Champagne for Beginners

Also, be aware that a lot of the advice about which wines are "sweet" in this thread is a bit misleading. I only like very crisp, dry whites and love both prosecco and cava. Vinho verde can be downright acidic. Many of the brands mentioned here are really low quality, which might have an impact on your overall opinion of wine - you might be drinking really bad wine and assuming you just don't like wine. Thanks for the answers so far. I'll be asking the local liquor store for some of the types you people have mentioned. I thought some of the wines mentioned above were types rather than brands.

I was thinking of going with a Riesling, whatever good brand is available with the local store. Would love to hear if you have any other recommendations, though.

You have some good grape names here and that is an excellent place to start off. But a grape name wont tell you what is good or not. Muscato, especially, seems to have a ton of really awful wines in the market. But a good one is summertime in a bottle. The key, I believe, is finding a wine store with a good selection and a wine seller who will take the time to help you out. I just did one of our local "art and wine" walks, and second the recommendation for Moscato.

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I think it was the Barefoot label and it was very sweet. I also tried this , which was a very fruity and sweet bubbly red. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm a wine noob also. Barefoot Moscato is very sweet and tasty, but it's not good wine. Not that there's anything wrong with it, we drink alot of it in my house like way too many of the big bottles in the summertime. I didn't recommend it because I thought the OP was maybe looking for a decent bottle to take to dinner, or something they could safely order at a restaurant. Barefoot is neither of those. It's more of a "friends on the patio with BBQ" wine.

Stay away from Barefoot Riesling.

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It tastes like hairspray. Just for fun, I'll mention this: It is a masterpiece of winemaking and happenstance. In a good year, the grapes in the vineyard are preyed upon by a fungus, botrytis, the "noble rot". The rot concentrates the flavors. Do you know why we use grapes for wine? A peach is only going to ever taste like a peach, but a grape, in the right hands, a grape can taste like a peach and a lemon and a wooden plank and a dozen other things.

When it goes wrong, it goes very wrong, and you end up with a jammy, fruity sweet mash of boozy Kool-Aid. But when it goes magnificently, perfectly, unerringly right, you get Chateau d'Yquem. Another fun fact about this Sauternes: A good vintage, properly stored, will happily age for a hundred years or so. In , I had a glass of '71 Yquem. It was like drinking God's tears of joy. It was like walking on a honeysuckle blossom with bee's feet. So, when you hear a wine snob sneer at your professed love of sweet wines, remember Chateau d'Yquem, promise yourself to one day taste some, and smile back at them.

Quady Electra Orange Muscat. Schmitt Sohne is a good, affordable riesling if you're going that route. Re the quality issue. You might get something totally drinkable around the house when you're not trying to impress anyone. Or you might get something that tastes like hairspray. It's sort of like all the people who think they hate beer, but what they really hate is Coors Light.

Wait to go for the Barefoot stuff until you know that you actually like wine. Wine can be a tricky thing if you're trying to buy without tasting first. I would strongly advise that if at all possible, you stay away from shopping for wine anywhere that you cannot taste first, until you've got a good grasp of what you like. I volunteer in a SE MI winery, have the good fortune to have more than a dozen other wineries within 90 minutes driving range to visit regularly, and make a point of visiting the 28 wineries of the Traverse City area at least once a year.

Yes, I am a lush. On my wine journey, I have learned that recommendations from other folks will only get you so far.

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Everyone has a different taste profile, and what tastes like pineapples to me might taste like tart apples to you. I took the liberty of checking your profile for your location. You're in luck, you have access to a number of wineries in your area! And if you decide you like wine tourism, there's a good list of wineries across your state. Pick a weekend and a few wineries, and go tasting.

As a beginner, you should keep it to two wineries in a day, three if the tasting flights are short. You don't want to blow your palate, you won't be able to taste anything once you do. Take a notebook and pen along to make note of the wines you like the taste of. Keep the tasting notes from the wineries where you find things you like. Don't fret about "wine words" - it's not necessary to decide that a wine is "impertinent, with a touch of shyness", or whatever nonsense self-proclaimed wine snobs get up to. What matters is how it tastes to you. Do you like it?

Take a bottle home! Make a note of the grape it is made from, so you know what to ask for in the liquor shop or grocery store. Keep an eye out for wine shop tastings and wine events , too.



They're a great way to learn about wine without emptying your bank account on bottles you might not like. Sure, you can be "safe" and go with Moscatos and Late Harvest Rieslings, but where's the fun in that, when you have wineries to go play in and learn about other sweet wines, too?

