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From: jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Re: Champagnes
Message-ID: <1312@tekgvs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 14:52:42 EST
Article-I.D.: tekgvs.1312
Posted: Mon Jan  6 14:52:42 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Jan-86 08:19:35 EST
References: <158@cosivax.UUCP> <4761@alice.UUCP>
Reply-To: jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs)
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 41
Keywords: Inexpensive, melt-in-your-mouth
Summary: Go Spanish

In article <4761@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) writes:
>The clear winner (of anything I have tried) in the <$10 category is
>
>
>			Freixenet Cordon Negro

	Clearly the value per dollar in Sparkling wines comes from the
Spanish. The white wines from Catalonia are very well adapted for sparkling
wine production. Almost all of them are good values. Tastes can certainly
differ, but my ranking would be (in labels only - not styles):

			Paul Chenau
			Codorniu
			Castellblanch
			Freixenet.

	The "melt-in-your-mouth" quality referred to a couple o' articles
back is certainly an appealing one. I associate that quality with the 
yeastiness that comes from bottle aging during secondary fermentation on
the lees. It will not result for bottle aging less than about 18 months.
The French Champagnes almost all have this with the possible exception
of Moet-Hennessy WHite Star. The paradigm "creamy" Chanpagne, to my taste,
is Bollinger. But it's not cheap at all. The Spanish sparklers often have
this quality in some measure because they age their wines with patience
before offering them to the market. Note the vintage dates on Rioja wines
sometime. Paul Chenau seems to be the best of the Spanish Sparklers and has
a marked "melt-in-you-mouth" quality.

	By the way, here's a question for discussion: How do you pronounce
'Freixenet?' My most literate friends have identified the name (tentatively)
as being Basque, but this doesn't help in choosing a pronunciation. I was
reading a menu in a restaurant once (a good practice, by the way) and they
suggested that it be pronounced 'Fresh Net.'

	What do you think?


				Jere M. Marrs
				Tektronix, Inc.
				Beaverton, Oregon
				tektronix!tekgvs!jerem