Pop!
That's my favorite sound of the holiday season. The opening of a bottle of sparkling wine.
My Andrea Bocelli Christmas CD is a close second. (Thanks, Jeananne.)
Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" was warned not to shoot his eye out. I'm here to uncork the same advice and tell you to put a towel over your bottle of bubbly when opening.
Be safe.
Loosen the metal cage. Hold the cork firmly. Keep the towel over the top and then twist the bottom of the bottle to slowly unleash some of the 49 million bubbles trapped inside a standard bottle of Champagne. I've never counted them, but that's what I read in an October 2020 article of Food & Wine Magazine.
The cork can reach a velocity of 24.8 mph when it takes off. Browns running back Nick Chubb reached a top speed of 21.07 mph during his 70-yard touchdown run against the Bengals this season. I wouldn't want to be hit by either one them.
Disregard the above if you are intending to ring in the new year like one of Tom Brady's Super Bowl post-game celebrations. Shaking the bottle will look like a broken water main.
I'll never tell anyone how to ring in the new year, but I do have a few suggestions on what to drink when celebrating.
A $13.99 bottle of Ca Furlan Prosecco is a great way to start any evening or occasion. It's made extra dry with aromas of bosc pear with a bit of citrus on the finish. It's ideal to pair with an order of ricotta cheese Zepperoni rolls from Zeppe's in Hudson. A crostini with Mackenzie Creamery's cognac and fig chevre is excellent also. Mackenzie's is located in Hiram and the cheese is sold at Giant Eagle, among other places.
Who wouldn't want to celebrate with a bottle of Cafe De Paris Brut Rose?
It's named after a French cafe in the town of Cubzak, near the Bordeau region. This sparkling wine originated in the late 1800's and is the only label allowed to use Paris in its name. It was trademarked in the 1930s and grandfathered when a law was passed.
The $14.99 bubbles are a brilliant salmon color with lots of strawberry undertones. It's great with Bri cheese topped with strawberry/fig jam, feta stuffed olives or a salmon crostini. I couldn't believe how good it tasted with a red velvet cookie from the Market District.
Ferrari Brut Rose will always have a special place in my heart. The Ferrari Cafe in the Milan airport is a guaranteed stop on my way to catch a 10 a.m. flight to New York. There's nothing better than a glass of this $39.99 rose from Trento to go along with an authentic Italian charcuterie. Don't worry, I switch my body clock back to Ohio time so I don't feel guilty about having a glass of bubbles at 8 a.m., which is really 2 p.m.
These bubbles are ultra fine and super food friendly. I loved the delicate strawberry and raspberry flavors as they paired nicely with Maryland crab cakes, and an order of onion rings from the Village Garden. Kettle cooked chips are great too.
