New York Times: Sparkling Wine vs. Champagne Sales

The December 31, 2008, issue of the New York Times reports that consumers are moving down market in their sparkling wine purchases in response to a deteriorating economy. More specifically, consumers appear to be shying away from purchases of expensive vintage Champagnes in favor of less costly domestic sparklers. But the December 2008 issue of the International Wine Review provides convincing evidence moving down market price-wise need not imply moving downscale in terms of quality. Not only are there excellent Spanish Cavas and Italian Proseccos at very reasonable prices, but American sparklers also offer excellent value. I suggest you try California’s Roederer Estate NV Brut Rose at $23, Oregon’s Argyle 2006 Brut Rose at $30, Virginia’s Thibaut and Janisson NV Blanc de Chardonnay at $30, and Michigan’s L Mawby Blanc de Noir at $18. All these sparklers are rated at 90 points or above by the IWR. Numerous other excellent values can be found in Report # 14: The World of Sparkling Wines and Champagne. See the New York Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/business/01wine.html?ref=business