This week's column is devoted to the illustrious bubble. That little tiny speck of magical effervescence that is an integral component of some of the greatest wines in the world. We will talk a little about what makes sparkling wine special and why you should have bubbles on the brain all the time, not just for toasts on special occasions.

I thought of doing a Champagne column this week for three reasons. First, it's about time. After more than four months of columns, it's only fair that we finally discuss what could perhaps be the best wine on the planet. Second, I just celebrated my wedding anniversary and my wife and I would have enjoyed the bottle of 1985 Salon Blanc de Blanc I have in the cellar if it wasn't for the fact that she is nine months' pregnant and due any minute. And third is the result of the amazing Champagne tasting that I was privileged to attend this past Monday.

It was at The Pfister. There were more than 125 Milwaukee and Madison area sommeliers, wine buyers and retailers present. We tasted six Champagnes including Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Veuve Clicquot Rose, the newly acquired and stunning Ruinart Blanc de Blanc and one of my all time faves -- Krug Grand Cuvee.

All this spectacular sparkling splendor was the responsibility of On Premise District Sales Manager for Badger Liquor South, Kim Fisher. I told you in my wine tasting etiquette column that you would be hearing more of Miss Fisher, and for good reason. She established a series of educational tastings she calls "Badger Boot Camp." She brings in some of the best professionals in the business, pours plentiful tastes of amazing wine (as you can read from the above) and brings some amazing education to Milwaukee area wine industry geeks.

The setup was fantastic and I tip my hat to Kim for furthering industry education in an awesome way. Seth Box, lead educator from Moet & Hennessy, was as laid back as it gets, took the stank out of industry presentations and wine buying and delivered all this in a captivating, yet entertaining way.

Since this column doesn't have the requisite space to detail the unbelievably complex methodology of Champagne production, I'm going to gloss over the nitty-gritty and talk about the big picture.

For the record, Champagne is sparkling wine, but sparkling wine is not Champagne unless it comes from the region Champagne, France. Although there are many beautiful examples and very well made sparkling wines from around the world, Champagne produces the best sparklers on the planet -- bar none.

Why is this?

It's simple, really. The harder you make a vine work to produce grapes, the better quality the individual grapes it produces, and few growing regions in the world are less hospitable to grape growing than Champagne. To the best of my knowledge, no grapes are grown above 51 degrees latitude anywhere in the world, because it's just too cold.

Champagne falls between the 49th and 49 1/2 parallel so it's just about as north as it gets. Aside from the harsh conditions, the soil is primarily chalk, with some limestone and schist. The result is that with very little rainfall, the roots have to grow five or 10 meters below ground just to derive the necessary nutrients and water to survive. Consequently, because of the lack of water in the grape, the grapes that grow are few, but the concentration of flavors, and the density of character are substantial.

Couple this with the fact that all grape growers in Champagne cultivate their crop for the purpose of Champagne production, and you have the ingredients for some pretty spectacular wine.

OK, so now maybe you are nodding and thinking that the juice has to be pretty good coming form such elite grapes. Granted, the grape itself is the key to fine wine, but just wait until you get to hear how insane the Champagne making process really is.

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Posted by nbauer on Aug. 21, 2009 at 1:28 p.m. (report)

brunocarlson, thanks for you question. I do have preferences when it comes to Champagne -SMALL GROWERS, SMALL GROWERS, SMALL GROWERS. Sure the big boys make some great bubbles, but when Moet cranks out over 2 Million cases a year, you inherently lose much of the character that you will find from smaller producers. Starting out, i would recommend experimenting to find which styles your prefer (Soft and sexy=blanc de blanc/ bold an rich=blanc de noir and Rose/slightly sweet=demi-sec or extra dry) or even better you like them all, then work with a local retailer who can get their hands on a big variety. Also, the smaller hand crafted products tend to be less expensive (they don't have to feed the marketing machine of the big houses) Ben down at Waterford Wine Co. is a small grower sparkling fanatic-i would go see him for sure.

Posted by brunocarlson on Aug. 21, 2009 at 12:19 p.m. (report)

Nathaniel, do you have any personal preferences or house names when it comes to both champagne and sparkling wine? Or a possible starting point for a novice?

Posted by disziplin on Aug. 21, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. (report)

Thanks for the great column! I love Champagne and drink it often, regardless of the occasion.

Posted by nbauer on Aug. 21, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. (report)

Joscasta, Thanks for the question. Yes, Champagne must be made from 100% Champagne grapes and produced from within the Champagne region where the CIVC has governing control over the methode champenoise. There are currently 260+ producers but over 15k growers all located within Champagne.

Posted by asil621 on Aug. 20, 2009 at 10:59 p.m. (report)

"drinking Santana champ 'cuz it's so crisp." sorry I had to- it was the first thing that popped into my head.