we got what it takes.  However, to some there seems to be a right way and a wrong way to pair wines you like with food…  much like after a corporate acquisition, there should be synergy where the resulting value will be greater than the sum of its parts.  Yeah, that’s what they said when Turner bought AOL… but I digress.

I am no expert on wine pairings and chances are neither are you.  Like you, I only know what I like to drink with my meal… what gives me pleasure and provides the best experience while consuming my meal.  I am not looking for the perfect residual sugar/acid combination to counter the spice in Grandma’s casserole.  Sure, if I am in a competition or specific setting deadset on determining a best pairing out of various options, I can give you my opinion of what tasted the best together – for me.  As a matter of fact, a lot of us did just this with the recent Dirty South Wine Popeye’s chicken and wine pairing.  But, you know what?  Several of those wines, chosen by “experts” didn’t work for me, or others, at all.  And, the results from all the participants were not unanimous either.  No doubt, though, it was a blast and a lot of fun to experiment.

So, take wine-food pairings with a grain of salt and as suggestions only.  And certainly don’t let anyone tell you a type of wine is just ridiculous to have with your Turkey and stuffing, suggesting that it just “doesn’t work.”  If you want to learn how to really pair wine and food, take a class, become an Iron Chef, whatever.  I’ll still have my Pinot Noir at the table come this Thursday, because it works for me.

Cheers!