Why so Bubbly Bub?

In 1966, Don Ho had an international hit with the song “Tiny Bubbles”. After playing it about 1,000 times, he, reportedly, confessed he hated the song. If you listen to it a few time through, you’d probably say the same thing. Then again, some people really do love that song. To them, we say, why so bubbly bub? Well, today there’s good reason: it’s national bubbly day. Time to drink up your champagne, cava, prosecco, Moscato di Asti, Franciacorta, Cremant, or whatever variation you have available.

We drink bubbles to celebrate momentous occasions. But, that is not how sparkling wines started. In fact, people despised bubbles. They were scared of them. Bubbles represented a flaw in the wine. Before the intentional introduction of carbonated wine, evil spirits and moon phases were blamed for ruining the wine. Ironically, Dom Perignon, the famous namesake of some of the world’s best loved champagne, originally tried to remove bubbles from wine. Bubbles caused bottles to explode, posing a serious risk to workers and customers alike. Over the years, better thicker bottles entered the market. And, Bubbles made lesser wines more desirable.

Early winemakers asked “Why so Bubbly Bub?”

Greek and Roman literature mention sparkling wines. But, they had no idea how it happened. So, just like they created gods for every occasion, bubbles in the wine had to come from Deus Ex Machina. By the middle ages, bubbles were merely a fault in wine-making. Even in the famed champagne region, bubbles were despised. They didn’t understand how or why it happened. But, the British figured it out in the 1600’s. At that time, they imported a lot of wine in casks. Local wine merchants would bottle the wine. They discovered that adding sugar to each bottle created carbonation. It’s the same concept as beer making. Realizing the added carbonation puts pressure on the bottles they made thicker bottles.

Before long, winemakers in the Champagne region adopted the method, and raised it to the height of perfection. Additionally, they found the sugar masked inferior wines. So, the earlier versions of champagne were super sweet. They contained more sugar than coca Cola. Veuve Cliquot developed the first “Brut” Champagne because wine is supposed to be dry. So, today, most champagne is Brut. But, you can still get semi-sweet and Doux. Thanks to their embrace of Bubbles, champagne is now synonymous with sparkling wine. Despite being a lesser grape region than Burgundy or Bordeaux, Champagne is possibly more famous than these regions.

Champagne by any other name

While champagne is the name everyone associates with Sparkling wines, it is by no means the only sparkler out there. Champagne simply means the wine was made in the Champagne region of France. But, you can travel just a short journey away to Cremant or Languedoc and find great quality sparklers. And, most of them cost far less. You are paying for the name.

And, don’t think the French have the corner on the market. Sparklers come from all over the world. In fact, National Bubbly day was created by the Freixenet company. They are famous for Cava which is a Spanish version of sparkling wine. And, of course, there is prosecco (an Italian version). Still, there are multiple regions even in Italy. There is Moscato, Spumante, Franciacorta, trentodoc, and more.

While most sparkling wines are white, there are other options. Pink or rose versions abound. And, there are a few red sparklers out there too. Lambrusco and Barbera have some great red sparkling wines. Also, Australia produces some killer sparkling Shyraz. So, for those red wine drinkers who think whites and sparkling wines are inferior, perhaps it’s time you take another look. While bubbles were originally used to cover up imperfections, modern producers strive for quality and complexity. There’s no need to say, Why so Bubbly Bub.

Straight or mixed?

While Bubbles are fine on their own, the brunch crowd can’t help but mix it with other things. A nice Mimosa or Poinsettia (Champagne and Cranberry) always hit the spot. But there’s so much more you can do with a sparkling wine. Here are a few ideas:

• Aperol Spritz: 2 parts Aperol, 3 parts Sparkling wine, a Splash of Club soda, garnish with orange
• Air Mail: 2 oz Golden Rum, 5 oz Sparkling wine, 1 tsp Honey, 1/2 oz Lime Juice
• Death in the Afternoon (made famous by Ernest Hemingway): 2 Oz Absynthe, 5 oz Iced Brut champagne (The Iced champagne mixes with the absynthe to create a cloudy drink)
• Bellini: 2 parts Sparkling Wine, 1 Part peach puree. garnish with peaches. Try adding a little Grand Marnier for a nice kick.

No matter what you do with it, savor the experience. As you can see, sparkling wine isn’t just for New Year’s eve. You can drink it anytime. There’s no reason to say Why so bubbly bub.