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B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022
How to savor this golden era for sparkling wines
By ELIN McCOY
Bloomberg News
A daily glass of fi zz sus-
tained me during the darkest
days of the pandemic. Like
so many other wine lovers,
I fi nd there’s something
about bubbles in wine that
makes everything look a
little brighter, a little more
hopeful — no matter what
dire things are happening in
the world.
“Let’s face it. Bubbles
awaken a pleasure center
in your brain,” enthuses
Zachary Sussman, author
of the recently published
“Sparkling Wine for
Modern Times,” via phone.
Luckily, there are more
high-quality choices than
ever as winemakers around
the globe rush to satisfy our
thirst. Sparkling wine has
been on an upward sales tra-
jectory for the past decade.
It’s now the fastest-growing
wine category among
American consumers, up
22% for the year ending in
July 2021, according to sales
data from market research
fi rm Nielsen IQ.
The old idea that spar-
kling wine is an expensive
luxury drink best poured
only on special occasions
has, well, fi zzled.
The bottles we’re pop-
ping go way beyond Cham-
pagne, though we’re
drinking plenty of that, too.
Sussman’s book charts
the ways winemakers are
experimenting with unfa-
miliar grapes, new styles,
and diff erent produc-
tion methods to put those
dancing bubbles in the
bottle. There’s a rebirth of
traditions in remote loca-
tions (think France’s Savoie)
that we’re just learning
about. And climate change
is creating potential in chilly
places such as Japan, Nova
Scotia, England, Vermont
and Wisconsin — though
few of the wines are yet on
U.S. shelves. They will be.
Wine spots we don’t usu-
ally associate with spar-
kling wines, such as Hun-
gary, Austria and Brazil,
have new fi zz to share. Even
in California, a surprising
number of established win-
Dreamstime-TNS
Sparkling wine has been on an upward sales trajectory for the
past decade.
eries are dabbling, with
one or two sparkling wine
cuvées being added lineups.
More than 150 producers
in Paso Robles, San Luis
Obispo, Santa Barbara, and
Santa Ynez counties make
at least one example.
Champagne itself even
includes a lot of new,
exciting projects, such as the
Marie Césaire label founded
a few years ago by the fi rst
Black female Champagne
producer.
The world of bubbles
has now become so free-
wheeling and diverse that
a sparkling version is on
off er in whatever you want
to drink: red, white, rosé, or
orange.
You may be wondering
what drives all this recent
activity.
It all started 20 years ago
when grower Champagnes
(bottles crafted by small
family producers cultivating
grapes on their own land)
made us realize that prod-
ucts from big, well-known
brands weren’t the only
ones from the region worth
drinking.
Then came our embrace
of drink-me-now, par-
ty-pleaser prosecco from
northeast Italy. It’s made
by a diff erent method than
Champagne — fermented in
a tank and sugar and yeast
added to cause a second
fermentation that creates
bubbles.
Prosecco taught us that
fi zz could be fun, inex-
pensive enough for a daily
splash, and off ering a casual
appeal completely diff erent
from luxury Champagne.
The region debuted offi -
cial rosé versions in 2021
and is also pushing serious,
high-end single-vineyard
wines.
The natural wine move-
ment introduced us to easy
drinking, no-fuss petillant
naturel, made by a sim-
pler process referred to as
ancestral. Once consid-
ered geek wines (they can
appear cloudy), pet nats
have recently become more
mainstream. Partially fer-
mented juice is bottled and
sealed with a crown cap;
fermentation fi nishes in the
bottle, trapping the bubbles.
Because this method doesn’t
involve pricy equipment
or storage for aging, even
small wineries can exper-
iment. This has inspired
dozens of producers to off er
new, delicious examples.
Until recently, California
and Oregon’s sparkling
wines came only from win-
eries dedicated to producing
it, such as Schramsberg in
Napa and Roederer Estate
in Mendocino, both in Cali-
fornia. What changed things
was a handful of custom
crush facilities, like Ore-
gon’s Radiant Sparkling
Wine, that off er small-scale
winemakers the pricy spe-
cialized equipment and
facilities required to make
bubbly by the traditional
Champagne method.
Think of all this as the
liberation of sparkling
wine. Now, with the global
reopening of restaurants and
wine bars, you can expect to
see a wider variety of bub-
bles on their lists. I’ve listed
some of my recent exciting
discoveries below, but could
have included dozens more.
Where does Sussman see
the most exciting future for
fi zz? He has his eye on Cen-
tral and Eastern Europe in
such countries as Hungary
and the Czech Republic.
Lake County grapes in Cal-
ifornia, is the brainchild of
Black winemaker Chris .
