Champagne is no longer solely reserved for those heady occasions when monetary caution is tossed aside. From the heights of imported Dom Pérignon to the depths of domestic André, the bubbly spirit is on the rise throughout the ranks of American society. To wit, the champagne and sparkling wine market in the United States has grown an astounding 85 percent in the last five years. This national thirst has opened wide the portals-and pocketbooks-of the Old and New World.
The Spanish, always with an eye on American markets, have been quick to catch on to this growing love affair by proffering several sparkling wines of adequate taste and affordable price tags: wines such as Freixenet, Codor-niu (the largest single sparkling wine importer in the world), and Paul Cheneau cost just $5 to $7 a bottle. And now there’s a new entry: Lembey Brut, the latest spirit-and first sparkling wine-from Spain’s House of Domecq, already the world’s largest producer of premium sherry.
But the French, the ancient doyennes of the champagne business, are not to be outsold by their brethren across the Pyrenees. A newcomer, Champagne Jacquart, has gone on a full social tour of American liquor stores and restaurants. Priced about double that of the Spanish products, it still manages to come in $2 to $3 less than other French champagnes such as Moet Chandon, Mumm, or Piper-Heidsieck. Company chairman Robert Nicholson shrugs off the Spanish invasion. Champagne Jacquart, he says, “is in a different category altogether.” Nicholson is hoping that America will “trade up” to his product. The intended Jacquart consumer, he says, is typically under forty and enjoys experimenting with new products instead of going with an established brand. “Our consumers recognize the value of a good investment,” Nicholson says.
That market profile is the corker. No longer is buying champagne a matter of labels; it’s a quest for the best-for the money. The publicity and affordability of these Spanish and French wines point to the driving force behind the trend: increased competition, which has created a bounty of good champagnes and sparkling wines for less than $15. The Spanish, say local experts, have really introduced champagne to the masses, Ultimately, they say, Spanish sparkling wine will help sell higher-grade champagne (both imported and domestic) because people will begin to discriminate and buy up. Even those “name” champagnes that try to market themselves at higher prices than what they’re able to deliver in quality will ultimately bomb.
To help us drink our way through the confusion, Richard Winburn, co-owner of the Stoneleigh P, and fellow experts John Rector and Ley Jaynes, conducted a blind tasting of five champagnes and sparkling wines priced at $15 or less, with one $30 champagne for comparison. The results underscored the experts’ predictions.
The Spanish came in behind the French, except for Champagne Jacquart, which unanimously came in last. The Spanish wines were rated as “effervescent but bitterish” (Paul Cheneau), “sweet but slightly acidic,” (Codomiu), and “fruity and bubbly” (Lembey Brut). The French champagnes fared better, with comments such as “dry and fruity” (Pommery), and “golden and buttery” (Veuve Clicquot). Jacquart, however, received descriptions such as “weird, sulphuric bouquet” and the definitive “double yuck.”
Of the Spanish wines, we liked-from most to least favorite-Paul Cheneau, $5; Codor-niu, $5; and Lembey Brut, $5. In the champagne category, from most to least favorite: Pommery, $15; Veuve Clicquot, $30; and Champagne Jacquart, $15.
Related Articles
Commercial Real Estate
What’s Behind DFW’s Outpatient Building Squeeze?
High costs and high demand have tenants looking in increasingly creative places.
