Page 11 - Palm City Spotlight - December '24

Palm City Spotlight, Page 11

lifesTyles

Grape Expectations: In today’s climate of divisiveness, where friends
often become enemies because of their beliefs, I am so
Reflections And Celebration! disheartened and disappointed. Okay, enough of this rant.
Just had to get it off my chest. On to the important stuff.
By Ed Wolfarth The holidays are coming!
Some believe a person What could be more celebratory than the bubbly stuff?
is identified by his or Sparkling wines are not only a fixture in holiday times,
her beliefs, ideologies but terrific food wines as well. Let’s take a look at what’s
and opinions. I prefer to on the market today for you to quaff on New Year’s Eve
identify my friends by their or for any celebratory occasion.
character, their compassion, Champagne – There are many myths as to how
their smarts, and their sparkling wine came about. The most common, however,
tolerance and sense of involves Dom Perignon, a French Monk. In the 1600s, was absorbed in to the wine. When he went to check his
humor. Because you like Dom was making white wine and decided to bottle the wine, he found corks popping everywhere, and he loved
California Cabs and I prefer wine, thinking the fermentation was done. Actually, the the results. Voila, champagne!
old world reds doesn’t make yeast had gone to sleep because of the cold weather. What While we are pretty sure the French invented the
you a bad person. We should be able to agree to disagree, then happened was that the yeast woke up, ate all the “Methode Champenoise,” it became so popular that other
don’t you think? sugar and formed CO2. The CO2 had nowhere to go and countries copied it using the same method. Spain calls their
sparkling wines Cava. The Italians call theirs Prosecco.
Sparkling wines have four levels of Sweetness:
Extra Brut: The yeast has devoured all the sugar. The
driest version.
Brut: The most common, with a hint of residual sugar. The
winemaker stops the fermentation at just the right time to
leave a pleasant sweetness.
Extra Dry: This label can be confusing to many since it is
not as dry as Brut or Extra Brut. It’s not cloyingly sweet
either, but is noticeably sweeter than Brut wines. Prosecco
is most often made in this style.
Demi Sec: This is very sweet and often referred to as
dessert wine.
Now let’s see what’s available and what you might have
to spend.
Champagne – Veuve Clicquot NV can be found for
$35. NV sparklers are simply grapes from many harvests
and can save you a bit of money as opposed to vintage
wines. Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut for $40 is another
reasonable value in Champagne. Comtesse Gerin Grand
Reserve Brut is another “bargain” French Champagne for
$40. Remember, Dom Perignon will set you back around
$175 a bottle, and Cristal close to $300 per! It’s always
advisable to ask your local merchant about a level of
sweetness and price that you prefer.
Spanish Cava – My personal choice for an affordable
alternative to Champagne. Most can be found for under
$20 a bottle. Look for Segura Viudas, Campo Viejo, and
my favorite Freixenet Brut or Freixenet Cordon Negro
Brut. All for under $20.
Italian Prosecco – When searching for a good Prosecco,
look on the label for Valdobbiadene and, to a lesser extent,
Conegliano. These are the two finest Prosecco producing
regions in Italy. Prosecco is made from the Glera grape,
often referred to, but not accurately, as the Prosecco grape.
Unlike Champagne, Prosecco is fermented in stainless
steel tanks, making it much less costly than Champagne.
Good Prosecco will cost you $15 to $20 a bottle. If it’s
less, you probably won’t find the name Valdobbiadene or
ADVANCED SURGERY. Conegliano on the label, but it will probably be quaffable.
American Sparkling Wines – In the Napa Valley

FASTER RECOVERY. of California, many producers are making world-class
sparkling wines. Mumm, Domain Chandon, Roederer Estes
and Korbel, to name a few. My personal favorite, however,
is Domaine Ste. Michelle Lux, from Washington State. It’s
Complex surgery doesn’t always mean a lengthy recovery. bright, jazzy with a hint of tangerine and fine bubbles, and
Our surgeons perform minimally invasive and robotic-assisted a bit of sweetness. It sells for around $20 and outscored
surgery through incisions as small as one inch. For less pain. more expensive Champagnes in many blind tastings.
For faster recovery. For every care in the world. Many “bubblies” are affordable and are terrific with
Asian cuisine. You don’t have to wait for New Year’s Eve
or the next birthday party to enjoy a sparkling wine.
Turn to the experts at Cleveland Clinic I look forward to next year and more “normal” times. Enjoy
hospitals on the Treasure Coast. the holidays, stay safe and healthy, and have a drink on me!

Book Review from page 10
877.463.2010 On a doggie note,
ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/AdvancedSurgery my wife Linda and I
will be sharing our first
holiday season with
Lacey, who joined our
family three months
ago. Lacey, a “teacup”
Maltese who weighs
just 3-1/2 pounds,
will celebrate her first
birthday on December
20, and is already
Martin North Hospital | Martin South Hospital | Tradition Hospital completely bonded
with my wife Linda,
as you can see here.