If someone said “carbonated wine,” first you would think, “ew, that sounds downscale,” and then you would realize that’s what champagne is, and you’d shrug, and you’d ask your interlocutor, “what about it?”
Let us take this out of the hypothetical - tonight, at the Tasting Room at Randolph Wine Cellars, $30 will buy you a ticket into the world of “bubblies,” which goes way beyond what’s produced in the Champagne region of France. From 6pm-8pm, over light hors d’oeuvres, you can try sparkling wines from Italy (asti, dolcetto, prosecco), Spain (cava), France (champagne, obviously), and a few selections from California and the Pacific Northwest. There are over thirty to try, and there will be a retail discount should you wish to purchase any of the bottles.
This is a good season to be paying attention to sparkling wines. Everyone likes to sip something with a little fizzle on a warm spring evening, even if it’s just out on a porch or fire escape landing. Champagne is so clichéd and overpriced, but if you pull out a prosecco or a cava, people will think you’re knowledgeable and sophisticated, when the truth is, you’re just cheap and wily. But nobody needs to know that.
Tasting Room Events [Official Site]
[Photo: Quentin Jones/The Age]
