| Fizz |
Nothing makes an occasion a glass of bubbly. You can forget your vintage ports, port and lemon, granny's favourite snowballs and dusted down Sherries. If the pop of a cork can instantly revive a flagging Christmas lunch with great aunt Ethel and boring Cousin Derek (who picks his nose while discussing the state of the county), think what it can do for a party! The good news is that you don't have to have a daddy in the Lords, drive a Range Rover and be called Penelope or Hattie to enjoy a good glass of bubbly. Not when you've read this, that is! Why we love fizz • Nothing breaks the ice quite like the pop of the cork. • The bubbles of carbon dioxide carry the alcohol around the bloodstream quicker so we get tipsier quite quickly. • The bottles look posh. • We can impress everyone with our opening technique. • It makes every occasion that little more special. • And, finally, it just tastes sooo good. Fizz for Pressies Fizz is a marvellous choice for pressies. You can find a bottle to suit anyone and it makes people feel special. Fizz for Mums Mums often like rose fizz. Don't ask why, they just do. It's usually a little on the sweeter side and comes in pretty bottles. Combine it with some co-ordinating flowers, choccies or smellies and she'll be in heaven. Posh versions include Perrier Jouet La Belle Epoque Rose and Veuve Clicquot la Grand Dame Rose. Look for value for money alternatives from California. Fizz for Dads Dads can be an old fashioned breed who thinks that fizz is the stuff that men buy women, not the other way around. So why not change his preconceptions. Top of the macho bottles has to be Lanson Black label Brut. It's a real man's Champagne. A good manly alternative would be the UK sparkling wine Nyetimber. Fizz for Lovers Let's face it. Your £1.99 bottle of supermarket fizzy plonk may well get you tipsy but it's not going to add that classy sophisticated edge is it? If you can afford Champagne, you can go the classy route with romantic sounding names like Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot. However, a good value alternative is would be a supermarket own-brand. Try Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Safeway, which have all earned praise from Champagne fans. For the full aphrodisiac treatment you could combine your bottle with a dish of oysters. Bake them in the oven with some mild cheese or some creamy sauce. Fizz to Impress Whether it's the boss or a wine buff, it shouldn't be about buying the most expensive bottle on the shelf. If you do want to pack a punch with an impressive and reliable name, try something like Bollinger or Moet and Chandon. Otherwise look out for big Champagne names that have invested in Australia or California. Both Moet and Chandon and Mumm have brought out their own Californian alternative. Parties Parties are easy. You want something fun and lively that's won't break the bank but you don't want it to taste like lemonade. It also needs to be reliable. You don't want to do a bulk buy of something and when you open it on the night find out that it tastes like cat's pee with a few bubbles put in. There is only one consistent choice here. Cava. Made in Spain, in the same way as Champagne, but with different grapes, Cava has many a Champagne lover salivating, and not just because of the price. You should be able to get a good bottle at around the fiver mark. Pay a little more and you can drink the brand leaders Friexnet and Codorniu. If you are buying in bulk for a party it's worth checking out Majestic wines where you can taste before you buy, avoiding expensive mistakes. Getting in the Party Mood Get your mates over, put on some Craig David, pop open a cork and you'll be telling rude tales and giggling away before the party has even started. Get in the flirty mood with some Italian Asti Spumante. Fizzy Cocktails Ingredients You don't need expensive Champagne for these. A good quality Cava will do just as well. If you want the cocktails on the sweet side look for the Italian white wine Moscato d'Asti. Just make sure the fizz is well chilled and the fruit is fresh. You can follow the given measures or experiment yourself! Mix them just before you drink them so they don't turn flat. Buck's Fizz 1 measure freshly squeezed orange juice Splash of grenadine 2 measure sparkling brut. 1 slice or orange Pour orange into a glass with a splash of grenadine, add orange and serve. Bellini Peach juice Sparkling wine Half fill champagne flute with peach juice, top us with fizz and serve. Fruit Punch 2 measure sparkling wine 1 measure sparkling mineral water Freshly squeezed lemon Half a measure brandy Half a measure cherry brandy Caster sugar dissolved in boiled water Fruit such as cherries (halved), raspberries, strawberry slices, pineapple slice, orange slices etc. Fresh mint Pour all liquid ingredients into large bowl, stir, add fruit and mint and ladle into glasses. Kir Royale 1 measure crème de cassis Dry sparkling white wine Pour crème de cassis into champagne flute and fill slowly with well-chilled dry sparkling white wine. And the ultimate Fizzy treat … Has to be Champagne breakfast