kiessig (12/10/82)
I've tried MANY Champagnes, both foriegn and domestic. In my
mind, the bottle for the money is "Mumms Courdon Rouge" - runs about
$17.50 at the local discount liquor place. The Vintage 1975 is better
than the non-vintage stuff, but I don't think the extra cost is really
worth it.
Rick Kiessig
{sri-unix,randvax,dsd,megatest}!fortune!kiessigsln@cosivax.UUCP (Sarah Nunke) (12/31/85)
I am new to the net and the wine group in particular so forgive me if you have recently covered this topic. I am wondering about good quality, not too expensive champagnes. I am fond of the Korbel Extra Dry or Brut but have not discovered anything else that fits into that nice dry, *melt in your mouth* category of under $10 Champagnes. I really dislike spumantes and anything very sweet. Any suggestions? Sarah Nunke (sln) COSI, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI ihnp4!umich!cosivax!bugs!sln (I think)
mcb@hpfcla.UUCP (01/01/86)
Re: Good champagne under $10 > The clear winner (of anything I have tried) in the <$10 category is > Freixenet Cordon Negro I can't agree with you here. I don't care for the smell of this bubbly, I find it rather "skunky." It is cheap, though. I often see it on sale for ~ $3.99. OK for Mimosas, I suppose. I would heartily recommend "Domain Chandon" from California. I have only tried the Brut (they also have a blanc de blancs.) It can be had for ~ $9.00 on sale. It is *fantastic!* I had some Mumms recently and was really disappointed. I used to think that was excellent champagne. BTW I believe that this is the CA version of the more well known "Moet Chandon" of French fame. Try it! Mike Berry, HP FSD, [ihnp4 | hplabs]!hpfcla!mcb
ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) (01/01/86)
The clear winner (of anything I have tried) in the <$10 category is Freixenet Cordon Negro
rmrin@inuxa.UUCP (D Rickert) (01/01/86)
> I am wondering about good quality, not too > expensive champagnes. I am fond of the Korbel Extra Dry or Brut but have > not discovered anything else that fits into that nice dry, *melt in your mouth* > category of under $10 Champagnes. I really dislike spumantes and anything > very sweet. Any suggestions? > > Sarah Nunke (sln) New York State Champagnes, for example Taylors, are widely available and pretty good in the Brut. We had some last midnight which cost $6/bottle. -- You are Beautiful, Dick Rickert my manufactured love;- AT&T CPL but it is only Svengali, Indy, IN talking to himself again. Reward is its own virtue!
jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (01/06/86)
In article <4761@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) writes: >The clear winner (of anything I have tried) in the <$10 category is > > > Freixenet Cordon Negro Clearly the value per dollar in Sparkling wines comes from the Spanish. The white wines from Catalonia are very well adapted for sparkling wine production. Almost all of them are good values. Tastes can certainly differ, but my ranking would be (in labels only - not styles): Paul Chenau Codorniu Castellblanch Freixenet. The "melt-in-your-mouth" quality referred to a couple o' articles back is certainly an appealing one. I associate that quality with the yeastiness that comes from bottle aging during secondary fermentation on the lees. It will not result for bottle aging less than about 18 months. The French Champagnes almost all have this with the possible exception of Moet-Hennessy WHite Star. The paradigm "creamy" Chanpagne, to my taste, is Bollinger. But it's not cheap at all. The Spanish sparklers often have this quality in some measure because they age their wines with patience before offering them to the market. Note the vintage dates on Rioja wines sometime. Paul Chenau seems to be the best of the Spanish Sparklers and has a marked "melt-in-you-mouth" quality. By the way, here's a question for discussion: How do you pronounce 'Freixenet?' My most literate friends have identified the name (tentatively) as being Basque, but this doesn't help in choosing a pronunciation. I was reading a menu in a restaurant once (a good practice, by the way) and they suggested that it be pronounced 'Fresh Net.' What do you think? Jere M. Marrs Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon tektronix!tekgvs!jerem
mjn@teddy.UUCP (01/08/86)
> How do you pronounce 'Freixenet?'
I have been told by one or two people that it is:
Freh zeh nay or Free zeh nay
--
Mark J. Norton
{decvax,linus,wjh12,mit-eddie,cbosgd,masscomp}!genrad!panda!mjn
mjn@sunspotbegeman@milano.UUCP (01/08/86)
> > By the way, here's a question for discussion: How do you pronounce > 'Freixenet?' ... I was reading a menu in a restaurant once (a good practice, > by the way) and they suggested that it be pronounced 'Fresh Net.' > > What do you think? Sorry, but "Fresh net" won't do it. In the spanish spoken in central Mexico (as well as Basque and Catalan regions of Spain) an X is pronounced as a "zh" (with more emphasis on the Z). In Mexico, there's a well known fish recipe (maybe I'll post to net.cooks?) called Pescado Tikin Xik (pronounced "tee-kin zeek" - the h of the zh is almost silent in this one). Freixenet is (correctly) pronounced fre-zhi-net (the "r" of "fre" should be rolled as in spanish, the "e" is short (as in "eh?"), the "i" of "zhi" is said as in "fig", and the "t" of "net" is almost silent). Being unable to pronounce *anything* with just one language's rules though, I keep calling it fre-zhi-nay (a'la frances). But keeping our perspective about these things...once you hit the bottom of the bottle it doesn't matter *what* you call it :-) ------- Michael L. Begeman Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp Software Technology Program Austin (where the sun always shines) Texas uucp: {ihnp4, gatech, seismo, noao, ctvax}!ut-sally!im4u!milano!begeman arpa: begeman@mcc.ARPA Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
spp@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Stephen P Pope) (01/10/86)
I have drunk many a Spanish sparkling wine and agree they
are good values. I have only a couple reservations -- the
flavors are somewhat variable (but not the dryness or texture,
these are usually fine); and some Spanish sparkling wines
have a tendency to give me a headache.
But they don't really compare to the real thing. I'll
recommend any of the following, listed along with prices
recently paid in the bay area. (All non-vintage brut's.)
Lanson ($9)
Charles Heidsick ($9 after $5 rebate)
Laurent Perrier ($10.50)
Joseph Perrier ($11)
Roderer ($11)
Bollinger ($13)
Billecarte-Salmon ($14)
Avoid the current batch of Deutz N.V. Brut ($11) -- it's
quite dull unfortunately. I have never been a real fan
of Moet, Mumm's or Perrier-Jouet, at least for the N.V. Bruts.
Also to be considered are French sparkling wines from
other than Champagne -- Brut Royal (cote de Jura, $8) and
Les Acaias (Cremant de Bourgogne, $6) have impressed me
as reasonable.
steve (...ucbvax!spp)
P.S. Despite my recent defense of the California wine
industry in this newsgroup, I can't really recommend any
California sparkling wines. Schramsberg used to be good, but
after increasing production by a factor of 10 a few years
ago they went way downhill. Chandon and Piper-Sonoma charge
as much for their wines as some of the Champagnes I recommended
above -- and can't hold a candle to any of them. Kornell
is interesting due to its use of Reisling; Korbel I find
acceptable, especially the "Naturel".jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (01/13/86)
I agree the 'real thing' is best. However, I envy the prices you show
for the French Champagnes! They must be "Grey-Market" prices because the
prices here (Oregon) are _MUCH_ higher!
I wish I could get a Bollinger (_any_ Bollinger) at $13.
Jere Marrs
Tektronix, Inc.falk@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (01/13/86)
{}
I also like Korbel Natural (the driest of the dries, no added sugar) for
about $10. It can normally be found in a decent liquor store but clerks in
the Walgreens-that-also-sells-liquor stores look at you real funny when you
ask for Korbel-anything. For slightly more $$$, I like the Chandon champagnes.
Connie
(falk%uiucuxc@a.cs.uiuc.edu)andy@tolerant.UUCP (Andy Laursen) (01/14/86)
> I would heartily recommend "Domain Chandon" from California. I > have only tried the Brut (they also have a blanc de blancs.) It > can be had for ~ $9.00 on sale. It is *fantastic!* I had some > Mumms recently and was really disappointed. I used to think that > was excellent champagne. BTW I believe that this is the CA version > of the more well known "Moet Chandon" of French fame. Try it! > > Mike Berry, HP FSD, [ihnp4 | hplabs]!hpfcla!mcb Also quite good is Domain Chandon blanc de noirs. Domain Chandon is indeed owned by the same company that produces Moet Chandon and Dom Perignon. The sparkling wine they produce in the Napa Valley (they are very careful NOT to call it Champagne as Champagne only comes from Champagne) is the only sparkling wine they produce outside of Champagne for which they use Methode Champenoise. They even produce a limited amount of sparking wine that is left on its yeast for 4 years or so. It's kind of hard to find and sells for around $35 a magnum (not all that expensive considering what Dom Perignon sells for a fifth!) Andy Laursen Tolerant Systems San Jose, CA (408) 946-5667 ... ucbvax!tolerant!andy
jpj@mss.UUCP (J. P. Jenal) (01/16/86)
Speaking of Domaine Chandon, on my last wine country trip (after last Siggraph - sorry, djb) my friend and I visited said establishment. Very nice. They serve "sparkling wine" by the glass with bread and cheese in a lovely outdoor patio setting. The tour is extensive for those who can tolerate such things - I was much happier to sip. Alas, the tasting is not free (around $2.00 a glass, I think) but worth it. At the same location is a fairly expensive but interesting (looking) restaurant, though I cannot vouch for the food personally. Very nouvelle California cuisine (if you like that - I do) and it of course is designed to compliment their wine. Check it out. Anyone else interested in discussing wine country destinations? B&B's or restaurants or whatever? I am hoping to fly up again soon (Easter time???) and am on the lookout for new haunts! Cheers... Jim Jenal (aka ...!scgvaxd!mss!jpj) Mayfield Senior School ( " ...!ihnp4!mss!jpj)
morse@leadsv.UUCP (Terry Morse) (01/17/86)
> Also quite good is Domain Chandon blanc de noirs. Domain Chandon is indeed > owned by the same company that produces Moet Chandon and Dom Perignon. > The sparkling wine they produce in the Napa Valley (they are very careful > NOT to call it Champagne as Champagne only comes from Champagne) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You might be interested to know that champagne produced in California must carry the appellation "California Champagne" on the label. I guess that is some tribute to the geographical Champagne. But California has advanced the science of vinniculture (sp?) to such a level that the French may be ready to start sporting the name California on their labels. -- Terry Morse (408)743-1487 { hplabs!cae780 } | { ihnp4!sun!sunncal } !leadsv!morse
mcrk@rruxo.UUCP () (01/26/86)
[*] Domaine Chandon star
Yes we ate there last spring & though expnsive to food was
very good. We had planned to visit 3-5 wineries (my first trip),
but spent 3 hours at Domaine. I disagree about the tour.
It was only about 20 minutes long and I thought quite interesting.
We ended up buying a case of champagne and got a 10% discount
& a free ice bucket, not a bad deal.
St lets hear what other wineries people have visited; napa,
NY state, northwest & others. I love these tours (sip, sip :-) ).
--
Chris Koster
Bell Communications Research
{ihnp4}!rruxo!mcrk