Hopefully, for most of us the 2024 Orange County Fair (OC Fair) is now another fun memory in our minds – or is it a “bubbly” memory? A “bubbly” memory of explosions of OC Fair food tastes; wine pouring energetic co-workers; and fun, fair fantasies, I mean memories! The 2024 OC Fair is over – time to celebrate! Below are some fun filled facts about the celebratory drink of Sparkling/Champagne:
1. What was the first commercially produced American sparkling wine made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes?
A. Korbel
B. Gloria Ferrer
C. Schramsberg
D. Scharffenberger
Answer:
C. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs from Schramsberg Winery in Calistoga, California was first made in 1965 and the first commercially produced American sparkling wine made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes.
2. Because they tend to have a bit more body, which wine style generally goes well with main courses:
A. Roses
B. Bruts
C. Blanc de Blancs
Answer: A. Roses
3. True or False: There is no such thing as vintage champagne.
Answer:
False. Vintage Champagne is made from grapes from a single year harvest. Non-vintage Champagne is a blend of grapes from harvests from different years.
4. Approximately how many bubbles does a normal glass of Champagne have?
- 3 million
- 900,000
- 2 million
- 1 million
Answer:
D. Approximately 1 million. The one million figure comes from Gérard Liger-Belair, PhD, in the department of physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, in France – he used special high-speed cameras!
5. The wire cage that holds a sparkling wine cork into the neck of the bottle is called a:
A. Birdcage
B. Stall
C. Helmet
D. Muzzle
Answer: D. Known in French as a muselet or muzzle, the wire cage that holds a Champagne or sparkling wine cork in place is very important in opening a bottle of bubbly safely. The muzzle should not be removed before the cork is eased out. Rather, the muzzle should be loosened (about six turns will loosen it), and then the wire removed with the cork at the same time.
6. Which of the below sparkling wines is usually NOT made in the traditional method of second fermentation in the bottle?
A. Spanish Cava
C. South African Cap Classique
D. French Crémant
Answer:
B. Lambrusco is usually what the Italians call frizzante (fizzy), not quite sparkling enough to be considered spumante (sparkling). Most is made by the Charmat method also known as the “Tank Method,” in large pressurized tanks. That said, just a few top Lambruscos are made by the Traditional method.
7. Which sparkling wine is not made in the Traditional Method or Method Champenoise?
A. Crémant d’Alsace
B. Prosecco
C. Cava
D. Franciacorta
Answer: B.
Prosecco is made by the Martinotti, Charmat, or tank method. In this method, the second fermentation (which creates the bubbles) takes place in a large tank. By contrast, in the traditional (Champagne) method, the second fermentation takes place inside each individual bottle. This is one of the reasons Prosecco is relatively inexpensive, while Champagne is relatively expensive.
8. Most of us know that the bubbles in a sparkling wine or champagne come from a second fermentation process. There are different methods to achieve this second fermentation process. In the Traditional/Classico/Method Champenoise methods a “Liqueur de Tirage” or dosage is inserted inside the bottle. This “Liqueur de Tirage” can be comprised of:
A. A wine-base and sugar (cane) liquid
B. A wine-base, sugar (cane), yeasts (indigenous or selected), and the addition of minerals.
C. A wine-base, sugar (cane), yeasts (indigenous or selected),
D. All of the above
Answer: D
9. What are the three main grapes that French Champagne regulations require to be used in making Champagne?
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc
- Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay, Marsanne, Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Answer:
D. Chardonnay (white), Pinot Noir (red), Pinot Meunier (red)
10. French Champagne regulations require at least 15 months of aging for Non-Vintage Champagnes including 12 months of lees aging before release, but Italian regulations require how many months of lees aging for their Franciacorta?
- 18
- 22
- 15
Answer:
A. Franciacorta must be aged 18 months, 24 months for Rose, 30 months for Millesimato (vintage) and 60 months for Riserva.
11. What region is the largest sparkling wine region in France?
A. The Loire Valley
B. The Rhône Valley
C. Champagne
D. Provence
Answer:
C. Champagne
12. What region is the second largest sparkling wine region in France?
B. The Rhône Valley
C. Provence
D. Alsace
Answer:
A. The Loire Valley. More sparkling wine is made in the Loire than in any other French region except Champagne.
13. This rustic method of making sparkling wine predates the Traditional Method and allows the wine to naturally re-ferment in the bottle causing wine to be carbonated but in more of a frizzante (fizzy) style. The wine is bottled before primary fermentation is finished, without the addition of secondary yeasts or sugars resulting in a cloudy, rustic bubbly that can sometimes smell pretty funky. This method is called:
- Pet-Nat
- Ancestral
- Petillant Naturel
- All of the above
Answer:
D. Pét-Nat is a contraction of the French term pétillant-naturel (natural sparkling). Pét-Nat sparklers can be white, rosé, or red and are usually stoppered with a crown cap (just like beer). Because of the way they are made, the sparklers have highly unpredictable flavors.
Next time you drink a glass of sparkling, think of it as what it really is, an explosion of bubbles – celebration bubbles! Cheers!
—Linda Flemins and CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee