I am confused by the champagne terms “brut” and “extra dry.” Which is drier, and does nonvintage mean lower quality?
Brut refers to the driest champagne, and nonvintage is more accurately described as a multi-vintage blend. Champagne houses blend older reserve wines with younger wines to strike just the right balance of mellow complexity with youthful freshness. The percentages of the major grape varieties, pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier, also are adjusted to add nuance and body.
I’ve had an unopened bottle of champagne in my refrigerator for about five years. Is it still good?
Tell me it’s not Dom Perignon. While it’s OK to forget a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator for a few months, it’s disastrous to do that over long periods of time. The constant vibration of the compressor pushes the gas past the cork, and the low humidity lets the cork dry out, allowing air to oxidize the wine. The only way to judge is to pop the cork and try it. If a bottle does not pop when opened, it is unfit to drink or cook with.
When I pour champagne, the bubbles are frothy in some glasses and seem to dissipate in others, even though the glasses are identical. Since the champagne seems to taste the same regardless, is this really a problem?
Yes. When you buy a good champagne, part of what you are paying for are the clouds of bubbles. The better the wine, the tinier and more ebullient the bubbles. You don’t want to lose them. Soap residue and rinse conditioners from washing are the usual culprits. After every wash, rinse your glasses several times in clear water. If that doesn’t work, consider buying new, tulip-shaped flutes made of genuine crystal rather than ordinary glass. The microscopically coarser surface of crystal provides lots of rough edges for launching all those gorgeous bubbles.
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