The Snazz Appeal of Champagne

“Two warm bodies and one cold bottle of Champagne will produce something more wonderful than would happen without the Champagne.”"

– Helen Gurley Brown, the Ultimate “Cosmo” Girl

Naysayers may exist, but I find it hard to believe that anyone is immune to the celebratory powers of Champagne. It’s what’s for weddings, New Year’s, and so many other special occasions. Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible, recounts Marilyn Monroe’s love for the stuff such that the actress reportedly took a bath in 350 bottles of it!

Sure, these days one can find other satisfying bubblies in a favorite Prosecco, Cava or Sekt, but Champagne will always have one thing these others don’t: the name, Champagne.

Folks like Robert M. Parker will say that name has done a disservice to the wine, allowing it to rest on its delicate fizzy laurels and take far longer than it should have in developing into wine that is as great tasting as it is luxurious and festive.

Back to the chalk pit

What makes Champagne unique is what makes so many French wines unique: its terroir. From its start 65 million years ago when prehistoric seas over northern France and Britain receded, leaving huge chalky deposits, Champagne grapes had unique soil composition and an interesting set of microclimates for such a small area (again, very French) that yielded interesting wine stories, if not great wine in its early years in the 1600s.

• Cold temperatures that kept the yeasts from growing during the winter months initially frustrated wine makers. Spring would come, yeasts would grow again and the result was embarrassingly fizzy wine. At this time, that was more likely seen as evidence of spoilage rather than something elegant.

• Theses wines also had a problem with gritty yeast residue. Thanks to a Widow Clicquot employee, a fascinating “riddling” process migrated the residue to the bottles’ stems where it could be frozen and expelled with gas from the bottles themselves before a final topping off with base wine and rebottling.

• The Champagne region winters and springs could be (and still are!) so cold that grapes had a hard time surviving. Not only were vines trained low to the ground to maximize the heat that bounces off the white soil, but winemakers used to employ white plastic sheeting to aid reflection as well. That sheeting has since been outlawed.

The trio of grapes

Interestingly, only three grapes can be found in Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. And because of the disparity between these grapes, Champagnes, depending on the grape distribution, can fluctuate wine flavors and textures as well – from something light and citrusy to full-bodied and more reminiscent of vanilla custard in flavor and texture.

Champagne makers tend to stick with a style such that Perrier-Jouêt will likely always be a light-to-medium wine. Veuve Clicquot and Pommery will likely always be medium-to-full bodied, and Bollinger and Krug will always be known for their fullness. For someone interested in a more Chardonnay-driven Champagne, a Blanc de Blanc might be in order, which predominantly come from Côte des Blanc, which is one of five Champagne vineyard areas. Along with the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blanc is home to essentially all 17 of Champagne’s “extraordinary” villages, according to MacNeil, saying they are “historically rated 100 percent.” Duval-Leroy, based in Vertus, has been making Champagne in this region since 1859, and produces both Blanc de Chardonnay as well as other Champagnes that have gotten considerable attention.

Ringing in the New Year

As New Year’s Eve approaches, finding just the right bubbly to make your festivities special doesn’t have to be difficult. With an ample selection, the experts at Hinsdale Wine Cellars are here to assist, and most importantly, wish you a joyous 2010.

Live An Inspired Life With Your Wine Merchant…

As I was reading the ‘Food and Drink’ section of this week’s Wall Street Journal, someone posed an interesting question to the paper with an even more interesting answer. “What to get for your Wine Merchant for Christmas?” was the reader’s question, but it was the answer that really caught my attention.

The author replied that: “…A truly caring, thoughtful and concerned wine merchant can be a teacher, a guide and a friend”. To my staff and I at The Hinsdale Wine Shop, building these types of personal relationships is the foundation for our business being such a success. These are relationships that you cannot find elsewhere, particularly at big and unfriendly chain retailers. We want to give you the best experience shopping for and tasting wines as we possibly can.

I feel, as well as my staff and many of our patrons that wine is so much more than just a liquid. Wine is a journey of the world through a glass; it is a living thing that goes through family events and special occasions with us and has the ability to build friendships and can help with discoveries of the soul.

Because we have such close relationships with the wine we drink, why would we not have a corresponding relationship to the person that introduces us to it? Wine has an incredible ability to bring people together, and it is certainly the time of year where we all think about good family and friends.

The writer also writes in the answer: “…if you don’t have a wine merchant to whom you would ever consider giving a gift, you should make a New Year’s resolution to find one. They’re out there” and I couldn’t agree more. If you need someone to direct you through your journey of wine, consider letting me be your guide.

Happy Holidays and I hope to see you soon,

Sean Chaudhry

Gifting with a Winter Wonderland of Wine

Feliz Navidad!  Happy Kwanza!  Joyeux Noël!  Happy Hannukah!  Frohe Weihnachten!  Happy New Year!

Whatever and wherever your friends, family and colleagues are celebrating holidays this time of year, wine is a natural gift that not only adds joy to the season, but color as well.

With wine, you have the opportunity to send Aunt Tillie to France with a succulent Chateauneuf-de-Pape.  Thank that neighbor who loves using his fancy snow blower to clear your sidewalk as well as his by sending him to Germany with a chilled Riesling.  The shy accountant who takes care of your taxes in his musty office can take respite in Argentina via a pampas-derived Malbec.  And what clients wouldn’t enjoy a sparkling Cava to ring in the New Year?

It is hard to find something more festive than wine for the holidays. And it’s also the gift among gifts.  There’s something about wine and wine bottles that just immediately says, “When you open me, I will taste good and provide a good experience.”  OK, not every wine can live up to that expectation, but because the majority do, a gift of wine is something that rarely goes unused or unappreciated.  Wine tells stories and conveys inherent fellowship.  And these days it’s easier than ever to find a wine that fits your budget as well as it fits the person who is receiving it.

Hinsdale Cellars has made it easier than ever to send your family, friends, colleagues and clients fine wines for a happy holiday.  They will even help you with your shopping from afar, much like that florist in Miami picks out a bouquet within your budget and just right for your Oma who now lives near the beach.

Christmas shopping as easy as 1-2-3

Whether you come to the store, give Hinsdale Cellars a call, or shop online, the best place for Christmas gift wine is Hinsdale Cellars (http://www.hinsdalecellars.com or 630.654.9862) The Web site has wonderful tasting notes and broader information about wine in its Vintelligence blog.  A direct call or a visit to the store will have you talking to one of the on-site wine experts who can find just the right wine(s) within your budget. For client gifts, it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

Step 1: Let Hinsdale Cellars know your budget per client and any other information that might help guide wine selection.

Step 2: Provide your client list, including full names and addresses.

Step 3: Provide credit card information, and Hinsdale Cellars does the rest, filling out holiday cards, including thoughtful tasting notes, and packaging and shipping.

Wine is a gift that is sure to help make your family, friends’, colleagues’ and clients’ yuletide season joyous.  For more information, call Hinsdale Cellars at 630.654.9862 or e-mail sean@hinsdalecellars.com.

Happy Holidays from your friends at Hinsdale Cellars!

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