Caribbean Entertainment Magazine - Volume 6 Nov - Dec 2013 | Page 79
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hoosing a great sparkler for the New Year can be overwhelming, so let's review
which ones may be best for your New Year's Eve dinner or celebration.
Some people tend to call all sparkling wines champagne, but, the only wines that can be called
champagne are the ones that are produced in the Champagne region of France, hence the
name.
Wine produced anywhere else in the world must, therefore, be called a “sparkling wine”. The
primary grapes used to produce champagne are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot
Meunier. There are now only five family-owned champagne houses in France, and LaurentPerrier is the largest of the three.
Champagnes price typically range from around $45 and more. Prices of sparkling wines will
depend on the amount of time spent aging, the grapes used in the bottling and the process used
to produce the champagne or sparkling wine.
Understanding the sweetness of sparkling wines:
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Extra-Brut or Brut-Naturale: 0-6 grams of sugar per liter (the driest of the dry, unsweetened)
Brut: less than 15 grams of sugar per liter (dry—typical style of champagne with no
sweetness)
Extra-Dry: 12-20 grams of sugar per liter (dry or slightly sweet)
Sec: 17-35 grams of sugar per liter (medium-sweet)
Demi-Sec: 33-55 grams of sugar per liter (sweet)
Doux: more than 55 grams of sugar
There are so many champagnes and sparkling wines on the market today that can fit any budget for any celebration.
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