Bubbly every day

Regardless of whether or not you’re planning on sipping bubbly on a more regular basis, there are a few tips that can help make choosing a sparkling wine easier. Knowing the sweetness of a sparkling wine, for example, can help you maximize your enjoyment. Like many things in the wine world, however, learning what’s dry and what’s sweet isn’t as straightforward as you would hope.

The driest of sparkling wines is Brut Nature—relatively rare in our market, it’s the bubbly with the most sugar converted to alcohol. Next driest is Brut, the most common level of sweetness we see on our shelves. Here’s the confusing part: rising in sweetness levels from there are Extra Dry, Sec (French for “dry”), and Demi-Sec (or “semi-dry”). So to sum up: the driest sparkling wines don’t typically contain either the English “dry” or French “sec” on the label. Hmm.

As if that wasn’t complicated enough, German and Italian sparkling wines use different terms altogether. Most German bubblies are labelled Sekt, and some sport the word Trocken (which means dry) or Halbtrocken (half-dry). Since these sparkling wines are often made with naturally sweeter Riesling grapes, however, they’re rarely bone-dry. As for Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco is the most common moniker, which is typically dry to off-dry, while Asti is typically a fairly sweet sparkling wine that’s low in alcohol. Confused yet?

Speaking of alcohol content, checking a bottle’s alcohol level can help you choose a bubbly with just enough (or no) sweetness. Dry sparkling wine typically be 11.5 to 12.5 per cent alcohol; the lower the alcohol level, the more sugar has been left unfermented and therefore the sweeter the wine. Keep it simple—stick with a Brut if you want a dry, crisp sparkling wine, or Demi-Sec or Asti for sweeter ones.

So let’s say you’ve decided to take up the cause and you’re willing to drink sparkling wine for more than just special occasions. Pairing sparkling wine with food is both fun and challenging at the same time. While it’s typically thought of as an aperitif, there are a few great options for pairing bubbly and main dishes, as well as a couple other surprisingly good matches.

What’s brunch without some bubbly? Pour some cheap dry sparkling wine (an entry-level California bubbly or Spanish Cava will do nicely), into a pitcher with some orange juice and you’ve got the perfect way to celebrate the weekend. If you don’t need the Vitamin C from the juice, sparkling wine solo is one of the few alcoholic beverages on this planet that goes relatively well with eggs.

The classic pairing with Champagne is oysters—the combo has long been a hedonistic treat for wine geeks and foodies alike. The toastiness of bubbly (Champagne or otherwise) and the saltiness of oysters work well together, as do the bubbles in sparkling wine and the somewhat slippery texture of oysters. While real French Champagne works best, most dry bubblies will hold their own. Lighter cheeses and most apps will do just fine with sparkling too.

For main courses, the compatibility of sparkling wine will depend on the sweetness of the drink and the spiciness of the dish. Asian or Thai dishes with mild to medium spiciness pair well with an off-dry sparkling wine—anything hotter than medium-spicy is probably too much. Lighter fish or shellfish dishes also sing with sparkling wine.

If you’re after sweeter bubbly, head to the desserts for some delectable pairings. Italian Asti tends to have lots of peach and nectarine flavours, so fruit dishes along those lines will always work. Chocolate-covered strawberries (or other chocolate-dipped berries) do the trick with Asti as well.

With so many great values on the market, and the potential for some interesting wine and food pairings, why not move sparkling wine into your regular rotation of favourites?