Some are amazing, such as this Jurancon Uroulat. How about a Vouvray? Renowned as the natural partner for any event where celebration, luxury and romance are the themes, champagne is in fact both a wine and a place. First mentioned in the history books in AD when Bishop Saint Remi baptised Clovis King of the Franks in Reims Cathedral, the wines of champagne have been intimately connected with sex, politics, religion, monarchy and celebration ever since. The scientific improvements of the industrial revolution made champagne accessible to the middle classes and today the Champagne region produces more than million bottles a year.

Thank goodness the wines of Champagne can now be found all over the world! Bottles of champagne mature slowly and gracefully in the cool chalk cellars deep underground. Yes absolutely, for any lover of champagne there is nothing quite like witnessing how this wine miracle is made.

The historical Champagne region is less than one hour North East of Paris, so easily accessible for the day, but its many cultural and foodie attractions may tempt you to stay much longer. You can find a decent range of champagnes in most supermarkets and usually at least one or two big names in your local corner shop. Small more exclusive grower champagnes and rare vintages can be sourced at boutique retailers.

The best champagne deals can be ordered by the case online from the comfort of your armchair at home. What a great and informative article! The Champagne region is high on my list of places to visit! In the meantime I would love to hear your suggestions to try or your favorite champagnes!

Ringebu Stave Church — Norway. Love me some fizz, truly! I can take all kinds, especially mimosas. Thanks for this, Ana and Jayne! Very useful, I had to bookmark. OK, so my knowledge of Champagne just increased by leaps and bounds.

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Thanks so much for this! Leah Travels recently posted.. Pleasure, it is a whole new world — I have been learning a lot about wine in the last 10 years, but my champagne education just began! I did not know there was so much to champagne. Traveling Ted recently posted.. Capture the color and song CTC Erin at The World Wanderer. This was a great read. Erin at The World Wanderer recently posted.. Capture the Color with travelsupermkt. Raul ilivetotravel recently posted..

Seeing Athens from a Different Vantage Point. Jayne Powell recently posted.. Like the rest of France they put the beau back into beautiful. Gary Yeates recently posted.. Champagne is often referred to as the cradle of France berceau — its where Attila The Hun was defeated by the joint forces of a Roman general who managed to get rival local tribes to work together to expel this mighty invader — so there would be no French nation without Champagne.

Despite many invasions and heavy bombing during World War I and World War II, the rolling hills and patchwork quilt of vineyards which criss cross the champagne region and wrap themselves around its quaint villages are magnificent to behold and what treasures they hold! Seeing Montreal with Le St. What a well written guide. Interesting tips about the temperature.

Does the quality of champagne depend on how much it costs, or, is it more to do with the region, which makes the price higher? Las Vegas at Night. The thing with champagne Sarah is that its a tricky multi-step process and takes a long time to make. By law non-vintage champagne has to be aged 15 months before release and vintage champagne has to be aged 3 years.

In practise most champagne producers age their non-vintage wines for 2 — 3 years, vintages for 5 years plus and prestige cuvees for 8 years or more — which means a lot of sunken costs in production and storage before selling the final wine — hence one of the reasons why champagne is more expensive than other sparklings, and that certain champagne styles command a premium over others. The best way to get to grips with champagne quality is to try several wines side by side in an expert tutored champagne masterclass!

Cheers CJ Jayne Powell recently posted.. Thank you for replying Jayne. The storage costs must be huge. Maradiva Villas Resort and Spa. I love champagne and champagnejayne provided a thorough background for anyone, novice or expert alike. Now I need to find a bottle and start the day off right!

A Beginner’s Guide to Champagne by Champagne Jane

Marian Krueger recently posted.. Living Like a Local in Reykjavik, Iceland. Thank you Marian — I totally agree with your philosophy — a champagne a day keeps the doctor at bay so to speak! Oh Mrs O could there be anything better to read about than Champagne on a Friday? Capture the Colour Travel Photos From the Last 12 Months. Takes a lot of practice too! A beginners guide to Champagne by champagnejayne. Hi Clare glad you liked the champagne guide — to learn more about individual producers just pop over to this section of my champagne blog: Your email address will not be published.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Champagne by @champagnejayne

Learn how your comment data is processed. Champagne has so many different styles and expressions. A typical champagne flute. Jessica November 4, at Karl October 1, at 3: Charu September 29, at 9: Pola jettingaround September 15, at 5: Leah Travels September 11, at 5: