Carbonated Wine Comparison

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
I saw Tom Stevenson write somewhere (paraphrasing from memory) that an enterprising soul working in Anjou-Tours or in the Chablis area could make fizzy wine that would steal the laurel wreath in this department from the Champaignois. I've never seen a cremant de Chablis, but wondered how the Loire cognoscenti compare Chenin sparklers with the classic favorites from further north.
 
how the Loire cognoscenti compare Chenin sparklers with the classic favorites from further north.
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Everyone loves Huet. Foreau ain't bad either.

Pinon and Chidaine are no slouches.

Pretty much like the still wine.

I'll let others do the direct comparisons but I think QPR has to be a big part of the equation/deliberation.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
how the Loire cognoscenti compare Chenin sparklers with the classic favorites from further north.
Click to expand...

Everyone loves Huet. Foreau ain't bad either.

Pinon and Chidaine are no slouches.
Click to expand...

Word.

I think Baumard makes a pretty convincing set of sparkling wines as well.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:

I'll let others do the direct comparisons but I think QPR has to be a big part of the equation/deliberation.
Click to expand...
I would have to disagree. 1934 Huet fizz is pretty much the best sparkling wine I've ever had in my life. But you wouldn't call it cheap.
 
I've only tried the Baumard Tourquoise. At $30+, the Huet intimidates me, even if it is still cheaper than Deutz. We don't see anything else in this line in my neighborhood.

How do the good Loires compare with decent Champagne on, say, complexity?

Is there any fizz at all from the Chablis region?
 
1934 Huet fizz is pretty much the best sparkling wine I've ever had in my life. But you wouldn't call it cheap.
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On release it was probably cheaper than the equivalent Big House Champagne, no?

I don't know what the prices are for similar vintages of champagne, but even if 34 Huet is more expensive, it seems to me that most recent release Loire sparkling wine is cheaper and offers better qpr than similar champagne. Whether or not it is a 'substitute' is something I don't care to determine.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

Is there any fizz at all from the Chablis region?
Click to expand...

Simonnet-Febvre in Chablis (now owned by Louis Latour, I believe) makes a Cremant de Bourgogne. Don't know if the grapes are grown in Chablis proper or not, though. The previous lot sold in Pennsylvania for $13 or $13.50, and was a very nice sparkler at that price. It's not at the level to challenge good Champagne. The new lot, now up to $14, isn't as good, though it's still a good QPR sparkler.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Thor:

You're making Pierre-Alain cry.
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I killed a kitten this morning, too.
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*cough*

God-kills-kitten.jpg
Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
1934 Huet fizz is pretty much the best sparkling wine I've ever had in my life. But you wouldn't call it cheap.
Click to expand...

On release it was probably cheaper than the equivalent Big House Champagne, no?
Click to expand...
I wonder what it sold for. It wasn't disgorged until 1947 or so--it had been walled into a cave during the war and they didn't get around to it for a couple of years.

Totally amazing stuff.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
I would have to disagree. 1934 Huet fizz is pretty much the best sparkling wine I've ever had in my life. But you wouldn't call it cheap.
Click to expand...

It still sparkles? *shock emoticon*

Do you shake it before serving?!?
 
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