Sparkling wine options available in Newport to replace Champagne Leave a comment
Here we are middle of May facing the unofficial beginning of summer, that being Memorial Day Weekend, the first of the big three-day holiday weekends of summer. It is also graduation season and I thought I would suggest a few wines that might pique your interest to help celebrate a monumental achievement.
Obviously, the wine that comes to mind is always Champagne and as I have said often in this column, that word has been mistreated as only Champagne can come from, yup, Champagne. But much like Kleenex and Coke describing in general terms a product, what we are truly talking about is sparkling wine, of which Champagne falls into that category. So, having cleared that up, let’s move on.
Champagne as of now is not only difficult to get, but prices have risen and if you are having several friends and family joining in on the celebration whether at your home, in a restaurant or an event venue, Champagne will become pretty costly. I certainly am not trying to dissuade you from going that route, as Champagne is the benchmark by which all sparkling wines are measured. But, as most of you are aware of, many Champagne houses have properties in Napa-Moët, Mumm, Roederer and Taittinger. I have been to three of the four and they are all exceptional. They all make the sparklers in the traditional method which is an expensive way to produce, but the ends justify the means. Because the cost of the land in Napa at the time they bought in was far less than in Champagne, the resulting wines are less expensive but the quality is there. But for today, I would like to focus on one winery, in particular, that being Domaine Carneros, by Taittinger. My first time there was jaw-dropping, the building is somewhat like their main building in Champagne — the 18th Century Château de la Marquetterie, and the resemblance is amazing. The building in Carneros was done in 1989 and for those of us that have marveled at the estates here on the island, this building rivals many here. It is a must-see property and a must-consume wine.
They make a lot of different wines and there are a few in Rhode Island available. First is their basic Domaine Carneros Brut. Remember, brut means dry, the least sweet designation of sparkling wines. Also, in addition to being a brut style, these wines possess that all important ingredient, acid. These types of wine are great with so many different foods as they constantly refresh your palate to enjoy your food even more. This wine is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir and should run you at your favorite store around $37, not a budget buster. Then, there is their Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé. A blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, this option will run about $45. Both of these wines are very complex with various aromas and flavors to complement your food. The brut in and of itself is perfect with our local cuisine — shellfish and finfish. As an aside, they do offer still wines of which I have had, both chardonnay and pinot noir. The pinot noir is available here as well. I truly feel that these sparkling wines will enhance your very special celebration.
My second wine choice is an interesting one if for no other reason than the name. Magna Cum Laude by Castello Banfi which is Latin for “with high honors.” This is a Super Tuscan from a highly respected winery, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Sangiovese and syrah with the percentages varying by vintage. As I have mentioned in previous articles, red blends are very popular and this is a good one not only for graduations but as a go-to red blend. It displays aromas of red fruits, cherry, licorice and pepper and on the palate it has powerful tannins to go with a ribeye or a New York sirloin. This at your store should come in at around $39 and I highly recommend this red blend. I am very comfortable with Banfi wines as they produce entry-level to rock star wines. Speaking of high honors, this wine consistently scores in the low 90s with Wine Spectator which I find for the most part a reliable source of ratings.
This month’s PSA: The hospitality community continues to struggle on many fronts, the worst issue is labor. Because of the nagging situation, many restaurants, event spaces and caterers are unable to meet demand. This forces the restaurants to not open fully, and caterers to turn down events as well as venues. Some restaurants, despite being open for business are not opening the entire dining area because of the lack of kitchen staff. So, as I said last month, I urge all to continue to support our restaurants but I would make reservations as we get deeper into the season, walking in may not be viable. I also have noticed that prices are starting to go up, no surprise there as the industry is forced to pay higher wages, higher prices for all of their goods purchased and fuel surcharges. We live in difficult times, hopefully this will all resolve itself at some point. In the meantime, celebrate life with the aforementioned wines!
Happy Memorial Day weekend.
Len Panaggio is a wine consultant and former corporate beverage director for Newport Harbor Corp. Send feedback and suggestions to lcp23223@gmail.com. The Wine Press runs each month in The Daily News and online at newportri.com.
