‘Tis the season! And though most people save sparkling wines for the holidays and special occasions, in our mind there is always a reason to break out the bubbly. And even if (like us) Champagne is your first love, sometimes the occasion calls for a tasty sparkling wine that does not break the bank.
Fortunately, there are many examples of high quality, excellent value bubblies from across the globe. And there is no doubt that you will have fun discovering your favorites.
From Germany to the FLX (with a stop in South Africa along the way), we will explore six tasty sparkling options and talk about both the regions and production methods.
A few fun facts to get you started... Did you know?
- The pressure in a bottle of bubbly is three times the amount of pressure in an average car tire.
- When popped, the cork can reach speeds of 40 mph and can travel more than 160 feet. Be careful!
- Bubbly contains less calories than many other drinks – a gin and tonic has seven times more.
- You can gauge the quality of sparkling wine by the size of the bubbles – a rough guide is that the smaller the bubbles, the higher the quality.
- Studies show that drinking a glass of sparkling wine is good for the heart, the skin, and the gut. The polyphenols found in red grapes (sparkling is usually produced with at least some red grapes) promote the growth of healthy bacteria — so cheers to bubbles and good health!
About Our Speaker:
Maureen Bayer
Maureen Bayer is a certified wine nerd. Starting out in beverage retail she has held various positions in the industry both on and off-premise as well as distribution. She is a graduate from RIT and the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Maureen is a wine and spirits consultant for Opici Family Distributing. Maureen is a WSET Diploma holder, as well as a certified educator for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. She is a Certified Wine Educator from the Society of Wine Educators and Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. Maureen’s love for learning and beverage education led her to launching Bayer Beverage, an approved program provider for the WSET certifications.
Our December Sparkling event will be held at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, consider staying for the night and book a room from the block we have reserved for this event. All rooms must be booked via the telephone (607-535-6116), just mention the Women For WineSense discount while booking.
*Please note that we do not offer refunds for event registrations. If you are a non-member registering for this event and paying with a credit card, you will be charged a small fee for this transaction. This will appear in a separate line item on your credit card statement.*