Ah, Bubbles…  tiny, floating and rising to the top with grace and speed as if to greet or announce impending celebration.    This may sound like a description of Champagne, and it would be if I were sitting in France and drinking one of its vintages.   But instead, since I am located in Napa Valley, what sits in my glass and tickles my lips as I sip must formally be referred to as “sparkling wine”.    Casually, many of us just fondly call this type of wine “Bubbles”.

So why is it that we can’t refer to our California “Bubbles” as “champagne”?    Believe it or not, for the EU and most countries, wineries are relegated by law to only refer to a wine as “champagne” if it is produced in a certain manner and comes from the region named “Champagne” in France.   The United States elects to recognize this standard and hence, generally wines which are made in the “Méthode Champenoise ” in California are referred to as “sparkling wines”.    For those of us with a genuine love of these “sparklers”, we commonly and affectionately refer to these wines as “Bubbles”.   And why not call them “Bubbles”?    After all, Bubbles is far more fun, relaxed and perhaps even hip.

Throughout history, champagne and sparkling wines have been associated with celebration and they perhaps have been associated more so than any other type of wine.    Admittedly any time there is something worthy of celebration, I am the first to bring a bottle of my favorite Bubbles.  

But should we limit our Bubbles to just celebratory moments? 

Or should we perhaps just expand our notion of events which are socially acceptable?   I definitely have expanded this definition:  for example, perhaps it is a special occasion… because it is you . . . because it is Wednesday… or as on one infamous day, because I unwittingly filled my yard waste can to the top, somewhat corrected the problem and wrestled that monstrosity to the curb.   That moment definitely merited a glass of Bubbles.

Better yet, can we appropriately enjoy sparkling wines like any other wine?  

I suggest that we can and of course, we can do so with food.  

This week I elected to focus on one of my favorite California sparkling wines and selected Schramsberg’s Blanc de Noirs.    Schramsberg’s Blanc de Noirs (meaning white from black) consists of 90% Pinot Noir grapes and 10% Chardonnay grapes.   

But wait, Pinot Noir is a red wine grape, isn’t it?

Yes, Pinot Noir (as discussed last week) is a red wine grape.    Traditionally, sparkling wines are made primarily with chardonnay (a white wine grape).   However, it is not uncommon to find Pinot Noir made into sparkling wine.   Schramsberg first pioneered this Blanc de Noirs style and released its first such sparkler in 1967.  Pinot Noir grapes will give a sparkling wine its length and lovely fruit aromas, but as Schramsberg’s winemaker claims, it is the chardonnay grapes that give the wine some backbone and a nice, lingering finish.   And for those who read last week’s article, Laird Family Winery (who makes the Ghost Ranch Pinot Noir) provides Schramsberg with Pinot Noir grapes which Schramsberg uses to make Pinot Noir based sparkling wines, such as the Blanc de Noirs.   On the nose, the Blanc de Noirs has a slight fruit smell of apricot with honey, but it quickly presents a darker delicious mix on the palate which includes ginger, gooseberry, and a bit of Bing cherry.   While seemingly light, its flavors have a slightly darker edge to them.   The wine itself creates a sense of depth on the palate and is loaded with tiny elegant bubbles.   In essence, it is perfection.    

My food pairing selection this week may shock some of the traditionalist sparkling wine fans in my audience.    However, I assure you that this pairing does indeed match and it has been applauded each time at many gatherings.    I elected to make this week:

1)      Salsas and Sauce:   Tomato-Cucumber Salsa; Spicy Salsa Roja; and Avocado Sauce;

2)     Steak Tacos al Carbon; and

3)     Flan with Raspberry Dessert Sauce.

Typically in Mexican restaurants and taquerias, you find a selection of different salsas or sauces of varying levels of spiciness.   Given that I am pairing Blanc de Noirs with this meal, while the wine can stand up to spice, I do not want to overpower it.    Making a tomato-cucumber salsa (on the left in the photograph featured below), this salsa incorporates the concept of sustainability as I am using up tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro from the garden.   By adding in only one Serrano chile, I was able to keep the heat of this salsa in check.   This salsa is geared for milder palates and makes for an easy appetizer with chips while dinner is cooking.    The Spicy Salsa Roja (in the middle of the photograph featured below) is a traditional authentic Mexican salsa recipe of mine and it does bring the heat up a notch.    This salsa, while it can also be enjoyed as an appetizer, is really intended to be used with the steak tacos.    It is meant to be used sparingly and given its many ingredients, it provides many layers of zesty flavors.  Finally, I prepared Avocado Sauce (on the right in the photograph featured below).   The Avocado Sauce should not be confused with guacamole and chip aficionados should beware prior to dipping into this one.   A little bit of the Avocado Sauce goes a long way and it also packs a spicy taunt to your taste buds.   So how does the Blanc de Noirs hold up with these salsas and the Avocado Sauce? Quite well.    The carbonation in the Blanc de Noirs offsets the spice and flavors in the salsas and Avocado Sauce nicely and the wine does not get lost in the fiesta of flavors.

One of the essential steps to preparing delicious Steak Tacos al Carbon is to marinate the meat.   Years ago when I studied in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, I would attend casual gatherings at the homes of friends where the grill would be going and the steak would be added with the sole intent to make tacos.   In order to preserve the moisture in the meat, my friends would often marinate the steak first in beer.   Oddly enough, the Blanc de Noirs is similar to beer due to its carbonation and darker flavors from the Pinot Noir grapes.  Thus, I reserved a glass of the Blanc de Noirs to marinate the steak earlier in the afternoon.  This means that I opened the bottle of Blanc de Noirs earlier in the day.

But wait, how did I preserve those Bubbles that I am so fond of?

The wine industry has developed bottle stoppers made specifically for champagne or sparkling wine bottles.    After opening a bottle of Bubbles, you will see a different mouth on the bottle and typically found with other wine.    There are two sets of ridges.   Pick up a stopper such as the one featured in the photograph below and you can reseal your bottle and preserve those wonderful Bubbles.

After adding the sparkling wine, I also rubbed a combination of spices and garlic into the steak meat.    The steak cooked on a charcoal grill and once done, I chopped it into small pieces for tacos.   Upon cutting into the steak, my kitchen filled with the aroma of the Blanc de Noirs.   My marinade was a delicious success.    Next to serve your Steak Tacos al Carbon, the style is to typically arrange a platter as I did below, featuring lime wedges, shredded jack cheese, chopped sweet onion, chopped cilantro and most importantly, the steak.   

Provide your guests with plenty of warm corn tortillas so that they can assemble their tacos to their tastes.    Mine included the Spicy Salsa Roja, which went perfectly with the steak.    Sitting at the table with the late afternoon sun on my shoulders, I took a sip of the Blanc de Noirs with the Steak Taco al Carbon and encountered seamless perfection.

Finally for dessert I prepared a traditional flan, which is a custard style dessert that has a light caramel coating to the top.   On the plate, I drizzled some raspberry dessert sauce (optional) to experiment and see what other flavors would come out of the Blanc de Noirs.    The pairing again was a success as the Blanc de Noirs brought forth a slight vanilla and hazelnut flavor on the palate with a tease of Bing cherry.

Certainly you can choose to save your Bubbles for those special occasions.    However, some sparkling wines, particularly the Blanc de Noirs featured here, can be paired perfectly with authentic Mexican cuisine.    Others have shared in the past that they like to pair sparkling wine with things as simple as buttered popcorn.    Regardless of your preference, it is socially acceptable to appreciate sparkling wines in any manner.  After all, it is done simply for the love of Bubbles.