Email- Without a year on the label, it's impossible to tell how long a non-vintage Champagne has been sitting on the shelf. It's important, therefore, to buy sparkling wine from a trusted retailer with high turnover.
- A reputable wine shop should replace a bottle that is found to be tainted with TCA, a set of chemicals that produce an unpleasant smell known as cork taint. Tainted wines are described variously as smelling like canned mushrooms, mold, must, chemicals, wet earth or newspaper. Wine Spectator estimates that about seven percent of all bottles are tainted. If you suspect your wine is tainted, bring it back to the shop and ask a salesperson to taste it.
- Champagne should be stored in a cool, dark place (ideally, between 53 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit) with fairly high humidity. Bottles should be kept at a distance from vibrations like those produced by a washing machine.
- Experts say that long tulip glasses are the best all-around Champagne glasses, but flutes are suitable for non-vintage Champagnes and other sparkling wines.
- Champagne pairs well with a variety of foods, including pasta with mushrooms, risotto, fish and shellfish, and vegetable dishes. Contrary to popular belief, sparkling wines can be drunk throughout many meals. Critics are quick to note that Champagne isn't just a celebration wine or something you drink with desert.
- Nearly every wine region in the world boasts a sparkling wine, be it cava, prosecco or crémant. Generally speaking, these wines are much less expensive than Champagne. Wine experts have ranked a Spanish cava, Segura Viudas Brut Reserva (*est. $10), on par with some highly rated French Champagnes.
- Market analysts say that the price of Champagne will rise in the first six months of 2009, making domestic sparklers even more attractive by comparison.