why do we drink sparkling wines?

this was not the originally intended post, but that wine can wait until later as it was to be done this morning and i missed that deadline already. this question came to me early today, "why do we drink sparkling wines?" the obvious answer was to celebrate events. the next thought was what kind of events? well, some are good and some are bad- weddings and divorces, births and deaths, jobs won and those lost. sparkling wine truly is for the best of times and the worst of times.

everyone thinks of champagne when they think of wine with bubbles, but there are a countless excellent options from elsewhere in the world. the folks in champagne are the only source of "true champagne," but were they the first producers of this celebratory drink? the answer is no. before the monks in champagne had produced their wines, the benedictine monks of limoux in southern france had perfected the beverage. thus, there is a conflict between langue d'oc and langue d'or- the south was first. because of the warmth and superior potential for ripening the grapes used for sparkling wines from the south do not yield the same result as the pinots and chardonnay from the north. but, they do produce an excellent wine which will match with any occasion.

Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux Blanc de Blancs 2005

this wine is pale yellow with small uniform bubbles producing a velvety mousse. it has a nose of citrus. the taste is of lemon and green apples, with crisp acidity on the finish. there is no aftertaste.

this is a reliable sparkling wine and is certainly the original. i strongly recommend it and at $10 to $15 it is reasonable to have a bottle around for any occasion, or no occasion. this is a reliable wine year to year, the quality is quite good, and it is an excellent value. bottles "lost" in the cellar seem to mature. i strongly recommend it.