Bubble, bubble - hey, no trouble

Whatever the name, the message in the bottle is the same: fun, romance, elegance, celebration. Here’s a Valentine’s Day six-pack of festive bubble, from Australia, Spain, Ay and Patagonia

by JURGEN GOTHE

Champagne - sparkling wine, vin mousseux, cava, sekt, cremant, spumante - whatever the name, the message in the bottle is the same: fun, romance, elegance, celebration - and a really good dinner companion regardless of the food or the company. Which is why there’s so much of it about; every wine-making area produces some - and this is the season - one of the seasons - when we like to drink it, give it, enjoy it.

Here is a Valentine’s Day six-pack of festive bubble, from Australia, Spain, Ay and Patagonia, arranged from budget ($15) to indulgence ($65). All were personally taste-tested to make sure I’m not steering you wrong here. It’s all part of the selfless service. All came from the government stores (although, as is usually the case, not all of them are to be found in all of the stores.)

Let’s begin with the amazing 15-dollar bargain from down under, Wolf Blass ‘Yellow Label’ Sparkling Brut n/v, which stands for non-vintage, which all of the following are, except for the Marques de Gelida. $14 plus the requisite dime buys you a great deal of bubbly delight: it’s soft, a teeny bit sweetish, but rich and full and just very nice, especially for the price. Sure, you can do two, the two of you, if you’re planning on staying in. Which is a good thing to plan on Valentine’s Day. Or even extemporize.

Here’s a newbie from the bottom of the continent: Fresita Patagonian Strawberry Bubble ‘100% Natural.’ The natural part refers to the strawberry pulp that goes into the wine, bringing it up to a scarcely wine-legal eight per cent alcohol (OK, you can do three of these, the two of you!). You’ve got to love berries, though, ‘cause that’s what the taste is all about: ‘premium Chilean sparkling wine, infused with hand-picked strawberries from Patagonia,’ according to the label legend. As well as being bright and clean and fresh, and presented in a festive Barbie-pink celebratory bottle, it really suffers from only one little problem - price; $17.95 seems a tad steep for such pop. But it’s lovely with custards and cobblers when fresh baking fruit reappears. Might make pretty good Jell-O, too.

The Spanish cava, Marques de Gelida Brut Exclusive Reserva 2004 ($24) is packaged in one of those wrap-around plastic covers, with lots of splashes of bright orange and white, which might not make the ecofolks too happy. And be careful - the wire cage twists off the opposite way from what we’re used to. But it tastes very nice - a little yeasty off the top, till it gets comfortable in the glass, then lean and quite crisp, lemon-fresh for the front of the palate; very easy drinking, especially if you’ve got it at hand while cooking. A welcome newcomer to our bubbly shelves.

Segura Viudas ‘Herredad’ Brut Reserva ($30) has delighted fanciers of mid-priced bubble ever since landing on our shores. It sits at the top of the price pyramid from this reliable producer of quality cava; the presentation of the heavy bottle-in-box is gift-ready; the fruit is fabulous. This is as good as many French champagnes, at half the cost: fresh, lively, brisk and festive; well worth the price. A bubble best buy for sure.

Lanson ‘Black Label’ Brut is another best buy; yes, even at $34 for the half (375 ml) bottle. (You’ll want four of these, at least, for the two of you. Or go the bundle and get the 750). But if it’s a matter of a whistle-wetter before you go out to dinner, this will do the trick nicely; set you up for more, at restaurant markup price when you get to where you’re going (which you did book, right?). Lanson is a French classic and French bubble costs the bundle, nothing for it but to take a deep breath and pay the piper. Ah, but it’s so splendid. And we do buy label as much as content, don’t we. Go ahead, indulge, enjoy - the bill won’t be in till mid-March.

Last on this little list is a grande marque from the littlest of the three leading Champagne towns, Reims, Epernay and - Ay. Pronounced Ay. Here you can find a dozen or so houses, dominated by Deutz, whose Brut Classic ($65) is simply stunning. Yes, it will probably blow your Dom-loving cousin away, too, just don’t tell him it costs way less than the good monk’s namesake market-headliner.

A whiff of fresh bread yeast off the top and then lovely little bubbles pearling into the glass with gorgeous fresh, tingly fruit and a super-long finish. We’ve saved the best to the last again. I’d be very selective about who’s sharing this one. mv