Originally published on July 3, 2009.
It’s Sparkling Wine month at Frankly Wines! If Hallmark can whip up a holiday whenever it feels like it, so can I. But it’s much more fun to get a bottle of something than a card – especially if you’re buying it for yourself.
Back in my corporate life, I spent a lot of time watching Champagne brand managers obsess over getting people beyond thinking that bubbles were only for New Years and a few other Special Occasions such as Weddings, Birthdays, and Anniversaries. And possibly Superbowl Victories. I think the statistic was average Champagne consumption in the US was barely a 1/2 bottle of Champagne per person per year. (The number could be wrong, but it was very very low.)
That statistic was for Champagne only – it didn’t take into consideration the many other sparkling wines that don’t come specifically from the (not so little) part of France called “Champagne”. To a Champagne brand manager, the distinction mattered. As a store owner, I could care less. I just like to have bubbles on hand for people who want to celebrate Holidays, Occasions, or simply enjoy a nice glass of something that happens to sparkle.
So back to Sparkling Wine Month. It’s July – it kicks off with sparklers of the fireworks kind. So we decided to just run with that theme and feature sparklers of the liquid kind. Everything from Prosecco, to Cava, to Lambrusco to Cremant d’This, Cremant d’That, Cerdon-Bugey, Sekt, Lambrusco, Asti spumante or frizzante – and even actual Champagne.
Check out our full schedule of tastings. These are all free, stop-in-for-a-sip-or-two sort of tastings. Nothing formal or fancy – we’ll get to that later. But if you’re in the neighborhood, or looking for an excuse to get to the neighborhood, we’re happy to provide one. And we’re happy to let you stand around, sip, and gab about sparkling wine as long as you like.
And just in case you can’t kick the habit of thinking of bubbles as a gift – we’ll even stuff some tissue paper into your bag to make it look festive.