Why do people commonly refer to Champagne and sparkling wines as bubbly? Well, to start with, many people like that first taste where you get the feeling that something is exploding in the mouth — the effervescent effect. The effervescence is created during fermentation of the grape juice.
Fermentation occurs when yeast acts with natural sugars found in grape juice, creating alcohol and carbon dioxide. The traditional method used to make sparkling wines is caused by allowing a second alcoholic fermentation to occur in the bottle. This second fermentation is caused by adding yeast and a small amount of sugar. The bubbles that are found in sparkling wines come from the carbon dioxide that remains in the bottle after this second fermentation.
Mumm Cuvée Napa Winery was founded in the 1980s in Rutherford, Calif., by the French Champagne house of G.H. Mumm to produce new world sparkling wines. Although G.H. Mumm is steeped in the tradition of the Champagne region of France, the company actually got its’ start distributing wines in Cologne, Germany in the early 1760s. But, they had the foresight to establish a Champagne house in Rheims, France in the late 1820s. In 1876, Mumm started producing the Cordon Rouge label that is synonymous with their name.
It is important to note that names such as “Champagne” and “sparkling wine” are used for the same style of wines. The difference is that in order to be labeled a Champagne, it has to be produced in the in the Champagne region of France.
Mumm Napa produces a number of different sparkling wines. I chose to compare and contrast the styles and grapes of Brut Prestige, Brut Rose and Cuvee M. Each of these wines are labeled as non-vintage — meaning a blend of grapes grown in different years, with all of the grapes used being grown in Napa Valley.
The Brut Prestige is produced using grapes that are sourced from more than 50 different Napa Valley vineyards. The grapes for this wine were picked at night and during the cool morning hours by hand in order to preserve the grapes natural qualities. This Brut Prestige tasted crisp, starting with citrus on the nose and I found it to have a fair amount of creaminess in the mouth. This wine is a blend consisting of almost equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The Brut Rose is made up of 85 percent Pinot Noir and 15 percent Chardonnay, with the grapes sourced from 20 different vineyards. As with the Brut Prestige, the grapes for this wine were also picked during the cool morning hours by hand. This wine was a lovely pink coral in color and contained hints of strawberries. The wine paired extremely well with a duck liver pate appetizer.
The last wine tasted was the Cuvee M — which also contained grapes sourced from more than 50 Napa Valley vineyards. Like the Brut Prestige, this wine is a blend consisting of almost equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Cuvee M started with a slightly nutty flavor and was creamy with hints of red fruit, followed by a nice finish. I paired it with a mildly spicy Pad Thai Chicken dish and was surprised at how well it paired with the various flavors of the meal.
Sparkling wines are very misunderstood in the sense that many people don’t realize just how well these wines pair with food, instead looking at them as celebratory beverages. While sparkling wines are enjoyable in a festive setting, they also can enhance foods, such as fish, shellfish, raw oysters and many Asian dishes. Give it a try with your next meal.
Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.
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