Ash Uncorked: Never a fly in my Champagne!

Welcome to Uncorked

I was born and raised in Indonesia and it was our Christmas holidays to Australia that introduced me to the wine world. We spent our time touring the Mornington Peninsula vineyards, indulging in some of the finest wines I had ever been exposed to. Every Christmas for the past 10 years we would venture back and visit our favorite wineries and culinary wizards, always seeming to uncover a couple new jems.

After graduating with a BSc from the University of Alberta, still not sure what the hell I was going to do with it...I had an epiphany, while in the shower of all places. Why don't I study wine?? It seemed so obvious. It was then that I decided to swallow the painful rebuttal from my folks, and follow my heart, for once in my life!

I moved to St. Catharines Ontario, and enrolled in the Cold Climate Oenology and Viticulture Program at Brock University. I graduated last year with flying colors...a bumpy road at times but all worth it in the end!

I have just recently returned from working a 2 and a half month harvest in the Yarra Valley and was able to pay patronage to my dear friend and winemaker, the muse behind my quest to one day become a successful winemaker.

Since my return I have thrown myself in the ISG program, and hope to complete the Sommelier Diploma by sometime next year. I have a lot in the making right now so I thought what better way to keep myself sane than to document my journey along the way. I don't know exactly where I'm headed but I know I'm excited in the now and for the future.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Never a fly in my Champagne!

Yes, as illustrated above, Veuve Cliquot is my Champagne of choice. I know there's other jems out there but my taste buds will not be privy to that information until I'm well on my way to Wine Stardom haha. That being said, there is something very exciting and endearing about honoring all those beautiful sparklings out there. Do NOT discredit bubbles because they originate from a place other than Champagne. Just to reiterate, anything effervescent produced outside the Champagne region of France cannot legally be referred to as Champagne. Rather it is titled sparkling, more precisely "Crémant" or "Mousseux" if the origin is French (bar Champagne).
As we head North East over to Germany and Austria, sparkling wines are known as Sekt.

One of my favorite Champagne alternatives is "Cava", Spain's excellent rendition of French Champagne. Why is it my favorite you ask? Being that is produced using the same "Traditional Method" as Champagne, the wine takes on that signature autolytic character from being aged on dead yeast cells. It's not as morbid as it sounds. The mouthwatering aromas of fresh baked bread, toasty caramel, and Bartlett pears, it takes my breath away with every waft. What could be more pleasurable than the endless flow of tiny bubbles, baked bread and the essence that is Champagne, all for the fraction of the price? Well I suppose drinking Champagne in Champagne would qualify but that's besides the point. It's Champagne on a budget!

Oh and let's not forget the Vihno Verde from Portugal, I know it's not fully effervescent but they do inject the wine with a dose of carbon dioxide after fermentation, producing a very light, refreshingly crisp wine that tingles your tongue with citrus notes and tiny bubbles. It's low in alcohol so you can get away with drinking a fashionably acceptable yet copious amount without falling on your face. So much fun! I tried one at my sommelier tasting class last night and I had visions of me frolicking in a sunlit field of lavendar...for whatever reason.
The name of the wine is Gazela Vihno Verde DOC and the best part, it's only $9.99! The perfect summer sipper!