First launched in 2012, it’s
now more available. It’s
light, dry, and aromatic,
with a green-apple fruiti-
ness — and made like a pro-
secco. Christensen is also
putting the same wine in
250 ml cans for $8 each.
11 EXCITING
SPARKLING WINES
FROM AROUND THE
GLOBE
Savory and slightly her-
baceous, with soothing,
gentle bubbles, this bold-fl a-
vored sparkling red is the
color of a Negroni. It’s
from prosecco land but has
some taste resemblance to a
bone-dry, fruity Lambrusco.
I’d never heard of the vari-
etal—Raboso Veronese,
whose taste reminds me a
bit of cabernet franc.
NV Sidonio de Sousa
Branco Brut Nature
($17)
Portugal has become the
go-to spot for terrifi c bar-
gains, and that includes
sparkling wines. This zippy
one is from the Bairrada
region near the chilly north-
west coast. The blend of
three local white grapes has
aromas of ripe pears and
white fl owers.
NV Lubanzi Sparkling
Rosé ($18)
This frothy, fruity, fun
South African pale-pink fi zz
will remind you of a dry,
crisp prosecco. It’s made
from cinsault grapes. The
winery is environmentally
and socially conscious, a
certifi ed B corporation that
is also part of One Percent
for the Planet, whose mem-
bers contribute at least 1%
of annual sales to environ-
mental causes. The wine
comes in a can, too.
2020 Folias de Baco
Uivo PET NAT Rosé
($23)
The young winemaker
behind the label makes four
pet nats in Portugal’s Douro
region, land of vintage port.
This one is 100% pinot
noir. It’s light and lively but
intense, with fresh, tart, red-
fruit fl avors.
NV Bodkin Cuvee
Agincourt Brut
Sparkling Sauvignon
Blanc ($25)
America’s fi rst sparkling
sauvignon blanc, made from
2020 Casa Belfi
Naturalmente
Frizzante Rosso ($25)
2019 Heidi Schrock
& Sohne Pinot Blanc
Petillant Naturel, v. 2
($26)
Schrock, with a long
history at making wine in
Austria, is crafting a new
line of natural wines, Nos-
talgie Naturelle, with her
sons. The second vintage
of this orange-tinged spar-
kler, a re-creation of a wine
Schrock’s great-grandfather
made, is bright and citrusy
with fl oral aromas.
2020 Carboniste
Octopus Sparkling
Wine Extra Brut ($28)
Dan and Jacqueline
Person are making modern
sparkling wines in Cali-
fornia that don’t aim to be
like Champagne. Their fl ag-
ship, made from aromatic
albariño grapes, has softer
bubbles and tastes of pas-
sion fruit and fresh herbs,
not toasty brioche. Serve, of
course, with grilled octopus.
2020 Milan Nestarec
Danger 380 Volts Pet
Nat ($32)
Czech winemaker Milan
Nestarec has been called
the “enfant terrible” of the
country’s leading natural
wine group. This unusual
mix of Mueller-thurgau,
neuburger, and muscat
grapes is citrusy and very
tart, best for adventurous
palates.
2018 Cruse Wine Co.
Tradition Sparkling
Wine ($45)
Michael Cruse is best
known for his very expen-
sive cult sparkler Ultrama-
rine and for pet nats from
grapes like valdiguie. This
third version of his sunny,
lemony, and toasty Califor-
nia-style fi zz is his idea of
an entry level cuvée made
by the Champagne method.
The blend of pinot noir and
chardonnay has intense
fruit aromas and delicious
delicate berry and green
apple fl avors.
NV Louis Roederer
Champagne Brut
Collection 242 ($45)
Famous Champagne
houses don’t want to be left
out when it comes to exper-
iments. The maker of luxe
favorite Cristal ditched its
basic non-vintage wine,
replacing it with a stun-
ning multivintage blend
— a defi nite step up. Silky
textured and lacy, with lots
of energy and complexity,
it’s made a little like a
sherry solara, with new
wine added to a perpetual
reserve every year.
2016 Radgonske
Gorice Untouched
by Light Methode
Classique Brut ($290)
The fi rst sparkling wine
made in complete dark-
ness, this Slovenian fi zz
is not just a gimmick:
Research has found that
exposure of bottled wines
to fl uorescent or ultravi-
olet light can cause light-
strike, which aff ects a
sparkling wine’s aromas.
This winery is taking no
chances. The grapes are
harvested on moonless
nights and processed in the
dark by workers wearing
night vision goggles. The
wine matures in dark caves
and the wine comes in a
black glass bottle. All-char-
donnay, it’s gentle, creamy
textured, and elegant. The
only thing not to like is the
price tag.
Giving your wok a workout
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
I’ve been a fan of chef
and culinary scientist J.
