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Sparkling wine, sometimes referred to as Champagne, is a bubbly white wine variety long associated with celebrations and lazy, boozy holiday brunches. The pop of the cork and the explosion of bubbles is only half the fun. Our selection of sparkling varieties offer you every taste sensation from dry whites through to soft and sweet bubbly.
You can order online from Boozebud and enjoy fast alcohol delivery direct to your door, anywhere in Australia. Our online store offers you the widest selection of craft beer available as well popular beer brands and the best spirits made both here and around the world. Order from our selection of rum, including Australia’s best makers and the best international makers, as well as gin and vodka. Enjoy our selection of tequila and mezcal varieties and take some time to browse through our whiskey and Scotch offerings from the windswept islands of the far north as well as local Australian makers. For lovers of brandy and cognac, choose from a wide range of styles and flavours.
What is sparkling wine?
While sparkling wine originated in the winemaking region of France called Champagne, not all sparkling wine is considered Champagne. Naming conventions for French wine must adhere to both strict regional qualities as well as a range of conditions relating to the wine’s properties. To be called a Champagne, the sparkling variety must, first and foremost, be created in the French winemaking Champagne region. Because Champagne can only be made in the winemaking region of Champagne, then all other sparkling varieties are therefore known as sparkling wine instead.
The history of sparkling wine is an interesting one given the fact that Champagne now is renowned for its sparkling white wines. Initially, sparkling white wine (and red wine) was actually considered a massive failure on the part of the vintner who was actually trying to make a still wine. The sparkle this variety is so well-known and loved for is actually due to a two-stage fermentation process which naturally occurred during particularly cold weather. The fermentation of wine would occur as and when it was supposed to occur in the vats, but it would finish early, unbeknownst to the winemaker, when the weather turned cold.
Traditional winemaking called for yeasts that would go dormant in cold weather and then reactivate once the weather warmed up to complete their fermentation process. This secondary fermentation would occur within the bottle rather than the barrel (traditionally) after primary fermentation, and when yeast creates alcohol it also creates carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gas would build up within the wine bottle and the wine producer wouldn’t know until they either opened the bottle with sparkling wine’s signature “pop”, or the wine bottle would explode under the pressure of the gas while stored. Entire vintages were sometimes lost in this way and winemakers would, if the bottle survived, shake their heads in dismay when fizzy wine hissed from their carefully stored wines.
Today, sparkling wine is highly sought after through a range of methods but the traditional method, known as méthode champenoise and the mistake of countless vintners in France originally, is still considered the superior one. This is largely because it’s an incredibly labour intensive method carefully curated and managed by the winemaker. This process takes longer to create and therefore is generally considered to produce the highest quality. Technology, however, has made making sparkling wine of consistently high quality much easier and thankfully everyone can enough an excellent bottle of bubbly.
Australian sparkling wine ranks highly on the world’s stage with a homegrown favourite of sparkling rose still the perfect accompaniment to the great Australian barbeque. We have some excellent cool climate regions perfect for developing a very dry sparkling wine, in the closest tradition of the sparkling brut, but experimentation with a host of other grape varieties has proven to produce very fruitful sparkling varieties too.
In the early days of sparkling wine’s appeal, sweet wines were highly prized, especially in Russia, and it was common practice to add sugar to the wines. Now the field is wide open with a range of dry and sweet varieties available. The Brut is the amongst the driest available and an Extra Brut is considered to have the lowest calories, packing an average of 65 calories per glass. The bubbles are also said to make you want to drink less of it so if you’re looking for a low cal drink you can enjoy chilled and expect to drink less of then this might be the perfect variety to choose that allows you to celebrate with everyone else while watching your calorie intake.
How long can you keep sparkling wine?
The key to keeping sparkling wine between drinks is to stopper it with a proper wine stopper and to store it laying down in your fridge. Once opened, the bubbles that give sparkling wine its signature fizz are already dispersing and there’s nothing you can do to stop that from happening. You can slow it down with cooler temperatures, which stop the wine bubbles from bursting and thus disappearing, and by ensuring that it isn’t agitated more than it needs to be. The more often the bottle is moved, the more likely it is to lose its bubbles. Never store your bubbly on the fridge door, for example, as this is likely to jiggle it around and your wine will likely go flat between glasses.
What to add to sparkling wine?
Sparkling wine is not just for celebrations, but for enjoying all year round. You can drink it on its own or you can make a vast variety of cocktails including the Sunday Brunch winner Mimosa. Mimosa is a combination of sparkling wine and citrus juice, usually orange juice but it works with a variety of fruit types. Serve your Mimosa in a tall, fluted glass chilled and garnish with fresh fruit like strawberries and pineapple. Mimosas are traditionally made using Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco by locally made sparkling wine varieties and traditional French bubbles work just as well.
Can I use sparkling wine in cooking?
Sparkling wine can be used for cooking just like a superior dry white wine would be used. The great thing about using sparkling varieties is that the bubbles are lost in the cooking process so if you have a bottle in the fridge that you haven’t finished in time then use it for creating stunning risottos, fish dishes and chicken dishes.
You can also use a sparkling wine for making a luscious pan sauce. Pour it into a sauté pan after you have fried your aromatics like onions and garlic and allow it to reduce. Add in some stock or broth to build out your sauce and serve with your meal. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy crepe recipe, substitute half of your milk with sparkling wine instead. Switch out your boring white with a bubble one for your next fondue recipe. Add some garlic, fennel, saffron or whatever herbs are your favourite to your sparkling wine with a bit of stock or water and use it to steam your favourite shellfish like mussels and oysters. Finally, use a sparkling variety as your base for vinaigrette perfect for green salads. This can be a great way to make use of sparkling wine that’s just on the turn and no longer drinkable.
Browse our extensive range of options online now and order your next bottle of bubbles from Boozebud. We deliver direct to your door anywhere in Australia with super fast metro delivery options available in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.
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