Wines for Every Occasion

Man has been using wine to celebrate for as long as man has been celebrating at all. As far back as 4000 B.C., Egyptian pictographs show revelers making offerings of wine to the gods. Today, the tradition shows no signs of slowing. Whether we're buying a vintage blanc de blancs or pouring out a 40 oz., alcohol still figures prominently into our special occasions.

Because this ritual has been kicking around since antiquity, it's safe to assume that we agree it's a good one. But, I fear that's where our agreement ends. In my experience, people have very different ideas of which libations complement which celebrations. For example, many people indiscriminately bring champagne to any occasion. Otherwise, they bring a bubbly substitute with "Andre" on the label and call it Champagne (for the record, this behavior is only acceptable if you're sixteen and celebrating life in the backseat of your mom's minivan). Others shudder at the mere suggestion of drinking something light and bubbly (although I've never met any of them...).

Champagne does, however, seem to be the festive beverage of choice. This presents problems. First of all, champagne is expensive. For a wedding? Fine. A birth? Absolutely. Your cousin Lenny's fortieth birthday? Well, it depends how much you like your cousin Lenny.

If you resolutely believe that champagne belongs at every party, I hope you have access to a trust fund. Fizz can lose its charm if Daddy Warbucks isn't funneling cash into your checking account—there is nothing as monotonous or, occasionally, downright undrinkable as cheap, mass-produced sparkling wine. Finally, some events call for a little more reserve. The effervescent frivolity of Champagne is great at a wedding, but seems inappropriate for celebrating the end of tax season.

So, where does this leave us? How can we bring a wider variety of wines to celebrations while maintaining the festive feel of Champagne? In my bewilderment, I went to see Gilt sommelier Patrick Cappiello with a list of occasions that call for a bottle of something special. The following are the suggestions he so graciously provided.

1) For a birth—blanc de blanc Champagne

Patrick agreed that this was an occasion that truly called for a bottle of champagne. He suggested a bottle of blanc de blancs, which, unlike other champagnes that blend red and white grapes, is made entirely of Chardonnay. The bottle he chose was crisp and dry with elegant little bubbles that can only be found in really good champagne (for a more in depth explanation of champagne check out Divya Gugnani's blog post on it here).

2) All purpose celebratory wine—Cava
is a sparkling Spanish wine made in the "methode champenoise". While the production gives the wine some of the same refinement that characterizes champagne, Cava has a bolder, more rustic flavor and coarser bubbles. Although it is festive, it's not extravagantly expensive, making it the perfect match for Lenny's fortieth.

3) For a wedding—Rose Champagne

Cava may be a great all purpose wine, but weddings, like births, require something special. Rose champagne is as special as it gets. Pink and bubbly, it has all the elegant qualities of champagne with a hint more fruit. To achieve the color, winemakers either add a basic red wine to a blanc champagne or allow the wine to stay in contact with the red skins of the grapes for a longer period of time.

4) For a graduation—Sancerre

This is where Patrick started using his imagination. For a graduation, he put the bubblies back in their ice bucket for a minute and opened a bottle of Sancerre. Hailing from France's Loire Valley, Sancerre is made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. He reasoned that graduations usually happen outside during late spring afternoons. Sancerre's crisp, citrusy flavor perfectly complements a springy, casual event.

5) For a seaside picnic—Chablis

Patrick's rationale for this one is my absolute favorite. The Chablis region is in the northernmost part of Burgundy on an enormous, dried up sea bed. Because of this, the soil has a huge amount of fossilized sea shells, giving the wine the distinct tang of the ocean. It is aged in stainless steel barrels which impart no flavor of their own and allow the mineral, slightly saline flavors of Chablis to shine through.

6) For a spring garden party—Riesling

I threw this one in for selfish reasons. My friend and I are planning a spring cocktail and wanted to feature a stellar wine. Without Patrick's selection here, I would almost certainly be serving Cavit Pinot Grigio (eye roll, gasp, etc.). The Riesling in question was a Kabinett from Saarburger Rausch, a town in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwerregions known for their Riesling production. In the hopelessly confusing (but meticulously organized) German wine label schema, Kabinett is the level of wine harvested earliest, making it the driest. If your only experience of Riesling has been a syrupy, four dollar glass at Chile's, please reconsider. Because the soil of the region has a high slate content, the wine is well-balanced and dry with a pleasantly mineral taste.

7) For a birthday party—Pinot Noir

Patrick brought up a very good point here--at birthday parties, you rarely get more than half a glass of the wine you bring. So, if the bottle is something you'd like to enjoy, you might want to save it for a more intimate event. This idea extends to price considerations. Pinot Noir is a crowd pleaser these days that has a big price range. Choose the amount of money you spend according to how much you like the person.

8) For when you want to be adventurous—Chateauneuf du Pape

We interpreted this occasion differently. I was thinking of adventurous in terms of "that wonderful little producer in some obscure Portuguese village." Patrick was thinking about skydiving. The Chateauneuf de Pape we tried is made primarily from Syrah and Grenache. It also has a high alcohol content in case you need a little liquid courage before you go hunting for wild boar with a bow and arrow.

9) For a romantic dinner at home—Cabernet from Bordeaux

This classic red is homey, hearty and earthy. Enough said.

10) For late afternoon snacks with friends—Malbec

Malbec is the right choice for a variety of reasons. First, it's enjoying a spat of popularity right now, ensuring that your friends won't recoil in horror when you pull it out of the liquor store bag. It's also a drinkable wine that will go with whatever little noshes you prepare. Finally, it's inexpensive so you can buy a few bottles without breaking the bank.

Now put down that bottle of Andre and consider some of Patrick's suggestions—your cousin Lenny will thank you later.

— Written by Cecilia Estreich

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