Wine Outlook

I’m excited to be a part of Wine Blogging Wednesday, especially since this month’s topic is sparkling wine: one of my all-time-favorite all-purpose wines. It cheers me up when I’m sad, makes me happier when I’m in a good mood. Something about the bubbles… whether they make the alcohol hit you faster or not, it’s the feeling of festivity that gets me every time. Some people think they need a special occasion to open a bottle, but it just isn’t the case. I say, “Let the wine be occasion enough.”

Plus, any wine that can go with appetizers, salads, pizzas, entrees, and desserts must be for me. With that being said, I will share just how much I truly appreciate this stuff with a poem I wrote summer before last.

A Sonnet That Sparkles

So many reasons to drink sparkling wine:
One, when a baby is finally born
or also when a family is torn
apart and the woman, alone, is fine.
Perhaps with the meal on which you dine
even if it’s just crawfish and corn.
Maybe after a graduation gown is worn
then when finding a job that’s not part time.

And it doesn’t have to be Champagne,
made in that region of France
miles below Europe’s northern coast…
because the French overcharge and feign
perfection. Give Cava or Prosecco a chance,
filling your flute and raising it in a toast.
————————————-

A month or so ago, some friends and I went to Mumm in Napa. Tonight I opened up my sparkling Pinot Meunier, the third grape that makes Champagne and the least well-known (along with hardest to pronounce). This one was quite enjoyable, reminiscent of the shortbread crust I made for cheesecake cookies the other night, along with lemon zest, and slight hints of minerality or stone. It was good by itself and also with the thrown-together dinner I made out of Italian sausage and sweet potatoes.

The Pinot Meunier runs about $30 a bottle and is only available at the winery, so it’s not one for every day. However, if you’re drving along the Silverado Trail, stop by Mumm and pick up one or two. And a few others as well, as you can never have too many bottles of sparkling wine. Always be prepared to celebrate….the reasons will follow.

Wine Blogging Wednesday, sparkling wine, Mumm

….Farley Walker