Broad Banter: Bubbles

Welcome to Broad Banter! This is a reoccurring segment for the blog where I (Broad) get to pick a topic and control the discussion. Beard will chime in a thought or two but this is lady time.

Today on Broad Banter I want to talk about Bubbles. I’m talking Champagne, Prosecco & Cava. I may love beer but I love Bubbles just as much. Why do I love Bubbles? First, Bubbles are versatile.  They mix well with juice: think mimosas and bellinis. They mix well with liquors think French 75s (one of my all time favorite cocktails) Second, you instantly feel a little fancier when drinking Bubbles, mostly because Champagne glasses are just so damned fancy looking. It’s also one of the few drinks that is acceptable to wake up to, like for Sunday brunch.

But why the hangover?!
I did a lot of research for this post. I mean I drank a bit of bubbles, but I read a lot of articles too. Like many of you I’m sure, I associate drinking a lot of Bubbles with hangovers (like when I accidentally finish a bottle by myself perhaps). I assumed it had to do with the sweetness in sparkling wine. But really, champagne does not necessarily have the amount of sugar one would think. This article from Wine Folly did an excellent job explaining the sugars in Champagne and hangovers. But normally, you end up not feeling quite too hot the next day because: 1) you weren’t drinking enough water- Bubbles quench your thirst; 2) you drink more because it’s extremely easy to drink Bubbles; 3) you’re normally drinking late and celebrating when indulging in sparkling wine so it’s easy to get carried away. Perhaps I’ve grown more sophisticated in recent years (or it’s the Housewives watching I’ve been doing), but I do find the best time to drink Bubbles (besides brunch or for a celebration) is a super lazy day at home. Usually a Sunday when we’re not moving from the couch. I take my time and I’m usually rehydrating all day so I don’t feel crappy the next day.

*BEARD BUTTING IN*
I honestly didn’t know about the sugar in champagne myth.  I mean I knew that basically everyone that drinks Champagne blames its sugar content on the often debilitating hangover that results from drinking it, but I was unaware that the sugar content was actually pretty low.  But from a fermentation standpoint, (and here I’m using my rather novice homebrewing knowledge) it makes complete sense.  Every once in a while, usually when brewing a high alcohol beer with lots of fermentable sugars, the fermentation gets “stuck” and will end up way sweeter than planned if something isn’t done about it.  Stuck fermentation basically means the yeast stop doing their job and there’s a bunch of sugars that are still in there that should be turning into alcohol but aren’t.  One of the solutions is to add champagne yeast due to its ability to ferment the hell out of everything; meaning very little sugar remains when it’s properly used.  Little sugar = not an excuse for hangover.  OK, back to Broad!

DRY VS. SWEET
When it comes to sparkling wine and wine in general I prefer dry over sweet. Here’s a quick guide on what to look for depending on your taste:
Ultra Brut / Brut Nature / Extra Brut / Brut Zero: The driest of bubbles — No added sugar.
Brut: The most common style of sparkling wine you’ll find and the type I usually buy.
Extra Dry/Extra Sec: Off dry — tastes slightly sweet.
Sec: Translates in to ‘dry’ — Noticeably sweet.
Demi-Sec: Sweet.
Doux: Sweetest.

CHAMPAGNE
In order to officially be called Champagne, the bubbly needs to be from the Champagne region of France and made in accordance with specific guidelines. The most important rule about bubbles: champagne is always sparkling wine but not all sparkling wines are champagne, got it? Champagne has very complex flavors. This is due in part to additional time spent in contact with dead yeast cells during secondary fermentation.  These yeast cells give the bubbles a bread dough taste. This, in addition to the flavors from the grapes, can provide complex notes of apples, peach, honey, flowers, citrus, etc.

Broad’s thoughts: I love Champy. It’s been love at first sip ever since my first bottle of André in college. I have not had super expensive Champagne but I have had cheap to moderately priced Champs and I have not noticed a huge difference. The only difference I notice is when I’m not drinking brut, because I prefer brut. I will say that I have no complaints about cheap champy, especially André. I have a lot of amazing memories associated with it, especially the orange kind which they sadly do not make anymore. Beard introduced me to it when we first started dating and its a sugary, delicious delight.  If I have to choose between Champagne, Cava and Prosecco I will probably choose Champy first.

CAVA
I just recently discovered Cava while we were doing our weekly Sunday grocery shopping. I was in the mood for mimosas so I popped in the wine aisle for a bottle of bubbly. I knew very little about Cava except that it’s from Spain. From my research, I discovered that it can either be white or rose. Cava comes from Catalonia, and it is made in the same way that Champagne is, which is different from sparkling wines injected with carbonation rather than letting the ingredients naturally ferment. Like the other types of  bubbles, Cava can come in varying levels of sweetness from the dry brut nature all the way up to the dulce.

Broad’s thoughts: My initial thought when I recently tried this is, this is my new favorite type of bubbles! It’s the perfect combination of smooth and dry…does that make sense? I then remembered that Cava comes in varying levels of sweetness so that is something I need to keep in mind when purchasing different brands in the future. Cava is delicious and I would drink it every day if acceptable. Also I should note that I may have had this at some point in my life and I’m guessing I just assumed it was Champagne. I never really paid attention to the different types of sparkling wines until a few years ago. 

PROSECCO
Often called the “poor man’s Champagne” because it is usually cheaper than Champagne and it’s more well-known than Cava. A lot of restaurants will say they are serving Champagne but they are really serving Prosecco. It’s also served at a lot of weddings because it’s often sweeter and served earlier in the day which leaves the guests feeling great and able to party the whole night. Prosecco is made primarily from Glera grapes grown in the Veneto region of Italy. It’s generally characterized by notes of green apples, citrus and white flowers that are usually light and delicate. Some Prosecco even borders on sweet, or what’s known as off-dry.

Broad’s thoughts: One of my fanciest friends Chang introduced me to Prosecco. While we were all drinking beer before going out in law school, she would bring over a bottle of bubbles. I thought (still think) she was the classiest broad 🙂  I like prosecco and will happily drink it when available but it’s not my favorite. It’s generally just a tad too sweet. It’s great for mimosas bellinis which is a favorite brunch drink of mine.

Final Thoughts: DRINK BUBBLES! They aren’t just for celebrations or for mimosas. There are other delicious sparkling wines besides Champy, Cava and Prosecco. I didn’t even begin to discuss Lambrusco, and Rosé which I love (I’ll save that for another post). Try different types and find out which one you like best. You don’t need to spend $$$ to find a good bubbles. However, if money is a huge concern for you I’d suggest picking a Prosecco or Cava.  Or just André.  Never let anyone tell you there’s anything wrong with André.

BONUS FACT: A recent study has shown that drinking Champagne can improve memory and prevent dementia. Check it out here!