Wine: A season to sparkle

Morton Estate I.Q. 3, $27. Photo / Natalie Slade

The perception that sparkling wine, bubbles, champagne ... call it what you will, is for use as seasonal or celebratory drink only must drive producers crazy.

To be fair, Europeans are more likely to open a bottle of champagne in the same way we open a bottle of sauvignon. It's seen as a table wine and certainly as an aperitif, albeit what's opened is likely to be something more affordable than, say, a bottle of Krug, which unless you own a slew of chateaux is unlikely to be the "house" wine.

But for Kiwis, champagne or methode traditionelle wine usually appears only on special occasions - anniversaries, weddings, christenings, birthdays, graduations or Christmas and to usher in the New Year.

No wonder, then, we now have an avalanche of advertising and promotions around sparkling wines, because traditionally this is the time of the year when most purchases are made.

It's pretty much lean pickings for the rest of the year.

A decade ago, as the new millennium beckoned, you may recall a hysterical campaign of fear, madness and lies by the world's major champagne houses who got in a total lather, predicting there wouldn't be enough champagne to go around. A brazen attempt for us all to mortgage the farm and buy, in huge volume, their fine product.

If you've ever seen the vast underground French caves bulging at the seams with millions of bottles, you'll be able to rest easy.

What's really good news for today's consumer is the fact the global wine glut affects champagne, and a number of really high-end expensive brands have never been offered at such reasonable prices.

Even if you're not in the market for say, Dom Perignon, now a snip at $199 a bottle, there is an excellent array of local bubbles which ought to suit all budgets. As well, there are some lesser known French producers who are offering very fine champagne within reach of that special occasion price.

Are the cheaper New Zealand bubbles grossly inferior to those more exalted Old World wines? No.

But it will be a happier Christmas if you go for what is affordable rather than what you think you ought to have.

RECOMMENDED

Morton Estate I.Q. 3, $27
Special release methode traditionelle made from the classic champagne varieties of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. I.Q. stands for Improving Quietly. A beautiful mix of flavours and excellent buying - reminiscent of creme brulee.

Champagne Cattier Blanc de Noirs, $80
Smart French champagne from one of the lesser-known brands. Pinot noir 70 per cent and pinot meunier 30 per cent, this is intense, lively, complex and engaging. Flavours of red berry fruits, violets and almonds. Divine.