Pink Velvet, If You Please: Old World

Summer screams rosé . And the fact that the world is ending-ish also screams “break out the good bubbles, why wait?” I feel rather privileged to make that statement—let us all try and look outside ourselves in the coming…forever? But my purpose I am hired for right here, right now, is to share about wine, and I will share what I can with the full hope that good wines I tell you to drink will inspire you to go forth and make good things happen. Does good wine yield good people? I’d hope. Sorry. Un-classically-serious intro for me, I know. If things weren’t as they were this would be all “let’s get some froth in our glass and party” but for now they are more “let’s rosé against the machine!” Thank you for bearing with me. Thus let us spend some time smelling and tasting and feeling and maybe even listening to sparkling rosés, and how they thrive throughout all corners of the earth. Or any part of the universe, really. Heck, I’d try a sparkling even (especially?) it was from Pluto, which will never not be the ninth planet in my heart. Because My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pinots. That may be too deep a deep planetary cut. Back here on Earth though we will first look at Old World then New. First things first—the sparkling wines I’m discussing here involve two fermentations. Pétillant naturels and the Asti method deserve columns all their own. The wines I am discussing involve a secondary fermentation whether it be in bottle or in tank. I’ll be picking an Old World favorite this week and a New World one the following before pitting them against each other. But, before I go on I’ll tell you my Old World shower wine pick: obviously it has to be Champagne because luxury on luxury is how I roll pandemic-style. Billecart-Salmon ftw. Salmon in the shower. Try it. Quarantine just got extra. We are all worth it, baby. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FRANCE The GOAT bubbles of France are Champagne. I have to be honest. I thought I didn’t much care for sparkling wine until I tasted Dom Ruinart and Cristal . Could I be bougier? Probably but let’s not give ourselves nightmares. I’m sure I could boug deeper. Champagne is made using the “traditional method” in where still wine, along with yeast, sugar, and a bit o’wine (for good luck?) are bottled. The second fermentation that then occurs in the bottle makes the bubbles. Then comes riddling, the process by which the bottles are slowly rotated and turned upside down to collect the dead yeast cells. Riddle me not, incidentally, I personally prefer to be unfiltered. But I prefer my Champagnes riddled. After riddling comes disgorgement where the necks of the bottle are frozen and opened, the pressure of the wine expelling the plug of dead yeast. The traditional method is kinda violent, y’all. No wonder my goth soul rejoices in it. The various “cremants” of France are made the same way as Champagne, with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle. There are a bunch of them but I narrowed it down to Cremants de: Loire, Alsace, and Limoux. CHAMPAGNE Deutz Brut Rosé Champagne Zesty as a sea breeze and strawberry lemon sorbet on a hot summer afternoon. Mineral streak, balance and fun, equal party and proper. Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé I’m annoyed how good this is. At first—and work with me here—there is toast with just a light earthy swipe of Marmite. The plushness of the bubbles will not be denied. Lemon curd, on brioche with a swathe of raspberry and side of chamomile tea were other images my mind conjured up drinking this. This wine is a goddess. CREMANT DE ALSACE All hail All z’sauce. From Bernaise to Beurre Blanc love them all. Sorry deep pun/sauce-dork cut there. Alsace rosés are typically made of Pinot Noir. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé Cherry berry peaches in salt. Plus an herbal hit I like. Give it a whirl. The bubbs are so delicate—the balance of raspberry and blood orange and seashell so poignant. And violets haunt the orchard seascape. CREMANT DE LOIRE Domaine des Varinelles Daheuiller Cremant de Loire Brut Rosé Delight, delish, it is the summer wine we all want by the pool but will welcome in the air conditioning all the same. Not too complex nor too simple, just right. CREMANT DE LIMOUX Limoux is a lesser-known region in the Languedoc, down south in France that—ooh ah—is believed to be the first place sparkling wine was made! Whaddaya know. They also make pétillant natural, but that’s a story for another day. Domaine J Laurens Tête de Cuvée Crémant de Limoux Rosé Blend A touch of salinity, a touch of orange blossom, a whiff of chalk and seashell, all garnishing a profiterole. Decidedly less fruity and more…all the other tastes. Into it. SPAIN Cava is made the same way as Champagne and the Crémants—although I should iterate aging requirements and grapes vary. I have a real sweet spot for, oh, all Cava? It technically can be made in quite a few different areas in Spain but most of them are made in Penedes. Consider it sort of like the Bourbon of Spain. It can be made more than one place but adheres to standards and most come from the one place. Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo, and increasingly, Chardonnay, are the white grapes; Pinot Noir tends to be the red. Juvé & Camps Cava Brut Rosé 100% Pinot, baby. Noir. Pinot Noir. It is somewhere between river stone and watermelon Jolly Rancher on the nose (the river freshens the Jolly), and then the palate pulls in cooked raspberry and strawberry, and flowers I haven’t put my thumb (my tongue-thumb?) on. I need to smell more flowers. Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Straight up Luxardo cherry vibes on this fuchsia baby. Is there a hint of sweetness to it maybe? Get in the cocktail, there’s more: Luxardos dance with limoncello on the roof by sparkly sparkly starlight. There is an herbal garnish to this party-on beverage. To be clear, I am still describing wine it just feels cocktail-esque to me. At 70% Pinot Noir/30% Chardonnay I guess it is at least a grape cocktail. Oh oh and who is Anna? An heiress who married Josep Raventós, the Codorníu descendent who made the first Cava using the traditional method. ITALY I zoomed in on my already known favorites: Trentodoc and Lambrusco. Yes, Prosecco can make rosé bubbles now, but I believe we are still waiting on them. And Franciacorta is OG, but I decided to focus on my two favorite regions for Italian bubbles. TRENTODOC “Trentodoc” is actually a trademark. It is traditional method (in Italy they say Metodo Classico) sparkling wine made of Champagne varieties made in Trentino, one of the most northerly regions of Italy. It’s a mash-up name, y’all, which makes sense as it was created in 2007 to combine the name of the chief town of the region with DOC. I’m not sure why they thought “Trento DOC” wouldn’t sell, but whatevs, it is well-priced and scrumptious. And the trademarked label (look next time you get a bottle) has unique swirly ‘O’s, meant to signify riddling. 2014 Rotari Trentodoc Rosé 75% Pinot and the balance is Chardonnay, it spends 24 months hanging out with its lees before disgorgement. I really like this, it has all the elements: salinity and seashells (water), lilacs, strawberries, and white pepper (earth), the effervescence of bubbles in your mouth (air), and it is straight up fire (fire, duh). I’ve had Rotari quite a bit actually it always engages me. LAMBRUSCO To the Emilia-Romagna we go! Venturini Baldini Ca’del Vento Lambrusco Rosé Lambru-perfection declared to be so by all I shared it with. Somewhat floral blackberries and then some sort of spice. On ye nose. On ye olde palate great acid to tango with more flowers and black cherries and…cardamom? A nest of plucked honeysuckle blossoms under all. GERMANY In Germany we find ‘Sekt’, and some subcategories thereof. These are usually tank method bubbles, and I could get into the nuances of German wine label law but do you really want that now? I surmise no, although I do wish I could find more tech notes on the one that wowed me—I suspect it may have been made in the traditional way. Love those straight-up Spätburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) rosé dahlings. Lothar Kettern Spätburgunder Rosé Sekt Vibrant yet with downplayed surprises as the journey of a glass of this goes down. It lead with bravado then demurely stepped back and each sip had something new and interesting to say. This wine gets a second date. TO SUM IT UP To summarize the biggest differences in the Old World sparklings, I’ve noticed Cava tends to be juicier but also earthier, and less mineral and deeper hued than Champagne. Germany takes a more restrained and less ripe tack. Italy is somewhat of a mixed bag although Lambrusco remains idiosyncratic. Champagne, the really good Champagne, is a still river with multitudes of currents in it bringing the thunder which is a metaphor that makes little sense but that might just make it appropriate for the magic of Champagne. Who will win this old world battle? I will always love Cava for its affordable luxury. Oh, and also the taste. Lambrusco is another darling. But let’s be real. Champagne is my number one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Old World vs. New World: Sauvignon Blanc Fast Food Slow Wine: Let’s Support Local Pizza! Old World vs. New World: Pinot Noir Part Deux Old World vs. New World: Pinot Noir Part One You can also listen to Ellen's podcast , The Wine Situation here . Check out her recent transcripts of the Final Five questions: Wine Situation Final Five! With Julia Coney Wine Situation Final Five! With Victoria James