After a dinner out that was decent but way over-priced, soured by the check total, my girlfriend and I passed on a 2nd bottle of wine during our mid-week date night.  Instead we decided to pick up a bottle of something at the wine shop on the way back home.  We went in thinking about Champagne; it was date night after all, and we always seem to be thinking about Champagne these days.  After snagging a bottle of Leclerc Briant ‘Cuvée Extra’ Brut Champagne, one of the best “bang for your buck” deals on our shop’s Champagne rack ($35ish), we were headed to the counter when my girlfriend came upon a second bottle, this one a rosé bubbly.  

While her attention was focused on picking out the first bottle, I was on the other side of the store talking to my friend who is one of the owners at the wine shop.  He was telling me how good the Pierre Sparr Rosé Cremant d’Alsace tasted this year and how it was impossible to keep in stock because people kept snatching it off the rack.  Maybe he was sending fizzy pink vibes across the room, or maybe anything as well-packaged & well-priced as this $20 pink sparkler is a no-brainer.  Whatever the case, as soon as we finished our conversation my girlfriend had picked up the Sparr Rosé Cremant and added it to the evening’s haul.

[NO, THEY’RE NOT DOING THE FUNKY CHICKEN. THEY’RE “RIDDLING” (or twisting) THE CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES. CLICK HERE FOR A 60 SECOND LESSON ON WHY]

Cremant is the term for quality sparkling French wine that is not made in Champagne.  Each region has its own specific laws as to what constitutes their regional version [click here for the full list of Cremant requirements].  It can come from one of seven select French regions as long as it has been made using the same production process as Champagne - known as Methode Traditionnelle. I’m a big fan of a slew of Cremant’s out there because they are a great way to pay half the price of Champagne for near equal quality.

The Pierre Sparr Rosé Cremant d’Alsace is 100% Pinot Noir and is aged for 18 months in the bottle - this aging period is what gives it a soft creaminess.  It’s loaded with red berries (strawberry & raspberry mostly) on the palate and finishes crisply and cleanly…almost too cleanly for me as I normally prefer a little funk in there somewhere.  Of course there’s nothing wrong with clean — I think most people would prefer it.  It is flavorful and direct without much fuss.  But what it lacks in complexity it more than makes up for in dopamine release.  It feels good, like Toni Tony Tone.

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FIZZ FACTS: EVER WONDER WHAT “BRUT” REALLY MEANS? IF YOU THOUGHT IT MEANT DRY, YOU’D ONLY BE PARTIALLY RIGHT.  THIS CHART BELOW SHOWS HOW MUCH SUGAR (added just before bottling, a process called dosage) IS IN A BOTTLE OF SPARKLING WITH THE CORRESPONDING LABEL TERM.

Rating (label term)………………………….Sugar content (grams per liter, or g/L)
Brut Nature (no sugar added)……………0—3
Extra Brut……………………………………..0—6
Brut………………………………………………0—15
Extra Dry, Extra Sec, Extra Seco……12—20
Dry, Sec, Seco………………………………17—35
Demi-Sec, Semi-Seco………………………33—50
Doux, Sweet, Dulce……………………….50+

*These numbers factor in a +/- 3 g/L margin of error

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ABOUT ALSACE (MAP & GENERAL FACTS): Here’s a basic map of the Alsace (courtesy of quentinsadler.wordpress.com). It is located on the east side of the Vosges mountains, it is the driest wine region in France (the rains are blocked by the mountain range), and it borders Germany separated physically by the Rhine river.  The region is divided in two departments with the northern half called the Bas-Rhin (meaning Lower Rhine) and the southern half called the Haut-Rhin (meaning Upper Rhine).  The most prestigious vineyards are mostly located in the Haut-Rhin.  Though known for aromatic white wine production there is much sparkling wine made here, and is labeled Cremant d’Alsace AOC.