I was recently in Fredericksburg, Texas, and had the opportunity to visit Heath Sparkling Wines along Fredericksburg’s Wine Road. And while there, I experienced one of the wine tastings featuring Heath’s award-winning sparkling wines. Many mistakenly call it champagne, but that’s a no-no.
For those of you who don’t know better, the word champagne is for champagne from the Champagne region of France only. They’ve pretty much trademarked the name, and that’s why you never see American sparkling wine listed as champagne, though many of us still call it champagne, nevertheless.
Many of you will be toasting with a bottle of sparkling wine this evening — or champagne if you’re planning to pop the cork on a vintage from France. And if you’re reading this in time, you’ll also have time to run to the store and get foods to match.
During my tasting at Heath, I learned a little about what foods go best with certain champagnes, er … sparkling wine!
Brut is a drier wine that pairs deliciously with salty foods, such as smoked almonds, chips and sausages. So try making a charcuterie board and include those foods with a bottle of Freixenet from Spain or splurge on a bottle of Dom Perignon. It’s New Year’s, after all.