It’s Not Over Until You’ve Had Champagne

If you’ve ever wondered what champion Formula One race car drivers drink after zipping past the competition, so did we. But it didn’t take long to notice that after every race, the men were swigging back huge bottles of G.H. Mumm. Intrigued by this, and in celebration of Ferrari’s recent winning streak, we decided to purchase a bottle and see what it was like on the winning team.

Of course, a classy event like Formula One racing could never disappoint. We purchased the authentic G.H. Mumm Cordon Rogue ($30), in a more reasonable 1.5 liter bottle. (Though who are we kidding? We would have purchased the double size bottle in a heart beat). The champagne smelled sweet and delicious. It was extremely refreshing, which must explain why men who have sweated through two hours of being stuck in a tiny, hot race car can drink so much of it afterwards. It had a full, bready taste that was slightly dry but still left your mouth feeling pleasantly moist. The aftertaste was smooth and complex. This was a champagne that activated all the tastebuds. Definitely for winners; wimpy losers should stick with their Korbel and goldfish crackers.

Score: She gives it a 4, while he jumps ahead with a 4.5

Recommended: Heck yeah, this is only classy champagne.

Brought To You By The Letter J

The most exciting event of the past week in our neighborhood was the start of a weekly food truck convergence at the end of the block. For the foreseeable future, our Thursdays just became that much tastier. There’s something about food from a truck that has flavors you just can’t get in a restaurant that's not on wheels. And food trucks don't just sell tacos and hot dogs these days – there’s deconstructed samosas, lumpia, and cupcakes too.

Just another reason we love this town.

The sparkling wine for this week has nothing to do with food trucks (we don’t think trucks can get a license to sell booze, which is a shame). We tried it because we had seen the bottle everywhere and were intrigued by the simplicity of its marketing. A single letter on a clean, green bottle – it’s pretty sexy.

The wine was J Brut Rosé ($25), which not only rhymes, it’s pretty tasty too. It had a gorgeous, peachy-pink color, yet again proving we love staring deeply into a glass of rosé. The scent was distinctly floral. The first sip was dry, with just a hint of sweetness, and a tangy floral aftertaste. It had just the right amount of carbonation and a very smooth finish. The more we drank it, the more we liked this playful sparkling wine. And we should note, it goes very well with a ravenous appetite, like the kind produced by a flock of food trucks.

Score: We both gave it a 3.5

Recommended: Sure. This is a good, solid rosé.

Making It Memorable

Labor Day may seem like the end of summer for some, but to us, it’s the beginning of the most beautiful time of year. Our summers up in the bay usually arrive later than the rest of the state, so while most people head back to school with memories of sunburns and charred meat, we head out on the town for warm days and cloud-free skies.

This past weekend, we celebrated the return of gorgeous weather with Rochelle’s sister and brother-in-law, who live just beyond the Caldecott Tunnel in the East Bay. Amid the summer-brown fields and down the hill from a pasture full of miniature donkeys (honestly), we all sat down for many things grilled, along with one thing bubbly.

But before we began our full review, Rochelle’s brother-in-law took haste to point out that in his opinion, our blog would garner more readers if we made the reviews more “memorable.” And in his mind, this could only mean using far more offensive language to describe our wines. And hating the wines more, for as he sees it, the only really good reviews are those in which the reviewer absolutely loathes that which is being reviewed.

The sacrificial wine for this roast (haha) was the Piper-Heidsieck Brut ($28). We’ll start off with the majority review of the three, less antagonist tasters. The wine had a lovely golden hue in the glass, with a large dose of bubbles and a scent reminiscent of bourbon. It was pretty dry, with bitter overtones that gave way to a smoother, sweeter finish. While not offensive, it was fairly unremarkable, with a nose that promised much more complexity than was actually delivered. But it left a pleasing, faintly fruity taste in the mouth after drinking.

Now, this same wine as reviewed by the brother-in-law. First of all, he thought we should start off with something clever to say about the name, like “Piper tastes like a diaper,” in order to lure in more readers. He also wanted us to point out that the color looks like a urine sample from a particularly healthy individual. And as this was his first taste of champagne (not being a drinker), the review grows even more colorful after his first sip. He thought it tasted like alcohol he used to steal out of his mother’s liquor cabinet when he was younger. In response to its profuse carbonation, he thought we should add “warning: causes gas.” In conclusion, he decided it was too gross to drink, but would make an excellent disinfectant.

We expect our readership to quadruple after this review.

Score: It was a unanimous three (well, almost, if “use as disinfectant” can count as a middling review).

Recommended: Rochelle’s brother-in-law may have been a little over-enthusiastic with his color commentary, but we did all agree that we wouldn’t buy this wine again, especially given the price (many other good French champagnes in this range).

This is a Heat Wave?

A funny thing happens when it reaches 80 degrees in San Francisco – people run through the streets because they no longer have to wear jackets outside, and the fire alarm goes off in our building. Maybe it’s not really a fire alarm, but a warning system that it’s time to leave your apartment and enjoy the rare pleasure of a semi-hot day in the city. It does make us wonder, though; what would happen if there was actually a fire on a warm day? But these are questions best left to the experts.

There are a few ways to cool down on the sporadic warm days in this town. None of them involve air conditioning. In a town where 82 is like walking through the gates of hell, there’s really no need. Besides, that’s what windows are for. And if you ever open a window in San Francisco and there isn’t a breeze blowing, you can be pretty sure the world has ceased to turn. But besides open windows, relief can also come from taking a dip in the frigid Pacific Ocean and risk running into a great white shark, or doing what we do: drinking champagne.

One nice choice for a warm summer’s day is Freixenet Brut Cordon Rosado ($14). This sparkling wine is lovely just sitting in the glass, with a blushing pink color and the perfect amount of bubbles. The aroma is faintly sweet, as is the first taste. It starts dry, but has a wet finish, and is thankfully easy to drink when trying to cool down. The overall flavors were of tart apples and grapes, with no bitterness left in your mouth. We wouldn’t care if the heat wave lasted until November.

Score: She gives it a 3.5, he gives it a 3

Recommended: Yes, while not spectacular, this is a good wine for someone who has never had champagne and doesn’t like drinks that are too dry.