The market · Wine, vermouth and sherry · France and the north-west, Southern Europe

Sparkling wine

Wine with its carbon dioxide trapped in — by a second fermentation in the bottle (champagne, cava, crémant) or in a tank (prosecco). The long, bright top of spritzes and royales.

crisp · yeasty · bright

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangSparkling wine would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilSparkling wine would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaSparkling wine would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos waySparkling wine would cut through its richness

Kinds

Bottle-fermented
Champagne, crémant, cava: toasty, fine bubbles, dry.
Tank-fermented
Prosecco: fruity, softer, larger bubbles.

Goes with

aperolcrème de cassiselderflower liqueurlondon dry gin

Knowing it

Where to buy
For mixing, a dry crémant or cava gives you champagne's method for a fraction of the price. 'Extra dry' on the label is sweeter than 'brut'.
Worth knowing
Pour it last, down the side of the glass, and don't stir hard — every movement costs bubbles. Chill everything, the glass included.

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