Turn On the Bubbly Machine

Today, on television, a maker of cellular phones offered a Christmas tree bauble that contains a “millennium countdown digital clock”--and it’s yours free when you buy a phone from his company. Personally, I think I will celebrate the coming of the New Year with several bottles of good bubbly--California bubbly, in particular.

In fact, this year I plan to live out my fantasy of a whole evening with nothing but sparkling wine from hors d’oeuvres to midnight toast.

Sparkling wine might seem a simple subject--after all, it’s just still wine with bubbles--but it is almost infinitely complex. Good ones can be crisp or soft; they can be light and elegant or fuller and richer in body and flavor. They come in colors, and those colors carry certain connotations about flavor and which food to serve it with. A good bottle of sparkling wine can easily cost more than $100, but it has siblings made by the same processes and from the same grapes that sell for about $10.

For our champagne dinner, the Olkens will serve wines that run the gamut of styles and intents. Our finger foods will be light and tangy and are chosen both because they make wonderful “bites” and because they go with sparkling wine.

Smoked salmon stuffed with an eggplant caviar, cold shrimp with a light mustard dipping sauce, just enough caviar to allow us to have a taste of the good life and chicken wing drumsticks in a light plum sauce glaze will be accompanied by “J” 1995, rated at two stars and selling for about $25 a bottle. It is so elegant and light on its feet that one can practically hear the fabled Dom Perignon proclaiming yet again, “I am drinking stars.” A very price-worthy alternative would be the Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs, retailing at $12 but often seen for less than $10.

Once at the table, we will serve steamed scallops and thin-sliced vegetables in a court-bouillon accompanied by the two-star 1994 Iron Horse Brut “Classic” ($21). The Brut style of sparkling wine should be sturdy without being too heavy, yet it is expected to have a bit more flesh than a Blanc de Blancs. Alternatives include the always reliable Domaine Chandon Brut ($11 to $13). The dry, crisp Korbel Natural 1996 would also work in this setting.

Our fish course will be salmon, because I want to move on to the Blancs de Noirs that have become so popular in California. There is nothing quite like them in France, where Champagne is expected to be austere and bristling with crisp acidity, regardless of how flavorful the base cuvee may be.

Our Blancs de Noirs are just plain bright and fruity. They are intended to be tasty and wonderful to drink. Almost any chicken or fish dish with some richness or very slight sweetness will make a wonderful partner to a Blanc de Noirs. Our choice will be the Mumm Blanc de Noirs ($11 to $13 for a regular bottle, about $26 to $30 in magnum). Sparkling wines aged in magnum often have more finesse and richness, and that is the case here. The regular bottle is a one-star wine, but the double-sized bottle earned a three-star rating.

For the meat course, we will prepare the whitest veal scallopini we can convince our butcher to set aside for us. It will be served in a champagne cream sauce using the same rose bubbly in the sauce as we are pouring at dinner.

The rose style of sparkling wine is our favorite because it is expected to be a deeper, more flavorful wine that still keeps its feet firmly in the crisp, balanced mold of the genre. Roederer Estate Brut Rose earned three stars in our tastings, and it sells for just $24 at full markup. Unfortunately, this stunning wine is somewhat limited in supply, so it may not be as deeply discounted as Korbel’s Rose (called “Whoopi” for her eminence Whoopi Goldberg). The Korbel is a genuine best buy because it carries a one-star rating and can be found in the $10 range.

Our little group tends to stop drinking after dinner to relax around the fire in anticipation of renewed libations that will accompany the magic hour. This year, as in past years, we will serve the Chandon “Reserve,” a two-star winner priced at little more than $20, and the three-star Roederer Estate “L’Ermitage,” which costs about $38 and is well worth it.

A word about price: With every wine seller from here to the north woods trying to sell out large stocks of the bubbly for the millennium, competition is keeping the prices down so far, although some very expensive sparkling wines will not be discounted even in the big warehouse outlets. Prices shown in this article reflect the general market.

Whether you are joining the Olkens in going whole hog with the bubbly or just having a glass before dinner and another as the bell tolls midnight, you will find lots of good choices in the marketplace.

$ * * * Mumm Blanc de Noirs “Cuvee Napa,” Napa Valley, in magnum $30. Mumm’s Napa wines are among the fruitiest of the California-made sparkling wines, and this wine, although it has been aged longer than the regular-size bottling, has retained its bright cherry-infused personality while picking up some of the creamy richness of the best bubblies. Made in limited amounts, it is a real steal when you find it.

* * * Roederer Estate Brut Rose, Anderson Valley, $24. This strong, sensuous, serious sparkling wine delivers everything one wants of a rose with an extra measure of fruit. Its rich, toasty notes are perfectly rounded out by suggestions of ripe cherries, and its mouth-filling bubbles and brisk finish allow it to combine succulence and balance in a most compelling manner.

* * * 1993 Roederer Estate “L’Ermitage,” Anderson Valley, $38. Here is my nominee for the best California sparkling wine of this holiday season. It starts with complex aromas of green apple enriched by scents of coffee beans, roasted hazelnuts, sweet cream and toffee and follows that dazzling display of champagne character with fine-grained, pinpointy bubbles and flavors that last and last. This is a special-event wine! It joins the Chandon “Reserve” as our choice to pour at midnight.

* * Chandon Brut, “Reserve Cuvee 494,” Napa County, $24. Year in and year out, Chandon Reserve has ranked among our finest bubblies. Made in the classic style with plenty of rich, creamy toasty character, it is nonetheless an elegant wine. With a nice bit of complexity and a refined, precise style, this wine can be served as an aperitif before dinner or--as we will do again this year--at the stroke of midnight.

* * 1994 Iron Horse Brut “Classic,” Sonoma County, Green Valley, $21. Hints of coffee beans and vanilla combine with a layer of sweet, lemon-scented fruit in the nose of this fine-bubbled sparkler that is crisp and somewhat austere under its attractive richness.

* * 1995 “J,” Sonoma County, $26. Year in and year out, this wine charms us with its gracefulness and delicacy. This version carries aromas that hint at wild flowers, sweet lemons, wet stones and green apples all set against a backdrop of toasty oak. A fine stream of pinpoint bubbles carries this beauty across the palate and into a brisk, somewhat rich yet lemony finish. It is possible to find more intensely flavored wines on this list, but few can match its world-class finesse.

* Korbel Rose “Whoopi,” California, $11. This wine is no joke. Despite its garish appearance, which just happens to make it a fun party presentation, it is a nicely crafted wine full of berry-infused character and fresh, outgoing liveliness. It can serve well with food but its best use is probably as a stand-alone quaff. And a good and price-worthy one at that.

$ * Mumm Blanc de Noirs “Cuvee Napa,” Napa Valley, $12. The bright, somewhat open and rounded fruit that has been the hallmark of this wine year in and year out has made it one of our perennial favorites. Its big brother in magnum is a bit richer, but this one has plenty of zesty flavor on its own.

Chandon Brut, Sonoma/Napa, $11. Always reliable, always available, this wine has become one of the most respected bubblies made in California. It is somewhat austere in style and will serve nicely with hors d’oeuvres and with tangy fish courses.

$ Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs, Columbia Valley, $9. Soft pear-like tones sweeten the quietly toasty aromas of this nicely bubbled sparkler. Clean and balanced throughout with a suggestion of richness on the palate, it is very attractive at the prevailing market price, which is substantially less than its $12 list.

1996 Korbel Natural, Sonoma County, $10. Here is a wine made in a brisk, dry, austere style that has always made it one of our choices for serving with shellfish. Direct, slightly lemony, moderately toasty and crisp in character, this one follows its own wiry style.