As the holiday season is quickly approaching, it’s time to consider the wine you’ll be enjoying with visitors. Instead of the same brands with which you are familiar, perhaps you’ll like to try something different, a sparkling wine from Limoux…and with a backstory which will be fun to share with your grateful guests!
As the story goes, the Benedictine monks of Abbaye de Saint Hilaire, a particularly spirited group in Limoux in Southern France, produced beaucoup quantities of wine. One year, they discovered that the wine was sparkling most likely due to the drop in temperature which stopped fermentation…until the spring when temperatures became warm. This band of brothers loved the fizzy, slightly sweet, and easily drinkable wine and continued to make this delicious wine. Have you ever heard of Dom Perignon? He was of the some order as the monks of Saint Hilaire and stopped by the Abbaye for a visit on his way to Santiago de Compostella. Naturally, he loved the bubbles as well, took the knowledge of its production to the north in Champagne, popularized the method, and the rest is….l’histoire!
The sparkling wine I had the opportunity to enjoy, Vin Vivant Risque, was sent to me as a sample, produced and bottled by Les Vignerons du Sieur d’Arques in Limoux and imported by Toad Hollow. Perfect for brunch, during your holiday meal, as an aperitif, or with dessert, you’ll love…
**Vin Vivant Risque – The tiny bubbles in the glass were lively and reminded me of the festive monks once they discovered what they had produced! With aromas of apricot, acacia, peach, and apple I welcomed the first sip. This light, fresh, naturally sweet sparkler with 6% alcohol and crisp acidity had tastes of more green apple and light citrus fruits. Added bonus? The cork is a traditional cork for a sparkling wine, but the reclosable cap is in the European style…you can use this bottle again! Cost is less than $15.00 and I’ll be serving this during the holidays (let’s not kid ourselves…before the holidays begin and when the holidays are finished, too!).
The method used to produce this wine was Blanquette Methode Ancestrale whereby young wines of 100% Mauzac grapes are bottled before all of the residual sugar has been fermented into alcohol. Fermentation continues in the bottle and emits carbon dioxide. The lees (sediment of dead yeast cells that gather once fermentation is completed) are not disgorged from the bottle and no dosage (a mix of wine and sugar to adjust the sweetness of sparkling wine prior to corking) is allowed.
Before Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava were produced, those Benedictine brothers long ago in Limoux discovered a method of making sparkling wine! Now that’s something to be thankful for!!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
