Value bubbly has no less sparkle

4:28pm Friday 1st August 2008

James Wilson tells a lovely story in his book, Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate and Culture in the Making of French Wines, about his conversion from bourbon to Champagne as his chosen analeptic.

He was driving to Epernay to meet the Countess de Maigret who was, at the time, in charge of Moët & Chandon's public relations. An accident meant he was late and when he arrived at the winery the appointment had to be rescheduled. No sooner had Mr Wilson taken a seat than a waiter appeared with glasses of champagne. From that moment on, bourbon was no match for Champagne.

I have no such tale to tell to excuse my regular dips into the sparkling wines in our store. I just love it. It's refreshing, versatile, has only moderate levels of alcohol and it has the added bonus of typically having less calories than still white and red wines.

With barely a news bulletin passing without some mention of the credit crunch you would think that my days of bubbly refreshment were on the decline. Far from it. It's true that I'm being a little more cautious about when and I how often I drink Champagne but there are plenty of cheaper alternatives that are doing just as good a job of meeting my needs.

Spanish Cava has long marketed itself as a cheaper alternative to Champagne and I can understand the strategy. The sad thing about promoting the product in this way is that people often see it as the poor relation, rather than seeing it as a more than acceptable first choice. Cava is made in exactly the same way as Champagne, which means that the secondary fermentation that delivers the bubbles takes place in the bottle.

Cava is made primarily, though not uniquely, in Catalonia and it is the climate - warmer that Champagne - and the use of indigenous grape varieties that contribute to the their individuality. The top three local varieties are Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel.lo.

Parellada is soft and aromatic, while Macabeo delivers the crisp citrus fruits so readily associated with sparkling wines. Xarel.lo is the quirkiest of the three and when the vine grower gets it right and harvests at the optimum time, it's a grape that adds structure and body to the wine.

What I find particularly attractive about the best Cavas I have tasted is their comparative softness. I find them easier to drink without food than most Champagnes and altogether more successful at parties.

The success of Italy's Prosecco has, quite honestly, come from almost nowhere. Five years ago, the company I was working for listed only one Prosecco that sold modestly well. Today, the very same company lists five altogether and each outsells almost every other sparkling wine on the list. Why? I suspect it's the combination of the excellent value they represent and the gentle effervescent effect as opposed to the full-on bubble experience.

Prosecco hails from the north east of Italy and there are two reasons it's such good value.

Firstly, the costs are kept down because the all-important secondary fermentation generally takes place in a great big tank rather than in individual bottles. Secondly, because the sparkle is less intense than in, say, Cava, there's no need for the full-on corks and wire stoppers. That's great news because without them, the wines stay below the higher rates of duty that Her Majesty's Government imposes on Champagne.

It might sound naff but I genuinely think Prosecco is the ultimate picnic wine, being light, refreshing and rarely much above 12 per cent abv.

The Oxford Times Wine Club has thoughtfully provided us all with the ultimate case of sparkling wines this week and, at the price, you needn't bother looking for an excuse. Just buy it!

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