Cheers to Hockey!

Some hockey/wine talk in honor of the fact that the NHL is back! This is Merci, a sparkling wine from Great Day Napa Valley. It's a tribute to the great Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Merci is Brut, which means it's on the dry side. Sparkling wine is confusing. From dry to sweet it goes: Brut Nature, Extra-Brut, Brut, Extra-Dry, Dry, Medium, Sweet. Basically you want to see the word brut (not dry) if you want a dry sparkling wine. Extra-Dry is actually the middle of the road.

Merci--btw--is really delicious. Crisp, yet creamy. Nice mineral, not oaky. Dry. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Stupendous with pork fried rice. Stick around here long enough and you’ll learn that I really love Champagne with takeout.

Merci is a sparkling wine, not a Champagne, because only sparkling wines from Champagne, France can carry that name. Merci is Méthode Champenoise, which means this sparkling wine is made like a Champagne; its bubbles are created in the bottle. That takes longer and is more expensive, which is why I think Champagne style sparkling wines taste better. Cava is another example of a Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine. Prosecco is Charmat Method; its bubbles are created in a big tank. And that's why I think Prosecco tastes best in mimosas and bellinis, not alone in your glass.

Just one more thing about Champagne and hockey: the first ever Champagne locker room celebration allegedly dates back to 1896, when the Winnipeg Victorias filled the Stanley Cup with bubbles, because hockey is the greatest. 

Cheers to Lord Stanley!