Crash Course Seminar: Blind Bubbly

Last night, in coordination with Downtown Wine & Spirits, we hosted our Crash Course Seminar on sparkling wine. Since there are so many preconceptions that come with tasting everything from unique Portuguese selections to big name, French Champagnes we decided to do the tasting blind.

This means, Jeff Golden, Wine Buyer for Downtown, selected the wines and had a member of the staff cover the bottles in a paper bag and number them, so we, the hosts, didn’t even know which wines were which. We the proceeded to pour seven different sparkling wines, from all over the world, to a crowd of over 25 guests.

We had everyone “rate” the wine on a 0-10 scale and at the end, we tallied the results and unveiled the bottles. Here is the breakdown of the wines in order of likability:

1)	Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Burgundy, France – $18
		The favorite wine of the evening turned out to be from France, just not Champagne. Coming in at $18 per bottle, the Cremant de Bourgogne was the overall winner. (Wine Number 7)
2)	Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne, France – $35
		True, actual Champagne comes in second place. This is a true, non-mass produced French bubbly that totally rocked our tasting. It’s also a Second Glass favorite. (Wine Number 6)
3)	Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne, France – $50
		We’re not going to lie, we threw this one in here to prove a point. The most expensive and wine with the best advertising campaign is rarely the best wine. In a blind tasting, Veuve never comes in first. While it’s $50 it was beat out by a Champagne for $15 less and a Cremant that was significantly less expensive. (Wine Number 3)
4)	Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Sonoma County, California – $20
		Good ol’ USA comes in fourth. These next three were incredibly close. This “entry level” Gloria Ferrer hails from Sonoma County and is made from the same grapes as Champagne; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (Wine Number 2)
5)	Il Fae’ Prosecco Veneto, Italy – $16
		Italy’s famous bubbly comes in number five (again, very close to the Gloria Ferrer and the Segura). Prosecco is typically enjoyed during the summer, but also happens to make a nice holiday treat. (Wine Number 4)
6)	Segura Viudas Cava Spain – $9
		It’s only nine bucks and came in sixth, but what’s important to note, is that it was still highly liked. Just because they came in near the bottom of the heap doesn’t mean the suck. Spanish Cava is great because they make is super cheap but it’s really easy and fun to drink. The Segura is no different. An awesome purchase by the case. (Wine Number 5)
7)	Quinta de Cabrie Portugal – $14
		Last, but certainly not least, is a Portuguese sparkling wine. While not known for producing sparkling, Portugal does a damn fine job. This guy came in last, but there were some other factors. It was the first wine we sampled and the only complaints were that it wasn’t really flavorful. Like all other Portuguese wines, I suspect this sparkling really shines when drank with food. I personally enjoyed this wine and definitely would purchase a bottle or two. (Wine Number 1)