North Bay Woman

When the summer wedding season arrives in the North Bay, a bride-to-be's thoughts turn to more than just love and billowy white dresses. If a towering cake is the iconic food of weddings, sparkling wine is its liquid equivalent. What could be more festive than a gorgeous glass of dancing bubbles? While most people know that bubbly is a must-have for weddings, there is still some confusion about the logistics. Which sparkler should you choose? How much will you need? How and when should the wine be served? To help clear up the mystery, we asked three local sparkling wine producers for advice: Eileen Crane, founding CEO and winemaker at Domaine Carneros in Napa; Joy Sterling, partner and CEO at Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol; and Rebecca Faust, co-founder of Breathless Wines in Healds- burg. A Matter of Style When choosing a sparkling wine for any occasion – wedding or otherwise – it helps to know a bit about the house style and fl agship offerings of the different producers. The most popular sparklers at Domaine Carneros are Le Rêve, a luxury cuvée made from Chardonnay grapes; Brut Rosé and Brut Vintage. As an estate winery, Domaine Car- neros grows most of its own grapes, mainly in the Carneros region. The winery is owned by the family behind Champagne Taittinger in France, and the company's French Champagnes and California sparklers have a similarly elegant style. (By law, only wines made in the Champagne region can use that name on their labels.) "When you think of Domaine Carneros," Crane said, "think of Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress – everything in place, nothing extra, but still kicky and fun." At Iron Horse, the top-selling bubblies are the Wedding Cuvée, a pale, dry rosé; and the Vintage Brut. All of the winery's sparklers are made with estate-grown grapes, and vintage dated. "Our style sends off memory bells that say 'Champagne' in terms of the fi nesse, but the fruit is unmistakably California, Sonoma County, Russian River, Green Valley and most specifi cally, Iron Horse," Sterling said. Breathless produces three sparklers: Brut, Blanc de Noirs and Brut Rosé, made from grapes grown in Sonoma-Carneros, Mendoci- no County and Dry Creek Valley. The winery's fl agship wine is the Blanc de Noirs. "It won our fi rst award at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, and continues to win," Faust said. Breathless winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster describes the house style as "elegant, show- ing the fruit in its best light, but without being overly fruity." In short, she said, "It's traditional French with a California twist." Ultimately, when deciding which wine to choose for a wedding, Crane said, "Don't lis- ten to your caterer. When I talk to caterers they will say, 'I always recommend the cheapest because nobody will drink it. And I think if you (serve) the cheapest, you're absolutely right." The Right Glass Once you've selected your wines, you'll need the right glassware. "I'm not fussy, but there is no doubt that the shape of the glass makes a difference in how the wine tastes," Sterling said. "A fl ute has the advantage of retaining the bubbles, while a wider glass tends to make the sparkling wine taste older." Crane prefers a tulip-shaped Champagne glass. "There are some exquisite glasses that allow you to see the bubbles rising," she said. "Having the bubbles rise is so evocative and beautiful." Almost more important than the glass shape, she added, is the amount of wine poured into it. "I think one of the mis- takes people make is they try to fi ll a glass three-quarters full, or even more. That gives the wine a chance to warm up, and warm bubbles are not what I want. For me, a third of a glass is about right." Serving temperature is also a factor for Faust. "Sparkling wine should be served very cold," she said. "If the wine is not cold enough, it could gush, and you can lose the wonderful effervescence that makes a bubby so special. For large events, always have a back-up ice chest with cold wine ready to replace the wines being poured from the table." In terms of how much to buy, Sterling add- ed, "I always fi gure 50 glasses to a case." Sparkling with Everything When serving sparkling wine at a wedding, Crane advised, don't save it for the cake. "The most celebratory moment is really just as the recept ion is getting started," she said. "That's when you should serve sparkling wine, at the beginning of the meal. Frankly, with cake, you should be serving coffee – for responsible hospitality." Eileen Crane, founding CEO and winemaker at Domaine Carneros. Photo provided by Domaine Carneros. Joy Sterling, partner and CEO at Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol. – Photo provided by Iron Horse Vineyards. Rebecca Faust, co-founder of Breathless Wines in Healdsburg. Photo provided by Breathless Wines. >>

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