Bubbles to bring in a New Year

As festivities continue, and as the wallet is a little thin, I look beyond Champagne to find other bubblies to ring out the old year. A first choice is my old standby, a sparkling Vouvray – one of many delectable vins mousseux from the Loire valley. Along with Saumur, this sparkler fits into a holiday menu ranging from savory tapenade-toasts to creamy fish or chicken entrées, roast pork… and all the way to flaky tourtières or galette des rois pastries…the truly versatile sip. Crémants de Bourgogne or de Bordeaux, Blanquettes de Limoux, all would fit the bill for a festive toast on New Year’s Eve.  So what, I wondered, is the difference? Each region’s wine varieties are part of the equation, and of course – terroir – that hard-to-pin-down element embracing soil, exposure and daylight hours, mist and altitude – are involved in making up a crémant’s character. Crémant is also used to describe certain Champagnes, Crémant de Champagne, with a light foam.  Crémant d’Alsace is made from pinot blanc grapes, while Crémant Blanc de Bourgogne’s aromatic, floral nose issues from a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend – and toss in the difference in terroir to accentuate the style.  Crémant de Loire can be a blend, mostly Chenin grapes but Chardonnay, Cabernt Franc and Pineau d’Aunis can be part of the composition. Across the globe, from Devonshire to the tip of Argentina, and from southern Russia to Rutherglen Australia, sparkling wines are made to both quench thirst and accent celebrations. And whether your taste is for sec or brut (dry) or demi-sec (sweet), wherever you lift a glass of bubbly, it holds its own as an expression of its winemaker – and of the moment:  Happy New Year….Happy New Decade!