Kenji Lopez-Alt ever since
his fi rst bestselling cook-
book, “The Food Lab:
Better Home Cooking
Through Science,” was
published in 2015. So like
so many others, I couldn’t
wait to get my hands on
his highly anticipated fol-
low-up, “The Wok: Rec-
ipes and Techniques”
(Norton, $50), which hit
store shelves on March 8.
It was worth the wait.
The 658-page cook-
book grew out of a chapter
on the wok that had been
edited out of his fi rst cook-
book. It makes a com-
pelling case that, when it
comes to producing fast,
fl avorful and versatile
meals, nothing beats stir-
frying in the traditional
Chinese cooking vessel.
Along with an intro-
ductory chapter on how
to buy, season, clean and
maintain a wok, it includes
instructions on knife skills
and easy-to-follow wok
techniques for a variety
of meats and vegetables.
It also boasts more than
200 recipes — many with
mouthwatering photos —
for stir-fries, rice, noodles
and simple no-cook side
dishes such as smashed
cucumber salad.
I test-drove the cook-
book with one of my
favorite Chinese recipes,
Dan Dan Noodles, which
Lopez-Alt writes “are to
Sichuan what the ham-
burger is to the United
States: They’re ubiquitous,
there are certain expec-
tations, but there are no
hard and fast rules other
than the basic ingredi-
ents” — noodles, chile oil,
pickled Sichuan vegeta-
bles, vinegar and lip- and
tongue-numbing Sichuan
peppercorns.
Like many traditional
Chinese foods, this dish
involves more than a few
ingredients, but not so
much as to be intimidating.
Some might be unfamiliar;
this was the fi rst time I
cooked with preserved
mustard root, for instance.
The crushed Sichuan
peppercorn will add a tin-
gling, numbing sensa-
tion on the tongue and lips
known as “ma” in Chinese.
DAN DAN
NOODLES
2 teaspoons red Sichuan
peppercorns
For sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame
paste or 4 teaspoons tahini or
unsweetened peanut butter
mixed with 2 teaspoons
roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinkiang
or balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup Sichuan chile oil
with its sediment
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
(about 2 medium cloves)
For pork
1 tablespoon peanut or
other neutral oil
6 ounces ground or fi nely
chopped pork
2 ounces minced preserved
mustard root or stem
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon light soy
sauce or shoyu
To serve
1 pound fresh wheat noodles
4 ounces fresh greens,
such as spinach or baby
bok choy, optional
2 ounces mung bean
sprouts, optional
¼ cup roasted or fried
peanuts, gently crushed
in a mortar and pestle
4 to 5 scallions, thinly sliced
Toast Sichuan peppercorns in
a dry wok over high heat until
fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer
to mortar and pestle or spice
grinder and grind into a fi ne
powder; set aside.
Make sauce: Combine sesame
paste and water in medium bowl
and stir until completely smooth.
Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar,
chile oil, garlic and half of the
ground Sichuan peppercorns and
stir until homogenous and sugar
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Made with a spicy sauce containing Sichuan chili oil and garlic, and topped with crispy round pork, Dan
Dan Noodles are a popular street food in China.
is dissolved. Divide sauce evenly
among 4 individual bowls or
pour into one large serving bowl
to share.
Make pork: Heat wok over high
heat until lightly smoking. Add 1
tablespoon oil and swirl to coat.
Add pork and cook, stirring and
tossing and using a spatula to
break up pork until it is no longer
pink, about 1 minute.
Add preserved mustard root
and cook, stirring and tossing
until all excess moisture has
evaporated and the mixture
starts to stick to the wok, about 1
minute longer. Add a big pinch of
ground Sichuan peppercorns and
toss to combine.
Swirl in the wine vinegar and
soy sauce around the edges of
wok and continue to cook, stirring
and tossing, until wine and soy
sauce have completely evaporat-
ed, about 3 minutes. Transfer pork
mixture to a small bowl.
Prepare noodles: Bring 3 quarts
of lightly salted water to a boil
in the wok or in a large pot over
high heat. When water is boiling,
add the noodles, greens and bean
sprouts, if using, and cook ac-
cording to the package directions
until barely cooked through, just a
couple minutes.
Drain noodles, reserving some
of the cooking liquid, and divide
evenly among the individual
bowls or transfer to the large serv-
ing bowl. Add a few tablespoons
of cooking liquid to each bowl.
Spoon the pork mixture on top.
Sprinkle with remaining
ground Sichuan peppercorns
and the sliced scallions. Serve
immediately.
Serves 4.
— “The Wok: Recipes and
Techniques” by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
(Norton, March 8, 2022, $50)
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