The more cynical among us will note that Chicago’s Al Capone was the last person in America to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in the manner it truly deserves. Fast forwarding sixty-some years and it takes an Capone-like lifestyle (or shouting about it in rhymes) to afford the big names in sparkling wines. Unless you are sporting a three carat Asscher cut stud in your tie or earlobe (it’s a bit nouveau to go for both), Cristal or Dom Perignon is pretty much beyond your grasp.

When we speak of sparkling wine, we are not speaking only of Champagne or even only of its offspring of varying degress of legitimacy, i.e., methode champenoise wines. There are also crémant wine, frizzantes, spumantes, and so forth. Prosecco, the new kid on the carbonated block, we’ll leave for another time. This is St. Valentine’s season and your Valentine is expecting “champagne, caviar and chocolate.”

We can’t help you with the latter two as this is Vinapedia and not Caviarpedia or Chocopedia. We can go as far as saying that champagne doesn’t actually taste very good with either, not that mant will heed our sage advice, and will force these combinations past unsuspecting uvulae, and wonder why all the fuss and expense. OK. You’ve been warned.

At any rate, the methode champenoise way of making wine is a bit different from your usual winemaking. You’ll note that very few winemakers do both champenoise and still wines. Store that thought for future rumination. Anyway, for more detail on the whole cast of sparklies, click here. The brief version is: The grape is usually Chardonnay, but variations made with Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier exist. The wine, after bottling, undergoes a second in-the-bottle fermentation and the residual sugar determines the sweetness. “Brut” is the second least sweet and the emblematic style of Champagne.

It is the consensus of the board here at Vinapedia Tower that gigabuck non-vintage champagne/Champenoise is a mug’s game. Many of the bottlings generally associated with well-armed gentlemen in white fur coats carry price tags that would make a masochist wince and, frankly, are not especially more wonderful than others with the decimal point scooted over one spot to the left. Also, the “NV” (that is, “non-vintage”) bottlings are made with a very keen eye for consistency in the house style; something which has been perfected after decades of expert palates being in charge.

Another interesting semi-secret worthy of your inspection. champenoise/Champagne wines are available in half (or even quarter!) bottles to a far greater degree than its their still cousins. This is especially noteworthy if your beloved is infinitely likelier to look longingly at the bed for slumber purposes as a consequence of more-than-usual wine consumption. I’m just saying. You save some of the expense (although half the wine costs more than half the price) and bother of storing an opened bottle of bubbly. Beside, smaller bottles make some people gush “It’s so cute!”

Here are my suggestions:

NV Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut Napa/Sonoma County ($30)
This wine is about 3:1 Chardonnay : Pinot Noir (instead of the more customary) 100% Chardonnay, but this blend is geared specifically to afford the drinker more of a stereotypical Blanc de Blancs experience than others which wave that nomenclature. It has a crisp, Granny Smith apple aroma with hints of cloves and nutmeg and it has a creamy and very slightly toasted yeast thing happening there. The bubbles are persistent pinpricks that constantly massage your palate in a refreshing manner, and despite its Californianness, it tastes precisely the way a Chandon from Champagne would. To those sophomore Vinapedics just graduating to sparkling wines this is an ideal Champenoise, with its fruitier-than-usual characteristics. Rating: ♠ ♠ ♠

NV Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($32, $20 for the half bottle.)
If the previous bottle was a Californian that tasted of its France, this is a French one that brings to mind its California cousins, although it brings forth a touch less fruit and touch more yeast creaminess than Roederer’s California bottlings. Still, breeding will out, and the gene pool comes through bright and clear. The color is an apple-green, with aromas of apples and pears; flavors are citrus (call me crazy, but I’m thinking tangerine) and yeast and honey. Maybe even a wisp of smoke and cinnamon/pepper, too. Rating: ♠ ♠ ♠1/2

NV Laurent Perrier Brut L-P ($33, $19/half bottle)
This is for more seasoned Vinapedics. Clearly it stands proudly, hands on hips with its cape flapping in the twilight breeze and “Brut” emblazoned on its chest. Bright gold, it has citrus (Meyer lemon springs to mind) and green apple overtones a yeast thing tahst reminds me exactly of cake yeast when you crumble it. It also has a slight minerality balanced by an equally slight butterscotchy thing. It has a lovely (and lively) “mouthroundfulness” with pleasant spiciness and insistent finish. Rating: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠

Snob Tip: The “regular” NV Laurent Perrier Brut is almost as good and slightly more easy to find. Price is within a buck.

— J.M. Garcia III