With the current state of the economy and imminent “sin taxes” to be invoked by the first of the year, people who enjoy true French champagne will certainly be looking for new alternatives. The good news is that the search for the style most noted by some of the premier producers of champagne does not have to go too far. Some of the best alternatives to champagne are produced in the USA and are made by the such great champagne producers as Roederer and Taittinger.

So where did this proclaimed beverage of celebration all start? Many attribute it to the experimentation of a late-17th-century English Benedictine monk by the name of Dom Perignon, who made wine at the Abbey of Hautvillers. But it is quite possible that it may have been discovered centuries before quite by accident.

The concept of how champagne is made is very simple. If you combine sugar (in the crushed grape form) and yeast (from the skins of the grapes) with the right temperature, fermentation takes place and the end result is alcohol and carbon dioxide. If you ferment in an open container, the carbon dioxide dissipates; however if you ferment in a closed container, such as a bottle with a cork that has been wired shut, the carbon dioxide remains in the bottle and gives the wine its bubbles.

The entire method of making champagne is actually quite a bit more complicated than this but the fact remains that only wines that are made in this method and that are produced within the region of Champagne in France itself can be called champagne. Any other wine made in this or the other many sparkling wine methods can only be referred to as a sparkling wine. But California has become a prime area for some of these wonderful French producers to make their wares.

Why is California so good for making sparkling wine? There are a number of different reasons. First of all, California has one of the most prolific agricultural regions in the world. Some of the sub-regions for producing grapes are near perfect for producing the two great varieties that go into the making of champagne in France — Pinot Noir, which is a red grape that gives champagne its body and structure; and Chardonnay, that gives the wine fruit and elegance.

One of the best regions in California for producing these types of grapes for sparkling wine is Mendocino. It is the northern most viticultural area of the state and because of this, the grapes that grow in this area attain the optimum balance of acid and fruit needed to produce a style that is similar to champagne.

John Scharffenberger of Scharffenberger Cellars in Mendocino first found this similarity to be true after collecting data in the champagne region of France. This data consisted of seven years of extensive dew point studies that showed him that this would be an ideal location to set up operations for a sparkling wine facility. The Sharffenberger Mendocino Brut NV ($15-$16) has won critical acclaim around the world. It is a full styled brut filled with the same rich and toasty flavor that is associated with true French champagne.

Soon to follow in the Mendocino area was the famous French Champagne house of Roederer, which in 1982 put approximately 500 acres of grapes under vine bearing the name Roederer Estate. The Roederer standards of champagne making in France were also soon to emerge. Essential to the Roederer style are vineyard ownership which gives the winery complete control of the outcome of the style of the wine. The style of their acclaimed French Brut Premier Non-Vintage is rich, mature and elegant with a very creamy aftertaste. The California counterpart also reflects this style by adding oak-aged reserve wines to each years blend. This years blend labeled Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut ($15-$16) has a definite yeasty and complex flavor not unlike the French Brut Premier NV ($25-$30).

Another region noted for its good climate for Chardonnay and Pinot noir is Carneros, which is south of Napa and Sonoma where the San Francisco Bay joins the two regions. The cool morning fog and bay breeze keeps the acid levels of the grapes high, which is a key factor in the structure of grapes that make champagne. One of the French newcomers to this region is the famous house of Taittinger, whose first release of Domaine Carneros Brut Carneros by Taittinger NV ($14-$16) in September this year has a unique champagne-like quality with a very nice spicy fruit nuance.

Although many people consider champagne and sparkling wine as only a beverage for toasts and celebration, it should be regarded as a food wine because of the fine structure of fruit and acid and the cleansing of the effervescence. The Culbertson winery located in Temecula in southern California believes in this so much that they have a culinary school and restaurant as part of their winery. Their Cafe de Champagne has many house specialties that are designed and built round the structure of the fine sparkling wine that they produce. A wonderful combination that I have personally tried there was their Angel Hair Pasta with shrimp, crab and scallops with their Culbertson Brut ($15-$16). It was a near perfect taste combination.

So don’t feel that you have to pay a hefty price this year for French champagne. Some of the best sparkling wine alternatives that are being made from California are available right here in Bangor and surrounding areas at specialty shops. Happy New Year!

Chris Plumstead has worked in the wine industry for seven years and is also a free-lance writer from Newburgh.