in bed. What a way to start your morning! Forget the Coco Krispies - good breakfast choices to complement the fizz are beigels topped with smoked salmon and scrambled egg. If you fancy something sweeter, try warmed croissants with real butter, top quality jam, followed by fresh strawberries. Know your sparklers Everyone knows that the dearest Lambrusco is never going to be as good as a cheap Champagne. But do you know why? And what is it about Champagne that makes it so expensive? Champagne Champagne equals posh. However, It is just like any other wine until it gets its bubbles. And this happens with a second fermentation. Champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France. Everything else, even if it's made it the same way, with the same grapes, is just a sparkling wine. So, you've probably gathered that you're paying a lot for the name. Traditional Method/champagne method This is wine made in the same way as Champagne but not from the Champagne region. It can come from as near as another part of France 10 miles away or as far away as Australia. It can be really good. If it just says sparkling wine then the bubbles will probably be bigger and won't last as long. It is cheaper than traditional method. If it's fizzy but doesn't say traditional method on the bottle then it's usually made this way. With wine, just like anything else, you get what you pay for. Styles Extra Brut Very dry. More of a French than British taste! Brut Bone dry. This is the ideal aperitif wine and probably the style most people are used to at weddings and parties. Sec Dry Demi-Sec Medium dry to lightly sweet Doux Sweet, but hard to find. Blanc de Blancs Made from the Chardonnay grape, it's rich, creamy and deliciously honey like, but should still be balanced so that it's not too cloying. Famous names include Dom Ruinart and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. How to really show off Rule one: never shake the bottle. Only uncouth racing drivers do that. Rule two: always serve it well chilled. It needs to be in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Rule three: For maximum bubbles glasses must be spotlessly clean. No traces of detergent, lipstick or dirt. And the technique… Undo the wrapping and wire muzzle. Cover the bottle top with a teacloth ( a nice fancy one you prepared earlier) and turn the cork very, very gently. It should effortlessly make its way out with what Champagne lovers call "the audible sigh". Have a glass nearby for errant fizz but if you've done it properly there shouldn't be any. Pour in a little of the Champagne at a time, letting the mousse settle before you add any more. The Glasses Forget the flat shaped coupe glass (said to be modelled on Marie Antoinette's breast incidentally!). The best glass for fizz is a tall champagne flute. It'll keep the bubbles lasting longer! Best Food for fizz The beauty of fizz is that, depending on the style, you can drink it with almost anything, as well as on its own. Brut Unlike most wines, it's great with salty foods so you can drink it with things like peanuts, olives, tapas and anchovies. The bubbles and acidity can also cut right through cream or butter rich dishes and soft cheeses. Sec This can really match a sweet cake like Battenburg. In fact Christmas pudding or cake is especially delicious with some light refreshing bubbly. Make sure it's not a blanc de blancs as that would be too heavy. Blanc de Blancs This complements a really rich and creamy chicken dish or something like lobster or salmon. If you're drinking fizz it's a good idea to avid heavy red meat dishes, anything that contains mint, citrus fruits and vinaigrette. Do you really get what you pay for? We provided our tasters with three glasses of fizz. They didn't know which was which but they were asked to comment and give them marks out of ten for drinkability. 1. Sparkling Wine: Lambrusco at £2.35 "Hardly any bubbles at all", "Quite oily with a saccharin aftertaste", "much too sweet", "cheap and nasty in comparison", "smells artificial", "I'd only use it for cooking" Overall rating 2/10. 2. The traditional method: Pelorus from New Zealand £12 "would go well with turkey", "almost oaky" very robust" intense". Overall rating 8/10 3. The non-Vintage Champagne: Veuve Clicquot yellow label, around £25. "Quite appley", "very flowery", "tastes harsher than it smells". Overall rating 6/10 4. Special blend: Nicolas Feuillate Champagne Cuvee 1995, selling at around £25. "Very complex", "lots of layers of taste", "lingers in the mouth", "it would be a waste to drink this with food". Overall rating 9/10 The overall feeling was that if you were looking for something very special it was would be worth paying that little bit more, but unless you knew your Champagnes you could easily be disappointed, especially if you chose by brand name alone. A far safer - and cheaper bet - was the Pelorus, which for £12 was an exceptionally good tipple for a special occasion. As for an everyday fizzy drink, everyone admitted to buying Cava! |
| Posted: 12/04/2005 13:57:38 Last Updated: 12/04/2005 14:07:02 |
Chick Lit > Gourmet Chicks :: Fizz