WINE WITH DINNER – A Special Wine for Special Dinners

For me, every dinner at home with my wife, family or friends is a special dinner. A time to slow down and enjoy good cooking paired with an appropriate wine…a time to savor a nice meal and, more importantly, the good relationship(s) present at this special event.

But, some dinners - because of the occasion or the nature of the food served and/or the people present (or all of the above) - are more special than others. So, a more expensive wine in the $30 to $40 range is appropriate. But what kind to serve? Certainly, a meat dish like braised lamb or a pasta dish with a hearty marinara or Bolognese sauce, might call, respectively, for a full-bodied Bordeaux or Tuscan red. On the other hand, many fish, poultry and “white meat” meals might call for an elegant white Burgundy (although, sometimes a soft red wine might work as well). But, when considering white wines for a special meal, have you ever thought about Brut Champagne – the real thing?

There are many sparkling wines (and most of them also go well with a wide variety of foods), but there is only one special class of sparkling wine that can truly be called “Champagne” and that is the sparkling wine from the Champagne district of France…and Champagnes are not just for toasting, they are terrific, all purpose, dinner wines!

True Brut Champagne is something really different, in a class by itself. There are several Grande Marque (or “big brand”) Champagne houses as well as small, artisanal, “Grower” Champagnes that can be purchased for less than $40. But, for my money, the Grower Champagnes offer much more value to those who can get beyond the label and into the quality of the wine inside the bottle. You will find several of them on our website where we list about 30 Grower and Grande Marque Champagnes.

Want to learn more about Grower Champagne? Here’s a good blog on the subject with links to other sources on the Internet that I ran across recently: http://www.interactiveheet.com/bottledup/2007/12/Grower-champagne.html - Jay Roelof