I was lucky enough to receive some bottles of Domaine Chandon a few weeks ago to sample for a sparkling wines piece I wrote. Two of the bottles were curiously missing the cork, foil and cage typically of most traditional method sparkling wines...
Domaine Chandon's Etoile Brut ("star" in French) prides itself on having "freedom to break from all traditional limitations and commonly accepted rules in sparkling winemaking." Thus, they use a crown closure (AKA a beer cap...) with some lovely ribbon on top, to seal their bottles.
I was actually a bit nervous to keep this on my wine rack. Would it hold? Would it explode in the middle of the night, leaving precious (and sticky...) bubbly residue on my walls? I mean, I figured the winemakers knew what they were doing, but it's just a bit...unconventional. But c'est le point, I guess...
It was refreshingly easy to just grab my bottle opener from the side of my fridge and pop open the bottle. I thought maybe the wine wouldn't have that much effervescence--a safety precaution for the lack of a cage. But it was fully sparkling. And delicious, with some ginger and honey, and some apple and pear.
Etoile also comes in a rose version, which retails for $50. (The Brut retails for $40.)
So, next time you crave a bottle of the fizzy stuff, embrace the beer cap, and grab the bottle opener. Cheers!
Etoile
Domaine Chandon's Etoile Brut ("star" in French) prides itself on having "freedom to break from all traditional limitations and commonly accepted rules in sparkling winemaking." Thus, they use a crown closure (AKA a beer cap...) with some lovely ribbon on top, to seal their bottles.
I was actually a bit nervous to keep this on my wine rack. Would it hold? Would it explode in the middle of the night, leaving precious (and sticky...) bubbly residue on my walls? I mean, I figured the winemakers knew what they were doing, but it's just a bit...unconventional. But c'est le point, I guess...
It was refreshingly easy to just grab my bottle opener from the side of my fridge and pop open the bottle. I thought maybe the wine wouldn't have that much effervescence--a safety precaution for the lack of a cage. But it was fully sparkling. And delicious, with some ginger and honey, and some apple and pear.
Etoile also comes in a rose version, which retails for $50. (The Brut retails for $40.)
So, next time you crave a bottle of the fizzy stuff, embrace the beer cap, and grab the bottle opener. Cheers!
Etoile
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1 comment:
I love the bottle shot. All sparkling wine (including Champagne) uses this closure in the winemaking process. In methode traditionnelle, sugar and yeast are added in the bottle to create secondary fermentation. It is sealed with a cap like this. And ages for at least a year with this closure. Only when they disgorge the dead yeast and get the bottle read for market does it receive the cork finish. So no need to be frightened of pressure. It is actually a very good closure - albeit unconventional - for the wine.
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