Did someone say champagne? Well... sparkling wine done in the methode champaniose is what I meant. The more you drink sparkling wine the more you realize that it must be the most versatile wine in existence. Whether it's before, during, or after a meal the bubbly just always hits the spot. What does that mean to a winery that just released four sparkling wines from there own grapes, that were grown and bottled on their own property? A hell of a lot in my opinion.
Schulze Vineyards and Winery in Burt, NY celebrated their sparkling wine release last wednesday with a sold out dinner that paired food and sparkling wine in a casual and informative atmosphere. The night started off with winemaker Domenic Carisetti giving a short speech on crafting these wines and an explanation of what makes them so special. We all salivated as he popped the first cork with Martin Schulze himself eagerly waiting with a champagne glass. After a celebratory round of applause the food tables opened up to the guests. Each dish had a complimentary sparkler to pair with.
The two first sparklers were made from the Vidal grape including a brut and a semi dry. Another brut sparkler was made with the Riesling crossed Siegfried grape. Each of these are elegant wines you wouldn't help but guess were from the Champagne region of France. I do have to mention that no one is making that comparison, and rightly so, because each of these wines have there own distinct charm that not many other wines could match anyway, whether from France, Spain or anywhere for that matter. The last wine served was a semi-sweet Cuvee Rose made from the Catawba grape. It reminds me of Rosa Regale from the Piedmont region of Italy. This wine was paired with a wild berry sorbet and I think another perfect match would be chocolate of any kind, especially German chocolate cake.
All in all it was a successful event that was a good barometer for food and wine dinners in our Niagara Wine Region. Bring good wine and food together in a friendly atmosphere and they will come, eat, and buy wine. There's something to say for the magic of a bottle of sparkling wine. I can't imagine a round of applause for an uncorking of Merlot anytime soon. Ok, sorry Merlot. You've been kicked while you have been down for too long, especially since Sideways. Let me rephrase that... I can't imagine a round of applause for Cabernet anytime soon. Cheers!
