Press

At New York City’s Korean restaurant Oiji Mi, the beverage team has a particular fondness for Riesling. “It’s a somewhat misunderstood grape,” says beverage director Chris Clark, who finds his guests confused by Germany’s complex labeling system and array of anbaugebietes. “Sure, perhaps people have heard of the Mosel or Blue Nun, but we love championing the lesser known areas and producers,” he says.

Sparkling wine comes in myriad fashions, methods, grape varieties, locations and intentions, and we touch on many of those aspects in this post that offers 11 examples for your enjoyment. Geographically, we visit Champagne and the Loire Valley in France; Pfalz, Germany; Tokaj in Hungary; in California — Arroyo Grande Valley, Bennett Valley and Russian River Valley; New York state’s Finger Lakes region; the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna in Italy. We also touch on the three essential processes by which sparkling wines are made: the classic Champagne method of second fermentation in the bottle; the apparently even more ancient process called methode ancestrale, whereby the wine is bottled and capped before primary fermentation is complete; and, most basic of all, the Charmat (or, inelegantly) the bulk method of putting the wine in large tanks for the secondary fermentation. No judging here! Sparkling wines produced by Charmat — like Prosecco — and be charming and delightful.

With the recent release of the latest “State of the U.S. Wine Industry” report and subsequent coverage in The New York Times-The Pour, Rob McMillan and Eric Asimov call out the $15 price point as key to attracting younger consumers to wine; however, value isn’t necessarily the sole requirement. When purchasing wine, Gen Z’ers also seek from their favored brands quality, sense of place, sustainability, and social responsibility. These family owned, female led wineries farm sustainably and partner with nonprofits to protect the environment and promote biodiversity, making each an ideal choice for socially conscientious consumers. And, with these selected wines, the price is definitely right.

While it is not exactly rare to have premium white wines being made on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain district, the rough east valley terrain is better known for its quality big reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rheinhessen! I’m so glad you could make it today. Won’t you join us? Feel free to grab something to eat before you sit. There’s coffee, tea, and water.

The Germans have consistently held the global top spot in guzzling bubbles (OIV, April 2020): the per capita consumption in 2021 was 3.2 litres of fizz (Statista Research Department, April 2022) which means more than four bottles or 32 flutes per adult of Champagne, Prosecco, Cava and other sparkling wines – and Sekt of course, the surprisingly pronounceable and simple term for German sparkling wine.

Sparkling wine will be called on to make many a Valentine’s Day dinner romantic, but the bubbles needn’t burst the budget. This week I have three moderately priced sparklers to set the mood. Two are made from riesling, one from Germany’s Mosel region, the other from New York’s Finger Lakes. The third is a charming Italian spumante from Campania that takes us on time travel back to an ancient era.

If you haven’t had a good Riesling in a while, take a good look at the wine lists of some of your favorite restaurants. Riesling is definitely on the rise and more and more sommeliers are including their favorites on wine lists. We have seen quality offerings in the most unlikely places, such as New York City steakhouses, Atlanta rib joints, Vancouver dim sum restaurants and Michelin starred temples of fine dining in Paris.